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 *."

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:

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

Hath is now used only in poetry, and on very serious occasions. nearly obsolete.

Ye is

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 approved, and so explicitly defined. See pages 65, 66.

"Let

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, 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 16; and also pages 65, 66.

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.

SINGULAR.

1. If I have.

2. If thou have *.

3. If he have *.

Subjunctive Mood.

PRESENT TENSE.

PLURAL.

1. If we have.

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

The remaining tenses or forms of the subjunctive mood, - are, in every respect, similar to the correspondent tenses of the indicative mood+; with the addition to the verb, of a conjunction, expressed or implied, denoting a condition, motive, wish, supposition, &c. It will be proper to direct the learner to repeat all the tenses of this mood, with conjunction prefixed to each of them. See, on this subject, the observations in Section 8 of this chapter, and the notes on the nineteenth rule of Syntax.

a

⚫ Grammarians in general, conjugate the present of the auxiliary, in this But we presume that this is the form of the verb, considered as a principal, not as an auxiliary verb. See Rule 19. Note 5.

manner.

+We must except the second and third persons, singular and plural, of the second future tense. These require the auxiliary shalt, shall, instead of wilt, will. Thus, "He will have completed the work by midsummer," is the indicative form: but the subjunctive is, "If he shall have completed the work by midsummer."