mode of declension cannot apply to our language. This we think has been already proved *. It is also confessedly inapplicable to the learned languages. Where then is the grammatical inconsistency, or the want of conformity to the principles of analogy, in making some tenses of the English verb to consist of principal and auxiliary; and the cases of English nouns, chiefly in their termination? The argument from analogy, instead of militating against us, appears to confirm and establish our position. See pages 109—111. Sections 8 and 9 of this chapter, and Rule 19. Note 8.

We shall close these remarks on the tenses, with a few observations extracted from the ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA. They are worth the student's attention, as a part of them applies, not only to our explanation of the tenses, but to many other parts of the work. "Harris has enumerated no fewer than twelve tenses. Of this enumeration we can by no means approve: for, without entering into a minute examination of it, nothing can be more obvious, than that his inceptive present, "I am going to write," is a future tense; and his completive present, " I have written," a past tense. But, as was before observed of the classification of words, we cannot help being of opinion, that, to take the tenses as they are commonly received, and endeavour to ascertain their nature and their differences, is a much more useful exercise, as well as more proper for a work of this kind, than to raise, as might easily be raised, new theories on the subject t."

*See page 78. 79.

The following criticism affords an additional support to the author's system of the senses, &c.

"Under the head of Etymology, the author of this grammar judiciously adheres to the natural simplicity of the English language, without embarrassing the learner with distinctions peculiar to the Latin tongue. The difficult subject of the Tenses, is clearly explained; and with less encumbrance of technical phraseology, than in most other grammars."

Analytical Reviews

SECTION 6.

The Conjugation of the auxiliary verbs To Have and To Be.

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

PASSIVE VOICE.

The auxiliary and active verb TO HAVE, is conjugated in the following manner:

* Hath is now used only in poetry, and on very serious occasions. Ye is Rearly obsolete.

The terms which we have adopted, to designate the three past tenses, may not be exactly significant of their nature and distinctions. But as they are used by grammarians in general, and have an established authority; and, especially, as the meaning attached to each of them, and their different significations, have been carefully explained; we presume that no solid objection can be made to the use of terms, so generally ap proved, and so explicitly defined, See pages 59—61,

"Let

The imperative mood is not strictly entitled to three per sons. The command is always addressed to the second person, not to the first or third. For when we say, me have," "Let him, or let them have," the meaning and construction are, do thou, or do ye, let me, him, or them have. In philosophical strictness, both number and person might be entirely excluded from every verb. They are, in fact, the properties of substantives, not a part of the essence of a verb. Even the name of the imperative mood, does not always correspond to its nature: for it sometimes petitions as well as commands. But, with respect to all these points, the practice of our grammarians is so uniformly fixed, and so analogous to the languages, ancient and modern, which our youth have to study, that it would be an unwarrantable degree of innovation, to deviate from the established terms and arrangements? See the advertisement at the end of the Introduction, page 14; and also pages 59—61.

*If such sentences should be rigorously examined, the Imperative will appear to consist merely in the word let. See Directions for Parsing.

*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.