AUXILIARY VERBS 297 Compound Tenses. - Besides the three simple tensespresent, past, and future- the English language employs three compound tenses, made by combining the past participle with have, has, had, will have, or shall have. These three compound tenses are called the present perfect, the past perfect, and the future perfect. The past participle of the verb is is been. The three compound tenses of this verb are as follows: Auxiliary Verbs. - Many forms of the verb, as we have already seen, are made by combining some part of the verb with helping verbs, or auxiliaries. Thus, is in all its forms is an auxiliary that is used with the past participle to form the passive voice, and with the present participle to make the progressive form of the verb. Will, shall, would, should, have, had, has, could, must, may, might, and can are other auxiliaries that are freely used. When used with the verb these auxiliaries and the verb form a verb phrase, which is the predicate verb of the sentence. Thus, in the sentence "I shall have finished my work before Saturday,” the predicate verb consists of the verb phrase shall have finished. The verb do is used as an auxiliary as follows: (1) Used with the verb in a declarative sentence, it expresses emphasis. "I do love music" is a more emphatic way of saying, "I love music." (2) In an interrogative sentence do is used as an introductory word, to avoid changing the regular order of the sentence, as in "Do you like music?" "Did you go?" (3) Do is also used with not to make a negative statement; as, "I do not wish to go to the party." In this sentence do wish is the verb phrase; not is an adverb modifying the verb. STOP LOOK LISTEN' CORRECT USAGE Shall and Will Use shall with I or we to express future time. In questions use the form that is expected in the answer. EXERCISES A. Answer the following questions, using the correct form of the future tense for the first person: 1. When shall you go back to school? 2. Shall you and your mother be at home this afternoon? 3. If he comes, shall you return with him? 4. What shall you do when school is out? 5. Where shall you live this winter? 6. Shall you be at the usual place? 7. Shall you visit New York this winter? 8. What shall you do about the hat you lost? MOOD OF VERBS B. Fill the following blanks with will or shall. 299 manner." Notice the difference in the manner in which the italicized verbs below assert action: 1. I came to you. 2. Did you come to me? 3. Come to me. 4. Show me your book. 5. If I were you I should go. 6. Oh, that it would rain! 7. If you had been there, things would have been different. The Indicative Mood. When, as in the first and second sentences above, the verb states a fact or asks a question, it is in the indicative mood. The Imperative Mood. When, as in the third and fourth sentences above, the verb expresses a command or a request, it is in the imperative mood. - The Subjunctive Mood. The verbs in the last three sentences above express not an assertion of fact but a supposition of something that is not a fact. That is, these sentences do not assert something, but they suppose something. This form of the verb is called the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive mood is not important in English, because it has lost its distinguishing forms except in a very few cases, namely, "if I were," "if he were," etc. Otherwise it has the same forms as the indicative mood, and need not be distinguished from it. CORRECT USAGE Agreement of Verb with Never forget that a verb must agree with its subject in person and in number. EXERCISE In the following sentences select the right word in parenthesis, and give the reason for your choice: 1. Those (were, was) sad days. 2. The elder of the two boys (go, goes) to Harvard this year. 5. Everybody who (live, lives) in America should be thankful. 6. All of the men (is, are) going on a strike. 7. Every man, woman, and child in the audience (was, were) thrilled. 8. (Was, were) either of the men there at the time? 9. None of the pupils (have, has) done his work correctly. 10. Everybody (like, likes) to be praised. II. There (was, were) a broken bench, a backless chair, and a tumbled bed in the room. 12. As we (was, were) going down town we met him. |