That great nation was once powerful; but now it is feeble.

Great is an adjective, a word added to a noun to express its quality—­pos. great, com. greater, sup. greatest—­it is in the positive degree, it expresses the quality of an object without any increase or diminution, and belongs to the noun “nation,” according to

RULE 18. Adjectives belong to, and qualify, nouns expressed or understood.

Was is a verb, a word that signifies to be—­neuter, it expresses neither action nor passion, but being or a state of being—­third person singular, because its nominative “nation” is a noun of multitude conveying unity of idea—­it agrees with “nation,” agreeably to RULE 10. A noun of multitude conveying unity of idea, may have a verb or pronoun agreeing with it in the singular.

Powerful is an adjective belonging to “nation,” according to Rule 18. Feeble belongs to “it,” according to Note 1, under Rule 18. Is is a neuter verb agreeing with “it,” agreeably to Rule 4.

    “Bonaparte entered Russia with 400,000 men.”

Four-hundred-thousand is a numeral adjective of the cardinal kind, it is a word used in counting, and belongs to the noun “men,” according to Note 2, under Rule 18. Numeral adjectives belong to nouns, which nouns must agree in number with their adjectives.

If, in parsing the following examples, you find any words about which you are at a loss, you will please to turn back, and parse all the foregoing examples again.  This course will enable you to proceed without any difficulty.

More is an adverb. Of and to are prepositions, governing the nouns that follow them in the objective case.

EXERCISES IN PARSING.  A benevolent man helps indigent beggars.  Studious scholars learn many long lessons.  Wealthy merchants own large ships.  The heavy ships bear large burdens; the lighter ships carry less burdens.  Just poets use figurative language.  Ungrammatical expressions offend a true critic’s ear.  Weak critics magnify trifling errors.  No composition is perfect.  The rabble was tumultuous.  The late-washed grass looks green.  Shady trees form a delightful arbor.  The setting sun makes a beautiful appearance; the variegated rainbow appears more beautiful.  Epaminondas was the greatest of the Theban generals; Pelopidas was next to Epaminondas.

The first fleet contained three hundred men; the second contained four thousand.  The earth contains one thousand million inhabitants.  Many a cheering ray brightens the good man’s pathway.