§ 20. AUXILIARY VERBS.

160. The AUXILIARY, or helping verbs, by the help of which verbs are principally inflected, are the following, which, as auxiliaries, are used only in the present and the past tense; viz.

Pres. Do, have, shall, will, may, can, am, murt Past. Did, had, should, would, might, could, was,

The verb to be is used as an auxiliary, in all its tenses.

161. Am, do, and have, are also principal verbs.

1. Let (used by some Grammarians as an auxiliary in the im perative mood), is properly a transitive verb, and complete. Ought is a defective verb, having, like must, only the present

cense.

2. Shall implies duty or obligation; will, purpose or resolution may, liberty; can, ability. Of these verbs, the past tense should would, might, could, is very indefinite with respect to time. being used to express duty, purpose, liberty, and ability, sometimes with regard to what is past, sometimes with regard to what is present, and sometimes with regard to what is fuiure; thus, Past. He could not do it then, for he was otherwise engaged. Present. I would do it with pleasure, if I could.

Future. If he would delay his journey a few days, I might (could, would or should), accompany him.

In these and similar examples, the auxiliaries may be considered simply as denoting liberty, ability, will, or duty, without any reference to time in themselves, and that the precise time is indicated by the scope of the sentence. The same observation applies to must and ought, implying necessity and obligation.

3. Would is sometimes used to denote what was customary as in the examples, "He would say;" "" He would desire,” etc Thus,

Pleased with my admiration, and the fire

His speech struck from me, the old man would shake
His years away, and act his young encounters;

Then, having showed his wounds, he'd sit (him) down.

Of WILL and SHALL, WOULD and SHOULD.

163. Will and shall, auxiliaries in the future, sometimes express resolution or purpose, and sometimes simple futurity. They may be thus distinguished :

RESOLUTION or PURPOSE.

164. WILL expresses the will, purpose, resolution, or promise of the subject with respect to his own acts. Thus, I will go, thou wilt go, he will go, express the resolution, etc. of the subject I, thou, he.

165. SHALL expresses the purpose, resolution, etc. not of the subject, but of another by whom the act is determined. Thus, I shall go, thou shalt go, James shall go, express the resolution, not of I, thou, James, respectively, but of some other; as, John is resolved that I shall go, etc.

SIMPLE FUTURITY.

166. SHALL is used when a person foretels what is future in respect to himself; as, I think that I shall go.

167. WILL is used in the second and the third person, and SHALL in the first, when a person foretels what is future in respect to others; as, I think that you will go, that he will go. He thinks that I shall go.

168. But after such words as if, though, provided, unless, or when, while, until, after, etc., or after the relative in a restrictive clause, shall is used instead of will to denote futurity; as, If he shall go; When he shall appear; All who shall subscribe

WILL and SHALL interrogatively.

169. In asking questions as to the will, purpose, resolution, or promise of the person addressed, SHALL is used in the first and the third person, and WILL in the second; as, Shall I go? Shall he go1 Will you go? Is it your purpose that I shall go, etc.?

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170. But in asking questions relative to simple futurity, SHALL is used in the first and the second person, and WILL in the third; as, Shall I arrive in time? Shall you be at home? Will the stage arrive soon?

171. Should and would are subject to the same rules as shall and will. They are generally attended with a supposition; as, Wom I to run, I should soon be fatigued

172. Should is often used instead of ought, to express present duty or obligation; as, “We should remember the poor;” = We ought to remember the poor.

173. Would is sometimes used as a principal verb for I wish; as "Would that they were gone," for "I wish that they were gone.' “When I make a feast, I would my guests should praise it—not the cooks." Thus used, it is in the present tense. As a past tense, it implies strong negation; as, "Ye would none of my reproof."

§ 21. INFLECTION OF VERBS.

174. To the inflection of verbs belong, Voices, Moods, Tenses, Numbers, and Persons.

VOICE.

175. VOICE is a particular form of the verb, which shows the relation of the subject, or thing spoken of, to the action expressed by the verb.

176. In English the transitive verb has two voices, the Active and the Passive.

177. The ACTIVE VOICE represents the subject of the verb as acting; as, "James strikes the table."

Here the verb "strikes," in the active voice, indicates that its subject "James" acts.

178. The PASSIVE VOICE represents the subject of the verb as acted upon; as, “The table is struck by James."

Here the verb "is struck,” in the passive voice, indicates that its subject "table" is acted upon.

1. The transitive verb always expresses the same act, whether it be in the active or passive form. In both it is equally transitive, i. e. the act expressed by it in either form, passes over from the

person or thing ting, to the person or thing acted upon. Hence the same idea may be expressed witn equal propriety in both forms, simply by changing the object of tne active voice into the subject of the passive; thus,

Actively.

Cæsar conquered Gaul.

Passively. Gaul was conquered by Cæsar.

2. The same verbs are sometimes used in a transitive, and sometimes in an intransitive sense; thus, in the phrase, "Charity thinketh no evil," think is transitive; in the phrase, Think on me," it is intransitive.

3. Many verbs in the active voice, by an idiom peculiar to the English, are used in a sense nearly allied to the passive, but for which the passive will not always be a proper substitute. Thus, we say, "This field ploughs well;" "These lines read smoothly;" "This fruit tastes bitter;" "Linen wears better than cotton." The idea here expressed, is quite different from that expressed by the passive form, "This field is well ploughed," "These lines are smoothly read." Sometimes, however, the same idea is expressed by both forms; thus, "Wheat sells readily," or "is sold readily at an advanced price." Expressions of this kind are usually made in French by the reflected verb; thus, “Ce champ se laboure bien;" "Ces lignes se lisent aisément." When used in this sense, they may properly be ranked with intransitive verbs, as they are never followed by an objective case.

180. MOOD is the mode or manner of expressing the signification of the verb.

181. Verbs have five moods; namely, the Indicative, Potential, Subjunctive, Imperative, and Infinitive. App. XVII.

* Explanations of the moods and tenses of verbs, are inserted here for the sako of order: but it would perhaps be improper to detain the learner so long as to commit them to memory: He may, therefore, after getting the definition of verb, proceed to the inflection of it, without delay; and when he comes to the exercises on the verbs, he can look back to the definition of verbs, moods, fc, as occasion may require

1. The Indicative mood declares the fact expressed by the verb, simply and without limitation; as, He loves; He is loved.

2. The Potential mood declares, not the fact ex. pressed by the verb, but only its possibility, or the hberty, power, will, or obligation of the subject with respect to it; as, The wind may blow; We may walk or ride; I can swim; He would not stay; You should obey your parents.

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3. The Subjunctive mood represents the fact expressed by the verb, not as actual, but as conditional, desirable, or contingent; as, If thy presence go not with us, carry us not up hence." App. XVIII.

4. The Imperative mood commands, exhorts, entreats, or permits; as, Do this; Remember thy Creator; Hear, O my people; Go thy way for

this time.

5. The Infinitive mood expresses a thing in a general manner, without any distinction of person or number, and commonly has to before it; as, To. love.

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OBSERVATIONS ON THE MOODS.

1. The future indicative is sometimes used potentially; i. e. the auxiliaries will and shall belong to the present potential, as well as may, or can, or must, when they express present willingness or obligation. In this case, the futurity implied is contingent, and not absolute; as, He will do it, if properly solicited. And hence the corresponding would and should, as well as might and could, belong to the past tense. The potential mood has no future tense.

2. The subjunctive mood is always dependent upon, or is subjoined to, another verb, expressed or understood. It is sometimes