Page images
PDF
EPUB

led the indicative mood, in the potential form.The tense is present.

Verbs are divided into regular, irregular, and defective.

Verbs are called regular, when they form their imperfect tense and perfect participle by the addition of ed; or d, when the verb ends in e; as,

[blocks in formation]

Perfect Participle.
Favored.
Loved.

Irregular verbs are those which do not form their imperfect tense and perfect participle by the addition of d or ed to the verb; as,

Present.

I begin.
I know.

Imperfect.
I began.
I knew.

Perfect Participle.
Begun.

Known.

Defective verbs are those which are used only in some of the moods and tenses, and have no participles. The principle of them are these; May, can, will, shall, must, ought, might, could, would, should, quoth. All these are used as auxiliaries to other verbs, except ought and quoth.

Ought is made to convey both a present and past signification; its tense being determined by the infinitive mood, by which it is always followed. When followed by a present infinitive, ought is in the present tense; as He ought to go, and when followed by the infinitive perfect, ought is in the imperfect tense; as, He ought to have gone.

Quoth is seldom used; and then only in the first and third persons singular of the imperfect tense.

THE CONJUGATION OF REGULAR VERBS.

Transitive.

A regular transitive verb is conjugated in the following manner:

[blocks in formation]

2. Thou lovedst, or you loved. 2. Ye or you loved.

3. He loved.

Singular.

3. They loved.

[blocks in formation]

1. I have loved.

1. We have loved.

2. Thou hast loved, or you have 2. Ye or you have loved

[blocks in formation]

3. They have loved.

Pluperfect Tense.

1. We had loved.

Plural.

2. Thou hadst loved, or you had 2. Ye or you had loved.

loved.

[blocks in formation]

3. They had loved.

First Future Tense.

Plural.

1. We shall or will love.

2. Thou shalt or wilt love, or 2. Ye or you shall or will love.

[blocks in formation]

2. Thou wilt have loved, or you 2. Ye or you will have loved. will have loved. 3. They will have loved.

3. He will have loved.

Those tenses are called simple tenses, which are formed of the principal, without an auxiliary verb; as, I love, I loved. The compound tenses are

such as cannot be formed without an auxiliary verb;

*In the present and imperfect tenses, we use a different form of the verh, when we mean to express energy and positiveness; as, I do love; thou dost love; be does love:-I did love; thou didst love; he did love,

as,

I have loved; I had loved; I shall or will love; I may love; I may be loved; I may have been lov ed, &c. These compounds, however, are to be considered as only different forms of the same verb,

Singular.

IMPERATIVE MOOD.

Plural.'

2. Love, or love thou or you, or 2. Love, or love ye or you, or dọ do thou or you love. ye love.

Singular.

1 I may or can love.

POTENTIAL MOOD,

Present Tense,

Plural,

1. We may or can love.

2. Thou mayst or canst love, or 2. Ye or you may or can love,

you may or can love,

. He may or can love.

3. They may or can love,

[blocks in formation]

Singular.

3.

Plural

We may or can have lovet.
Ye or you may or can have
loved.

They may or can have loved.

[blocks in formation]

1. I might, could, would or 1. We might, could, would, or

should have loved.

2. Thou mightst, &c. or you 2. might, could, would, or

should have loved.

3. He might, could, would, er should have loved.

3.

should have loved.

Yeor you might, could, world,
or should have loved.
They might, could, would, or
should have loved.

Singular.

1. If I love.

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD.

Present Tense.-First Form.

Plural.

1. If we love.

2. If thou lovest, or if you love. 2. If ye or you love.

8. If he loves.

[blocks in formation]

3. If they love.

Present Tense.-Second Form.

2. If thou love, or if you love. 3. If he love.

Plural.

1. If we love.

2. If ye or you love.
3. If they love.

The remaining tenses of the subjunctive mood, are in every respect similar to the correspondent tenses of the indicative mood, with the exception before made. See page 58.

[blocks in formation]

The transitive verb may be conjugated differently by adding its present participle to the auxiliary verb to be, through all its moods and tenses; as, instead of I teach, thou teachest, he teaches, &c. we may say, I am teaching, thou art teaching, he is teaching, &c.; and instead of I taught, I was teaching, &c.; and so through all the variations of the auxiliary. This mode of conjugation has, on particular occasions, a peculiar propriety; and contributes to the harmony and precision of the language.

Passive.

A passive verb is conjugated by adding the perfect participle to the auxiliary to be, through all its changes of number, person, mood and tense, in the following manner:

[blocks in formation]

2. Thou art loved, or you are 2. Ye or you are loved.

loved.

3. They are loved."

3. He is loved.

Singular.

Imperfect Tense.

Plural

1. I was loved.

1. We were loved.

2. Thou wast loved, or you were 2. Ye or you were loved,

loved.

3. He was loved,

Singular.

3. They were loved.

[blocks in formation]

1. I have been loved.

1. We have been loved.

2. Thou hast been loved, or you 2. Ye or you have been loved.

have been loved.

[blocks in formation]

3. They have been loved.

Pluperfect

Tense.

Plural.

1. We had been loved.

2. Thou hadst been loved, or you 2. Ye or you had been loved,

[blocks in formation]

2 Thou shalt or wilt be loved,2. Ye or you shall or will be or you shall or will be loved. loved,

3. He shall or will be loved. 3. They shall or will be loved, Second Future Tense.

[blocks in formation]

2. Be thou or you loved, or do 2. Be ye or you loved, or do ye

thou or you be loved.

or you be loved.

7

« PreviousContinue »