obey your parents, avoid bad company, forgive me this fault. The Potential-Assertive mode expresses the power or liberty of doing or acting-I can go, he may write, I could go, he might write; the duty or obligation to act -as, I should go, I must write. This in English is not strictly a distinct mode, but the Declarative mode affirming the power to act, instead of the act itself; I may go, or can go, is equivalent to I have power to go. The Conditional mode represents actions or events which are uncertain, contingent, or conditional; as, if he shall go, if they would hear. The Declarative and Potential-Assertive modes become Conditional when the words if, though, unless, &c. are prefixed; as, if I do go, if I did go, if I shall go, though I may go, if I should go, though I could go, unless I must go. The infinitive of verbs is generally but incorrectly styled a mode. It is pronounced by some of the highest authorities, to be a verbal noun, and not a verb at all—its nature not depending on its form. In English the words death, to die, and dying, may all be used as infinitives, and when so used are generally convertible into each other without any change of meaning. Participles are in like manner verbal adjectives. There are therefore Four Modes of Verbs, the Declarative or Assertive mode; the Imperative or Precatory mode; the Potential-Assertive mode; and the Conditional mode. There are two participles,-the one denoting the state of continuous action ending in ing, as loving, writing, looking; or present existence merely, as being. The participle in ed denotes the state of completed C action, but indefinite as to time, as loved, written, looked; or the state of past existence, as been. The infinitive and the participles associate indifferently with any of the tenses. We may say, I intend to travel, I desired to travel, I shall desire to travel. In the same manner the infinitive associates with adverbs expressive of different times; to see to-day, to see yesterday, to see to-morrow. The same remark applies to participles. I am seeing or seen, I was seeing or seen, I shall be seeing or seen, seeing now, seeing yesterday, seeing to-morrow. Hence it is not strictly accurate to ascribe tenses to the infinitive and to participles. TENSES OF VERBS. The Tenses or Times of verbs intimate whether the action is present, past, or future. Strictly speaking, time is either past or future; the present moment being instantaneous and of imperceptible duration. Every action requires a sensible portion of time or a succession of passing instants; the present time therefore may consist of a minute, an hour, a day, a year—we say the present hour, the present time, the present age. The present time is susceptible of three forms-the definite, I am loving; the indefinite, I love; the emphatic indefinite, I do love. The past time admits of various modifications-I loved is indefinite as to what period of past time it refers. I did love is an emphatic affirmation, but equally indefinite as to time. I was loving is the definite past. It is usually connected with another event or circumstance, as I was writing when the post arrived, Besides these forms there is the completive present, which indicates the immediate completion of the action; as, have finished my letter, I have paid my debts. The past completive tense marks the time when the action was completed, as co-existent with another action or event-as, I had finished my essay before the clock struck eight. The future tenses of English verbs require the auxiliaries shall and will, for the verbs cannot express future time alone. I shall write, is the indefinite future; I shall be writing, is definite. I shall have written, and I shall have been loved, are the completive future. The tenses here styled indefinite are properly aorists of the present, past, and future. "It seems," says Harris, "agreeable to reason, that whenever time is signified without any further circumscription than that of simple present, past, or future, the tense is an aorist." Hermes, 153. As in English there are only two forms of the simple verb to express time,-the present I love, I fear, and the past I loved, I feared; it is necessary, in order to express the tenses, to employ certain verbs which, from their use, are named auxiliaries. These are the verbs do, have, shall, will, may, and can, of the present tense; and did, had, should, would, could, and might, to indicate the past time; and the verb to be; also must and let, which have no variation of time; and ought, the past time of owe. CONJUGATION OF THE AUXILIARY VERBS. To do. The verb to do prefixed to another, marks the action and time with energy,—I do love, I did love. It is also frequently used in negative and interrogative sentences, as they do not understand, did ye not hear? When do is prefixed to certain nouns, as love, sleep, fear, &c., both words are considered conjunctly, as forming one verb, as I do love, I did sleep. Infinitive-to do; Participles-doing, done. Singular 1. I do; 2. Plural 1. We do; 2. Singular 1. I did; 2. Thou dost; 3. He, she, or it does or doth. Past Time. Thou didst; 3. He, she, or it did. Plural 1. We did; 2. Ye or you did; 3. They did. Imperative Mode. Singular, Do thou: Plural, Do ye. Have. This verb signifies to possess, and is derived from the Saxon and Gothic. It was used by the Saxons and Goths as an auxiliary, along with the past participle of verbs, in the manner it is now used. It implies the ending or completion of the act expressed by the verb-I have broken it, implies two actions-the one the act of having, the other the act of breaking. As these acts are performed by the same agent, they must be successive. The act of having is present; the act of breaking is strictly past; but the time of it only just expiring; it therefore corresponds with, and forms the completive present. Hence we may see why only present time can associate with such expressions as-I have broken it now, to day, this year. Infinitive, to have; Participles, having, had. Declarative Mode-Present Time. Singular 1. I have; 2. Thou hast; 3. He, she, or it hath or has. Past Time. Singular 1. I had; 2. Thou hadst; 3. He, she, or it had. Imperative. Singular, Have thou; Plural, Have ye or you. Shall signifies to owe, and consequently implies duty; it is used before the infinitive of other verbs. Its past time, should, is of the same signification as ought, and they may be used indifferently, except that ought requires to before the infinitive; as, I should (to) stay, or I ought to stay. This verb has neither Infinitive nor Participles. Declarative Mode-Present Time. Singular 1. I shall; 2. Thou shalt; 3. He, she, or it shall. Past Time. Singular 1. I should; 2, Thou shouldst; 3. He, she, or it should. Plural 1. We should; 2. Ye or you should; 3. They should. Imperative Mode is wanting. Will, signifies to wish, resolve, determine. When will is an auxiliary verb, it denotes the future-the past tense is would. Infinitive, to will; Participles, willing, willed. Declarative Mode-Present Time. Singular 1. I will; 2. Thou willest; 3. He wills,-when used alone as a PRINCIPAL Verb. 1. I will; 2. Thou wilt; 3. He will,-when used as an AUXILIARY. Singular 1. I would; 2. Past Time. Thou wouldst; 3. He would. Plural 1. We would; 2. Ye or you would; 3. They would. Imperative Mode is wanting. May signifies to have power or permission given. It requires the Infinitive to follow it without to,--its past time is might, may be, or it may be, is equivalent to perhaps, it is possible to be. May.-Infinitive and Participles are wanting. Declarative Mode-Present Time. Singular 1. I may; 2. Thou mayst; 3. He may. Plural 1. We may; 2. You may; 3. They may. |