OBS. 25.—­Dr. Wilson says, “There may be several subjects to the same verb, several verbs to the same subject, or several objects to the same verb, and the sentence be simple.  But when the sentence remains simple, the same verb must be differently affected by its several adjuncts, or the sense liable to be altered by a separation.  If the verb or the subject be affected in the same manner, or the sentence is resolvable into more, it is compounded.  Thus, ’Violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red, mixed in due proportion, produce white,’ is a simple sentence, for the subject is indivisible.  But, ’Violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red, are refrangible rays of light,’ is a compound sentence, and may be separated into seven.”—­Essay on Gram., p. 186.  The propriety of the distinction here made, is at least questionable; and I incline to consider the second example a simple sentence, as well as the first; because what the writer calls a separation into seven, involves a change of are to is, and of rays to ray, as well as a sevenfold repetition of this altered predicate, “is a refrangible ray of light.”  But the parser, in interpreting the words of others, and expounding the construction of what is written, has no right to alter anything in this manner.  Nor do I admit that he has a right to insert or repeat anything needlessly; for the nature of a sentence, or the syntax of some of its words, may often be altered without change of the sense, or of any word for an other:  as, “’A wall seven feet high;’ that is, ’A wall which is seven feet high.’”—­Hiley’s Gram., p. 109. “‘He spoke and acted prudently;’ that is, ‘He spoke prudently, and he acted prudently.’”—­Ibid. ’"He spoke and acted wisely;’ that is, ’He spoke wisely, and he acted wisely.’”—­Murray’s Gram., p. 219; Alger’s, 70:  R.  C. Smith’s, 183; Weld’s, 192; and others.  By this notion of ellipsis, the connexion or joint relation of words is destroyed.

OBS. 26.—­Dr. Adam, who thought the division of sentences into simple and compound, of sufficient importance to be made the basis of a general division of syntax into two parts, has defined a simple sentence to be, “that which has but one nominative, and one finite verb;” and a compound sentence, “that which has more than one nominative, or one finite verb.”  And of the latter he gives the following erroneous and self-contradictory account:  “A compound sentence is made up of two or more simple sentences or phrases, and is commonly called a Period.  The parts of which a compound sentence consists, are called Members or Clauses.  In every compound sentence there are either several subjects and one attribute, or several attributes and one subject, or both several subjects and several attributes; that is, there are either several nominatives applied to