But thy soft murmuring
     Sounds sweet as if a sister’s voice reproved. 
     —­BYRON.

If analyzed, the expression would be, “sounds sweet as [the sound would be] if a sister’s voice reproved;” as, in this case, expressing degree if taken separately.

But the ellipsis seems to be lost sight of frequently in writing, as is shown by the use of as though.

[Sidenote:  As though.]

302.  In Emerson’s sentence, “We meet, and part as though we parted not,” it cannot be said that there is an ellipsis:  it cannot mean “we part as [we should part] though” etc.

Consequently, as if and as though may be taken as double conjunctions expressing manner. As though seems to be in as wide use as the conjunction as if; for example,—­

     Do you know a farmer who acts and lives as though he believed
     one word of this?—­H GREELEY.

     His voice ... sounded as though it came out of a
     barrel.—­IRVING.

     Blinded alike from sunshine and from rain,
     As though a rose should shut, and be a bud again. 
     —­KEATS

Examples might be quoted from almost all authors.

[Sidenote:  As for as if.]

303.  In poetry, as is often equivalent to as if.

     And their orbs grew strangely dreary,
     Clouded, even as they would weep. 
     —­EMILY BRONTE.

     So silently we seemed to speak,
        So slowly moved about,
     As we had lent her half our powers
        To eke her living out. 
     —­HOOD.

HOW TO PARSE CONJUNCTIONS.

304.  In parsing conjunctions, tell—­

(1) To what class and subclass they belong.

(2) What words, word groups, etc., they connect.

[Sidenote:  Caution.]

In classifying them, particular attention must be paid to the meaning of the word.  Some conjunctions, such as nor, and, because, when, etc., are regularly of one particular class; others belong to several classes.  For example, compare the sentences,—­

     1.  It continued raining, so that I could not stir
     abroad.—­DEFOE

     2.  There will be an agreement in whatever variety of actions,
     so they be each honest and natural in their hour.—­EMERSON

     3.  It was too dark to put an arrow into the creature’s eye; so
     they paddled on.—­KINGSLEY

In sentence 1, so that expresses result, and its clause depends on the other, hence it is a subordinate conjunction of result; in 2, so means provided,—­is subordinate of condition; in 3, so means therefore, and its clause is independent, hence it is a cooerdinate conjunction of reason.