Independent elements

A word or a group of words that has no grammatical connec­tion with the sentence in which it stands is called an independ­ent element of the sentence.

Independent elements are: interjections, direct ad­dress, and parenthesis.

1. Interjections are a specific class of words expressing emotions (joy, sorrow, surprise, indignation, etc.):

“Oh! I don’t know,” said the jolly old gentleman... (Dick- ens.) “Why, there’s Mrs. Moss,” said Mrs. Tulliver. (Eliot.) “0, well, don’t chatter.” (Elio t.)

2. Direct address which is used to arouse the attention of somebody is also an independent element of the sentence:

“Now, Joe, the fowls.” (Dickens.) “O how brave you are, Tom!” (Eliot.) “Here is a letter for you, dear...” (Henry.)

3. Parenthesis. Certain words (modal words), phras­es or whole sentences may be parenthetically inserted into a sentence without forming part of its grammatical structure. Such parenthetical expressions are modal expressions showing the attitude of the speaker towards the idea expressed in the sentence.

“Mr. Jones, can’t you really stay a little longer. (Lea­cock.) My mother was, no doubt, unusually youthful in ap­pearance even for her years... (Dickens.) “Surely he will not be long now: it is just ten.” (Вгоп1ё.) Of course what you say is all very true and very right. (Shaw.) Last night, for instance, we were sitting in the loggia after supper. (Gals­worthy.) The fog, in fact, had risen, but still hung above the housetops... (Gissing.) The trip was a little foggy, to be sure, in the January weather... (Dickens.)

Modal words often stand at the beginning, less often at the end of the sentence. They are always separated by a pause:

“Possibly you have already heard of the tragic end of his wife.” (Doyle.) “Of course you know the alternative,” replied the visitor, coolly. (Dickens.) After breakfast I could not sit down by the fireside; indeed, a fire was scarcely necessary... (Gissing.) “What a question? I am going to the Flower Show, of course.” (Cronin.)

Modal words may also stand in the very same positions as ad­verbs of indefinite time, i. e. a) before a notional verb or a stressed defective or auxiliary verb, b) after the first auxiliary in an analytical verb-form:

1. This theory certainly seems to be well grounded. We could not possibly come at four. You certainly must do it.

2. Everybody will probably take part in our discussion. He was evidently laughed at by them.

Closely connected with parenthetical sentences are appended sentences which also express the attitude of the speaker to­wards the contents of the sentence and thus have modal force. Appended sentences are placed at the end of, or inserted into, the sentence:

Eugene will stay to lunch with us, I expect. (Shaw.) He was really devoted to me, I believe. (Conrad.) He had a very agreeable face, and I thought, was handsome. (Dickens.) One autumn morning I was with my mother in the front gar­den, when Mr. Murdstone — I knew him by that name now — came by, on horseback... (Dickens.) I... hurried home to plunge into a book which I have not opened for, I dare say, twenty years. (Gissing.)