3. Hence, as one class of languages, at least, gives us the undoubted fact of an active præterite being identical with a passive participle, and as the participle and præterite in question are nearly identical, we have a fair reason for believing that the d, in the English active præterite, is the d of the participle, which in its turn, is the t of the Latin passive participle. § 410. The following extract gives Dr. Trithen's remarks on the Slavonic verb in his own words:-- "A peculiarity which distinguishes the grammar of all the Slavish languages, consists in the use of the past participle, taken in an active sense, for the purpose of expressing the præterite. This participle generally ends in l; and much uncertainty prevails both as to its origin and its relations, though the termination has been compared by various philologists with similar affixes in the Sanscrit, and the classical languages. "In the Old Slavish, or the language of the church, there are three methods of expressing the past tense: one of them consists in the union of the verb substantive with the participle; as, _Rek esm'_ _chital esmi'_ _Rek esi'_ _chital esi'_ _Rek est'_ _chital est'_. "In the corresponding tense of the Slavonic dialect we have the verb substantive placed before the participle: _Ya sam imao_ _mi' smo imali_ _Ti si imao_ _vi' ste imali_ _On ye imao_ _omi su imali_. "In the Polish it appears as a suffix: _Czytalem_ _czytalismy_ _Czytales_ _czytaliscie_ _Czytal_ _czytalie_. "And in the Servian it follows the participle: _Igrao sam_ _igrali smo_ _Igrao si_ _igrali ste_ _Igrao ye_ _igrali su_. "The ending -ao, of _igrao_ and _imao_, stands for the Russian _al_, as in some English dialects a' is used for _all_." * * * * * PART V. SYNTAX. * * * * * CHAPTER I. ON SYNTAX IN GENERAL. § 411. The word _syntax_ is derived from the Greek _syn_ (_with_ or _together_) and _taxis_ (_arrangement_). It relates to the arrangement, or putting together, of words. Two or more words must be used before there can be any application of syntax. _There is to me a father._--Here we have a circumlocution equivalent to _I have a father_. In the English language the circumlocution is unnatural. In the Latin it is common. To determine this, is a matter of idiom rather than of syntax. § 412. In the English, as in all other languages, it is convenient to notice certain so-called figures of speech. They always furnish convenient modes of expression, and sometimes, as in the case of the one immediately about to be noticed, _account_ for facts.