Thing, the antecedent part, is in the nom. case after to be, understood, and put by apposition with he, according to RULE 21, and NOTE. Which, the relative part, is in the obj. case after to be expressed, and put by apposition with him, according to the same RULE. Man is in the obj. case, put by apposition with which:  RULE 7.  The latter part of the sentence may be literally rendered thus:  He plainly appears to have proved to be that base character which the prophet foresaw him to be, viz. a man of violence, cruelty, and blood.  The antecedent part of the first what, in the next sentence, is governed by hides; and which, the relative part, is governed by know understood.  The antecedent part of the second what, is governed by hides understood, and the relative part is governed by know expressed.

4.  The first he, in the seventh example, is, in the opinion of some, nom. to can hear understood; but Mr. N.R.  Smith, a distinguished and acute grammarian, suggests the propriety of rendering the sentence thus; “He that formed the ear, formed it to hear; can he not hear?” The first he, in the last example, is redundant; yet the construction is sometimes admissible, for the expression is more forcible than it would be to say, “Let him hear who hath ears to hear;” and if we adopt the ingenious method of Mr. Smith, the sentence is grammatical, and may be rendered thus; “He that hath ears, hath ears to hear; let him hear.”

EXERCISES IN PARSING.
Idioms, anomalies, and intricacies.

1.  “The wall is three feet high.” 2.  “His son is eight years old.” 3.  “My knife is worth a shilling.” 4.  “She is worth him and all his connexions.” 5.  “He has been there three times.” 6.  “The hat cost ten dollars.” 7.  “The load weighs a tun.” 8.  “The spar measures ninety feet.”

REMARKS.—­Anomaly is derived from the Greek, a, without, and omales, similar; that is, without similarity.  Some give its derivation thus; anomaly, from the Latin, ab, from, or out of, and norma, a rule, or law, means an outlaw; a mode of expression that departs from the rules, laws, or general usages of the language; a construction in language peculiar to itself.  Thus, it is a general rule of the language, that adjectives of one syllable are compared by adding r, or er, and st, or est, to the positive degree; but good, better, best; bad, worse, worst, are not compared according to the general rule.  They are, therefore, anomalies.  The plural number of nouns is generally formed by adding s to the singular:  man, men; woman, women; child, children; penny, pence, are anomalies.  The use of news, means, alms and amends, in the singular, constitutes anomalies.  Anomalous constructions are correct according to custom; but, as they are departures from general rules, by them they cannot be analyzed.