if,entertaining as I do

[notletrest]

…and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if,entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve.
Please analyse the adverbial clause,Thanks a lot!

[BobK]

Your problem is presumably that you haven't met the archaic expression 'to entertain an opinion', which means 'to have/hold...'. Today, if you 'entertain an idea' you adopt it tentatively and in a non-commital way, but this sort of 'entertain' is more definite.

b

[Frank Antonson]

…and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if,entertaining as I do opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely and without reserve.
Please analyse the adverbial clause,Thanks a lot!

It is tempting to R-K this sentence. (But I feel lazy). "As I do..." and "entertaining...theirs" are parenthetical and not essential to the structure of the sentence. I believe that such clauses and phrases are called "absolute" and are simply diagrammed on the side.

[notletrest]

It is tempting to R-K this sentence. (But I feel lazy). "As I do..." and "entertaining...theirs" are parenthetical and not essential to the structure of the sentence. I believe that such clauses and phrases are called "absolute" and are simply diagrammed on the side.

I don't know the meaning of "R-K".Can I understand the "if...theirs" like this: if I am having opinions of a character which were very opposite to theirs,as I do?
Thanks!

[BobK]

I don't know the meaning of "R-K".Can I understand the "if...theirs" like this: since I have opinions of a character which violently/extremely/diammetrically opposed to theirs as I do
Thanks!

You have the right idea, but I've changed the words a bit. I gather that 'R-K' is a system that involves representing syntactic relations by diagrams - popular in the USA.

b

[Frank Antonson]

"R-K" is this site's abbreviation for "Reed-Kellogg". Yes, it is an American system for diagramming syntax. Wikipedia explains it well. Unlike other systems, it only uses the diagram and the sentence -- no terms or abbreviations.

[notletrest]

Thanks for your help!

[vernongetzler]

This is a wonderful post. The things given are unanimous and needs to be appreciated by everyone.
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vernon getzler

[Frank Antonson]

[Frank Antonson]

Well, I am trying to post a diagram of that sentence, but I am having trouble -- with the posting, not the diagram.