Sentence Analysis please

[pootle]

Hi,

Would anyone like to analyse/diagram the following sentences please?

It was in Burma, a sodden morning of the rains

and

But he stood quite unresisting, yielding his arms limply to the ropes, as though he hardly noticed what was happening.

I'm a newbie to this analysis lark and these 2 are flummoxing me to say the least. (I've managed some simpler forms and am not being lazy- just a bit dim!)

Thank you

Pootle

[TheParser]

[QUOTE

But he stood quite unresisting, yielding his arms limply to the ropes, as though he hardly noticed what was happening.

[/QUOTE]


1. Some books tell us that if "but" starts the sentence, it is an absolute element. That is, it has no grammatical relation to the sentence. It is there for rhetorical purposes. In plain English, ignore it. In Reed-Kellogg, just write it on a horizontal line and place that horizontal line above the sentence.

2. So now we have:

He stood quite unresisting, yielding his arms to the ropes, as though he hardly noticed what was happening.

3. Now for easier parsing, let's rearrange the parts:

He, yielding his arms to the ropes, stood quite unresisting, as though he hardly noticed what was happening.

a. In my opinion only:

i. "yielding his arms to the ropes" is a participial phrase modifying "He."

ii. "He stood quite unresisting" is the main sentence.

(a) He = subject.
(b) stood = linking verb.
(c) unresisting = complement of "he."
(d) quite = modifies " unresisting."

iii. The subordinate clause is: as though/ as if he hardly noticed what was happening.

(a) The clause modifies the verb "stood."
(b) The clause is "he hardly noticed what was happening."
(c) The conjunction "as though" connects "he hardly noticed what was happening" to "stood."

*****

I am computer illiterate. So I am unable to post a diagram in my post. Hopefully, someone will soon do so for us.

[Frank Antonson]

The "Burma" part doesn't look to me like a complete sentence -- unless it is in reply to "Where was it?"

Perhaps the punctuation is puzzling me.

[5jj]

The "Burma" part doesn't look to me like a complete sentence -- unless it is in reply to "Where was it?"

It would seem to me natural enough in a context such as this:

I saw an elephant swimming once. It was in Burma, a sodden morning of the rains.

Here, the antecedent of 'it' is the seeing of the elephant, not just the elephant.

[pootle]

It would seem to me natural enough in a context such as this:

I saw an elephant swimming once. It was in Burma, a sodden morning of the rains.

Here, the antecedent of 'it' is the seeing of the elephant, not just the elephant.

Hi, apologies I missed off the full stop. This particular sentence is actually the very beginning of 'The Hanging' by George Orwell so the 'it' refers to the location of the story/ the day the hanging occurred. Though it could just as well apply to a sighting of an elephant

Many thanks to the Parser for your brilliant analysis of the other sentence. Much appreciated.
Pootle

[pootle]

Any ideas about the 1st sentence guys?

It was in Burma, a sodden morning of the rains.

Am I right in thinking this is coordination, the comma acting as an 'and'?

This is what I have so far....

It - the subject of the clause
Was - the main verb- auxiliary
Burma- noun – adverbial phrase modifier of It- telling us where ‘It’ was (in- preposition and Burma, a geographic noun.
A sodden morning of the rains- coordinated clause- noun phrase- appositive of It (subject of the clause) Morning is the noun, ‘a sodden’ is a premodifier- a is indefinite article and sodden is modifying adjective.
Of the rains- a postmodifier of the noun phrase ‘a sodden morning’

Is this correct please?
pootle

[pootle]

Any ideas about the 1st sentence guys?

It was in Burma, a sodden morning of the rains.

Am I right in thinking this is coordination, the comma acting as an 'and'?

This is what I have so far....

It - the subject of the clause
Was - the main verb- auxiliary
Burma- noun – adverbial phrase modifier of It- telling us where ‘It’ was (in- preposition and Burma, a geographic noun.
A sodden morning of the rains- coordinated clause- noun phrase- appositive of It (subject of the clause) Morning is the noun, ‘a sodden’ is a premodifier- a is indefinite article and sodden is modifying adjective.
Of the rains- a postmodifier of the noun phrase ‘a sodden morning’

Is this correct please?
pootle

Oh, just realised- if there is apposition then they cannot be coordinated clauses. Which do you think this is? Apposition or coordination? Oh, I'm confused
Thanks

[TheParser]

Any ideas about the 1st sentence guys?

It was in Burma, a sodden morning of the rains.

I went to Google and read the first few lines of Mr. Orwell's short story A Hanging.

I can parse the first sentence only in one way. If someone shows me that I am wrong, I will delete this post.

It [the hanging. Remember the title of the short story is "A Hanging." The first word of the story is "it." So can we

reasonably conclude that the "it" refers to the hanging?] was [this is not a linking verb. It is a full verb. That is, it

actually means "occurred"] in Burma, on [I presume that Mr. Orwell deleted the preposition for stylistic reasons. An

ordinary person like me would have used the "on" ; Mr. Orwell's deletion makes for a more dramatic reading] a sodden

morning of the rains.

*****

It (the hanging) = subject.

was (occurred) = verb.

in Burma = prepositional phrase. Answers: Where did it (the hanging) occur?

[on] a sodden morning of the rains. = prepositional phrase that answers: When did it occur?

on = preposition (understood)
a = adjective/determiner
sodden = adjective
morning = noun
of = preposition
the =adjective/determiner
rains = noun ("of the rains" modifies "morning.")

[pootle]

Thank you Parser. I feel able to tackle the rest of the piece knowing I have the 1st sentence in hand!

[GingerJoe]

"It was in Burma, a sodden morning of the rains"

In 'modern English',I would have written it as follows...
"It was a damp, rainy morning in Burma."

Writers, such as Bram Stoker, used bizarre sentence constructions, when compared to their contemporaries. Please do not be put off by this use of the language. I think it is just the 'old-fashioned' way.