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Part 14

German Composition · Hermann Lange — chapter 14 of 240 · ~481 words · public domain

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happiness = well-being, +Wohlfahrt+, f. ‘Victoria’s rule’, say ‘the reign of Queen Victoria’.

to guarantee, +gewähren+.

are part = form a part.

I bless = I thank.

share = lot.

shall = can.

+Freiheit des Handelns.+ Repeat the article before the two following nouns. In German the =articles, possessive adjective pronouns, and other determinative words= must be =repeated= when they are used in reference to several nouns of different gender or number, whilst in English they are only required before the first noun.

Insert ‘and’ before ‘speech’, +Rede+, f., and place the verb +finden+ immediately after that noun.

Substitute the words ‘and where’ for the word ‘or’.

+gut.+

Section 11.

CONCENTRATION OF POWERS.

The weakest living creature, by concentrating his powers on a single object, can accomplish something. The strongest, by dispersing his over many, may fail to accomplish anything. The drop, by continually falling, bores its passage through the hardest rock. The hasty torrent rushes over it with hideous uproar, and leaves no trace behind.—T. CARLYLE.

creature, +Wesen+, n.; strengthen the superlative of the adjective by placing ‘aller’ before it, forming one compound expression, analogous to: +Die aller schönste Blume+, the finest flower (of all).

‘by concentrating his powers’, +durch Konzentration seiner Kräfte+; to accomplish something, +etwas zustande bringen+. Use the adverbial expression ‘at least’ before ‘something’, which will give more force to the German rendering.

The copula ‘can’ must be placed immediately after the subject and its attributes, as has been pointed out in S. 5, N. 2.

The strongest — fail, +Dem Stärksten hingegen wird es durch Zersplitterung seiner Kräfte nicht gelingen+.

anything, +auch nur das Geringste+.

continual, +unablässig+, adj.

To render ‘falling’, form a noun of the verb ‘+fallen+’. The German language makes frequent use of the =Infinitive Present= of verbs to form =abstract nouns=, whilst the English language uses the Verbal in -ing for that purpose. Such nouns are always of the neuter gender; as +das Gehen+, going; +das Essen und Trinken+, eating and drinking.

to bore one’s passage, +sich einen Weg bohren+. Place the verb according to S. 5, N. 2; the adverbial clause ‘by continually falling’ must follow it.

hasty, +ungestüm+; torrent, +Strom+, m.

to rush over something, +über etwas hinweg´stürzen+; ‘rushes — uproar’, say ‘rushes with hideous (+entsetzlich+) uproar (+Getöse+) over the same.’

Section 12.

COOLNESS.

Of the Duke of Wellington’s perfect coolness on the most trying occasions. Colonel Gurwood gives this instance. He was once in great danger of suffering ship-wreck. It was bed-time when (S. 4, N. 2) the captain of the vessel came to him, and said: “It will soon be all over with us!” “Very well,” answered the Duke, “then I (App. § 14) need not (App. § 12) take off my boots!”—W. C. HAZLITT.

+Kaltblütigkeit+, f.

Place the genitive after the governing noun, and say: ‘Of (+Von+) the perfect coolness of the Duke of Wellington.’ Perfect = great.

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