thing to be a tense, but what, in one inflected word, expresses an affirmation with time; for that those parts of the verb are not properly called tenses, which assume that appearance, by means of auxiliary words. At this rate, we should have, in English, two tenses only, the present and the past in the active verb, and in the passive no tenses at all. But this is a needless nicety; and, if adopted, would introduce confusion into the grammatical art. If amaveram be a tense, why should not amatus fueram? If I heard be a tense, I did hear, I have heard, and I shall hear, must be equally entitled to that appellation."

The proper form of a tense, in the Greek and Latin tongues, is certainly that which it has in the grammars of those languages. But in the Greek and Latin grammars, we uniformly find, that some of the tenses are formed by variations of the principal verb; and others, by the addition of helping verbs. It is, therefore, indisputable, that the principal verb or the participle, and an auxiliary, constitute a regular tense in the Greek and Latin languages. This point being established, we may, doubtless, apply it to English verbs; and extend the principle as far as convenience, and the idiom of our language require.

If it should be said, that, on the same ground that a participle and auxiliary are allowed to form a tense, and the verb is to be conjugated accordingly, the English noun and pronoun ought to be declined at large, with articles and prepositions; we must object to the inference. Such a 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

* See page 54.
H

against us, appears to confirm and establish our position. See pages 78-80. 102-104. 108-111. 201-203.

We shall close these remarks on the tenses, with a few observations extracted from the ENCYCLOPEDIA 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."*

SECT. 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 feveral numbers, perfons, moods, and tenfes.

The Conjugation of an active verb, is styled the ACTIVE VOICE; and that of a paffive verb, the

PASSIVE VOICE.

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

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

"Under the head of Etymology, the author of this grammar judiciously adheres to the natural fimplicity of the English language, without embarraffing the learner with diftinctions peculiar to the Latin tongue. The difficult fubject of the Tenfes, is clearly explained; and with less encumbrance of technical phraseology, than in most other grammars." Analytical Review.

The terms which we have adopted, to defignate the three past tenfes, may not be exactly fignificant of their nature and diftinctions. But as they are ufed by grammarians in general, and have an established authority; and, efpecially, as the meaning attached to each of them, and their different fignifications have been carefully explained: we prefume that no folid objection can be made to the ufe of terms fo generally approved, and fo explicitly defined. See pages 86 and 88. We are fupported in these fentiments, by the authority of Dr. Johnfon. See the first note in his " Grammar of the English Tongue," prefixed to his Dictionary.-If, however, any teachers fhould think it warrantable to change the established names, they cannot perhaps find any more appropriate, than the terms first preterit, second preterit, and third preterit.

ye or you have. Let them have.*

The imperative mood is not strictly entitled to three persons. The command is always addressed to the second person, 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. 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 corres pond 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 analagous 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 8; and the quotation from the Encyclopædia Britannica, page 86. Potential Mood.

Singular,

1. I may or can have.

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. 3. They may or can have.

* If such sentences fhould be rigorously examined, the Imperative will appear to confift merely in the word let. See Parsing, p. 223,

1. I may or can have had.

Plural.

1. We may or can have had. 2. Thou mayst or canst have 2. Ye or you may or can had. have had. 3. He may or can have had. 3. They may or can have had.

1. I might, could, would, or 1. We might, could, would, should have had.

2. Thou mightst, couldst, 2. wouldst, or shouldst have

had.

or should have had.

Ye or you might, could, would, or should have

had.

3. He might, could, would, 3. They might, could, would,

or should have had.

Singular.

1. If I have.

2. If thou have.t

3. If he have.t

or should have had.*

Subjunctive Mood.

Present Tense.

Plural.

1. If we have.

2. If ye or you have,
3. If they have.

Sball and will, when they denote inclination, refolution, promife, may be confidered, as well as their relations should and would, as belonging to the potential mood. But as they generally fignify futurity, they have been appropriated, as helping verbs, to the formation of the future tenfes of the indicative and fubjunctive

moods.

+ Grammarians, in general, conjugate the prefent of the auxiliary in this manner. But we prefume that this is the form of the verb, confidered as a principal, not as an auxiliary verb. See page 200, Note 5.