How to parse. ...

Par. 150-152.]

VE P B S.

105

I50 N.B. -The Intransitive Verbs " is," " looks,"
"seems," " appears," and the Transitive Verbs
' make," "create," " appoint," " deem," " esteem,"
being often used to express identity, may be called
" Verbs of Identity."
Rule. - Verbs of Identity, when Intransitive and
Passive, take a Subjective Supplement: when Transitive, take an Objective Supplement.
Preparatory 'it' and 'there.'
'5'
Instead of saying "To walk is healthy," " To
steal is dishonest," we sometimes wish to put the
Subject, e.g. "to walk," at the end. But we should
not like to say " is healthy to walk;" we want to
put in some little word as the Subject of is, as it
were to prepare the way for the real Subject that
is coming later on. So we say "It is healthy to
walk," i.e. "it is healthy - I mean to walk is
healthy."
This "it" may be called the Preparatory Subject
of " is;" for it is like a servant sent on to prepare
the way for his master and to secure room for him
at an inn. " To walk" is the real Subject of ' is."
I52 The Adverb there is used in the same Preparatory
way, though of course it is not a Subject. For
example, if you are beginning a story about a boy,
it does not sound well to say "once a little boy