e., is objective complement. _Had_
(= _should hold_ or _regard_) is treated as a past subjunctive. _Rather_ is
the comparative of the old adjective _rathe_ = _early_, from which comes
the idea of preference. The expression means, "I should hold going
preferable."
The expressions "You _had better_ stay," "I _had as lief_ not be," are
similar in construction to "I _had rather_ go." "I _had sooner_ go" is
condemned by grammarians because _sooner_ is never an adjective. If
_sooner_ is here allowed as an idiom, it is a modifier of _had_. The
expression equals, "I should more willingly have going."]
Compounds of more than two words may be analyzed thus: +May have been
written+ is composed of the compound auxiliary +may have been+ and the
participle +written; may have been+ is composed of the compound auxiliary
+may have+ and the participle +been+; and +may have+ is composed of the
auxiliary +may+ and the infinitive +have+. _May_ is the asserting word--the
first auxiliary is always the asserting word.
+Direction+.--_Study what has been said above and analyze the following
verbal forms, distinguishing carefully between participles that may be
considered as part of the verb and words that must be treated as attribute
complements_:--
1.
Pages:
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407