This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1915. Excerpt: ... J. Peculiar Constructions 1. Objective case after copulative verb in passive voice. That experience taught us a useful lesson. A useful lesson was taught us. We were taught a useful lesson. In the first sentence above, lesson is the direct object of the verb, and us the indirect, or object of the preposition to understood. In the second sentence, the direct object, lesson, is taken for the subject, and the verb is changed to the passive voice; but in the third sentence, the indirect object of sentence 1, us, is made the subject of the verb in the passive voice; but the direct object, lesson, although it still receives the action, is no part of the subject, --does not belong to it in any sense, --and so remains in the objective case. The verb seems to be passive in regard to we, but active in regard to lesson. 2. Abridged clause with being. His nationality prevented his election. His being a Jew prevented his being elected. That he was a Jew prevented that he should be elected. By comparing these sentences it will be seen that being a Jew and being elected are abridged predicates used as nouns. Being elected is a passive participle used as a, noun; it is the passive voice of the verb, with its power of predication destroyed. Being a Jew should be parsed together as a noun, and then being and Jew may be parsed separately. Being is the participle of the copula, and Jew is used with the participle of the copula in the predicate of an abridged clause, and is therefore put in the nominative case. His is a possessive pronoun limiting the verbal nouns being and being elected. In the third sentence these verbal nouns are expanded into clauses, to show that they are really abridged clauses. I was not aware that it was he. I was not aware of its being he. In the secon.