The first Future Tense represents the action as yet to come, either with or without respect to the precise time when; as, "The sun will rise to mor." "I shall see them again." row;" The second Future intimates that the action will be fully accomplished, at or before the time of another future action or event; as, " I shall have dined at one o'clock;" "The two houses will have finished their business, when the king comes to prorogue them." In treating of the tenses, there are two things to which attention ought principally to be turned,-the relation which the several tenses have to one another, in respect of time; and the notice which they give of an action's being completed or not completed. The Conjugation of a verb is the regular combination and arrangement of its several numbers, persons, moods, and tenses. The conjugation of an active verb is styled the ACTIVE VOICE; and that of a passive verb, the PAS SIVE VOICE. The auxiliary and active verb To have, is conju gated in the following manner: Let them have. The imperative mood is not strictly entitled to three persons. The command is always addressed to the second, not to the first or third. For when we say, "Let me have, ""Let him, or let them have," the meaning and construction are, do thou, or do ye, let me, him, or them have. See note under Rule XI. and Note 5 of Syntax. Singular. 1. I may or can have. Potential Mood.* Present Tense. Plural. 1. We may or can have. 2. Thou mayst or canst have. 2. Ye or you may or can have.. 3. He may or can have. Singular. 3. They may or can have. Imperfect Tense. 1. I might, could, would, or should have. 2. Thou mightst, couldst, wouldst, or shouldst have. 3. He might, could, would, or should have. Plural. The Potential mood is known by the auxiliaries, may, can, must, might, could, would, and should. 3. He might, could, would, or 3. They might, could, would, or should have had. should have had.* It is to be observed, that in the subjunctive mood, the event being spoken of under a condition or supposition, or in the form of a wish, and therefore as doubtful and contingent, the verb itself in the present tense, and the auxiliary both of the present and past imperfect times, often carry with them somewhat of a future sense; as, "If he come to-morrow, I may speak to them;" "If he should, or would come to-morrow, I might, would, could, or should speak to him." Observe also, that the auxiliaries should and would, in the, imperfect times, are used to express the present and future as well as the past; as, "It is my desire, that he should, or would come now, or to-morrow;" as well as, "It was my desire, that he should or would come yesterday." So that, in this mood, the precise time of the verb is very much determined by the nature and drift of the sentence. Subjunctive Mood. *Shall and will, when they denote inclination, resolution, promise, may be considered, as well as their relations should and would, as belonging to the potential mood. But as they generally signify futurity, they have been appropriated, as helping verbs, to the formation of the future tenses of the indicative and subjunctive moods. Plural. 1. If we shall or will have. 3. If they shall or will have. Future Tense. Plural. 1. If we shall have had. Infinitive Mood.* Present or Active. Perfect. To have had. Having. Participles. Perfect or Passive. Had. Compound Perfect. Having had. The auxiliary and neuter verb To be, is conjuga ted as follows:† 1. I am. 2. Thou art. 3. He, she, or it, is. TO BE. 1. We are. 3. Ye or you are. *The Infinitive mood is generally known by the sign to, before it. †The use of the verb was with the pronoun you, in the Indicative mood, Imperfect tense, and Singular number, instead of were, though frequent in colloquial and extemporaneous discourse, appears to be not well supported by classick writers, and must, therefore, be considered vulgar. Pres. Sing. You are----Imperf. Sing. You were. Editor. |