Social Contract

In this video, I will analyze the first paragraph of Social Contract as I translate it from the original French to English. This will be a free translation (compared to a literal translation; learn the difference). If you disagree with my translation, you may comment or contact me. Please, watch my video on how I arrived at my translation.

FIRST PARAGRAPH

People are born free, and everywhere they labor in chains. Some believe that they are the masters of others, yet they are the true slaves. How did that happen? I don’t know. What can make it right? I think I know the answers to these questions.
Consider the first sentence: People are born free, and everywhere they labor in chains.

How many conjugated verbs can you identify?

This sentence contains two conjugated verbs. The conjugated verb is, are. The second conjugated verb is, labor. Each verb contains a separate subject. The subject of the first clause is people. The subject of the second clause is, they. This pronoun refers to the noun, people. Thus, people is the antecedent of the pronoun. Since we have two separate clauses joined by the coordinating conjunction, and this is a compound sentence.

Now, let’s consider the second sentence: Some believe that they are the masters of others, yet they are the true slaves.
How many conjugated verbs does this sentence contain? This sentence contains three conjugated verbs, believe, are, and are. The subject of the first verb is some. The subject of the second verb is they. Although this pronoun refers to the collective pronoun, some, this pronoun constitutes a separate subject to a separate clause. The clause, that they are the masters of others, modifies the verb, believe. Thus, this clause is a subordinate clause joined to the main clause by the subordinating conjunction, that. The noun, the masters, is the direct object of the conjugated verb, and the prepositional phrase, of others, modifies the noun, masters.
The third conjugated verb is again, are. The subject of this verb is also the pronoun, they. The noun phrase, the true slaves, modifies the verb. It content to what they are. They are the true slaves. Since this clause does not serve to modify anything in the main clause, this clause is an independent clause.
Since this sentence contains two independent clauses and one subordinate clause, this is a compound/complex sentence.
Now, let’s consider the third sentence: How did that happen?
How many conjugated verbs does this sentence contain?
The only conjugated verb is did. This is the past tense of the infinitive to do. In this case, it is used as an auxiliary verb to form a question. (The to do verb has many uses unique to English).
What is the subject of this sentence? The subject of this sentence is the pronoun, that. This pronoun refers to the previously discussed contradiction (i.e. that “people are born free, and everywhere they labor in chains”). This noun or noun phrase that precedes a relative pronoun is called the antecedent of the pronoun. Accordingly, the pronoun, that, is the subject of this sentence.

The adverb, how, presents a question concerning the occurrence of the contradiction.
Consider the next sentence: I don’t know.
What is the conjugated verb in this sentence?
The conjugated verb is the empathic do, contracted with the negative adverb, not, making the contraction, don’t. The use of the emphatic to do verb is another unique English application of the verb. The infinitive know, is part of the predicate.
What is the subject of the sentence? The subject is the pronoun, I.
Consider the next sentence: What can make it right?
What is the conjugated verb?
The conjugated verb is the helping verb, can. This verb helps the infinitive, make.
What is the subject of this sentence? This is a very complicated sentence since it involves an interrogative adjective. This adjective must modify the noun that is the subject of the sentence.
The direct object of the predicate is the pronoun, it. The adverb, right, modifies the predicate, and therefore, is part of the predicate.
Consider the next sentence: I think I know the answers to these questions.
How many conjugated verbs does this sentence contain?
This sentence contains two conjugated verbs, think and know.
Although the subject of both conjugated verbs, I, is the same, both conjugated verbs are unique clauses. The implied conjunction is, that. This sentence could be read as follows: I think that I know the answers to these questions. The clause, that I know the answers to these questions, is an adverbal clause modifying the verb, think. It says something about what I think
What is the object of each clause? The direct object of the first verb, think, is the subordinate clause, that I know the answer to these questions.
What is the object or objects of the subordinate clause? In other words, what is it that I know?
The noun, the answers is the direct object of the verb, know. The phrase, to these questions, is the indirect object of the verb.