cause no collection of words can make complete sense without the use of some verb.

The noun or the pronoun denoting that about which the verb asserts or expresses some action, being, or state, is called the Subject. The subject may be either expressed or understood.

Exercise.

1. Name the verbs in the following sentences:

The news came yesterday. I can read. Begin to recite your lesson. Birds fly. Fishes swim. Fishes can swim. I have forgotten my book. The child reads well. It sleeps quiet. How hard he breathes! Who can throw the ball farthest? Which way will you come? Come into the room. Try to do your best. How long have you studied? I have broken my sled. The stars are shining brightly. See the lambs play in the field. Who tore the book? The leaves fall. The snow drifts. The rain patters on the roof.

2. Insert verbs to complete the following sentences:

.........

1. John The little bird

.........

his hat. 2. Studious pupils
merrily. 4. You

in the water. 6. Birds

........ over the river. 8. The book

.......

new. 10. How much

diligently. 5. Fishes in the wood. 7. Henry badly......... 9. My book

he .........? 11. The hunter

a bird. 12. The cows ......... over the hill. 13. George

Washington .... President. 14. I

15. I

.........

my letter. 16. We
18. The moon ......... at night.

ball of fire. 20. Harvey

.........

my father yesterday. our lessons. 17. The girls like a

19. The sun

himself with a knife. 21. We

Classes of Verbs.

Verbs, according to their use, are either Transitive or Intransitive.

A Transitive Verb is one which represents an action as passing from some object to another.

Examples. John struck the desk. The desk was struck by John. The heat burst the goblet.

An Intransitive Verb is one which does not represent the action as passing from some object to another. Examples.—The bird flies. The day is warm. The child sleeps.

Remarks on Verbs.

1. A transitive verb always expresses action, and this action is always such as, either literally or metaphorically, passes from one object to another.

2. Some intransitive verbs also express action, but the action expressed by an intransitive verb is not such as passes from one object to another.

3. A transitive verb receives or requires an objective to complete its meaning. Thus, He makes ," is not complete until an objective is supplied; hence, makes is a transitive verb. A transitive verb may usually be known by its making sense when me, it, us, or some other objective form of a pronoun, is placed after the verb as the object. Thus, "He strikes me" is complete in sense, and the verb strikes is transitive. But, "The sun shines it" does not make sense, and the verb shines is therefore intransitive.

4. The same verb may be transitive in one sense, and intransitive in another; as, “I return the book" (trans.), “I return home" (intrans.); "He believes the truth" (trans.), "He believes in God" (intrans.).

5. An intransitive verb may be used transitively when followed by a word of similar meaning; as, "I dreamed a dream," "He danced the dance of death,' ""She lived a wretched life."

6. An intransitive verb may be used transitively when it has a causative meaning; as, "The boy flies his kite "—that is, he causes it to fly; "The jockey trotted the horse up and down the street." Sentences of this kind, though not strictly elegant, are sanctioned by custom.

7. A Neuter Verb is an intransitive verb which does not express action; as, "The book is mine," "It lies on the table."

8. In such sentences as the following, "The pupil writes well," the sense is complete without an object, and the verb writes is intransitive. But in the sentence "The pupil writes a word," the object word completes the sentence, and the verb is properly transitive

Exercise.

Name the verbs in the following sentences, and tell whether they are transitive or intransitive:

School has opened. We are here. Sarah lost her book. Winter
We can go home. We leave for Philadelphia to-morrow.
Return the book to me.
Read your lesson over.
sentences.

has come.
We will return to the country.
shines. The girl reads well.
new copy-book. Write six

The sun Write in your

I have written my letter.

Whoever pursues pleasure will find pain. I have caught the mouse. The window was broken by a stone.

The mouse was caught by me.

Let us learn to sing. Sing a new song. I have a dollar.

Properties of Verbs.

Verbs have Voice, Mode, Tense, Number, and Person.

Voice.

Voice is that property of the transitive verb which shows whether the subject acts or is acted upon.

The Active voice represents the subject as acting; as, "The boy caught a bird." Here the subject boy is represented as acting.

The Passive voice represents the subject as acted upon, as in the sentence, "A bird was caught by the boy." The subject bird is here represented as receiving the action.

Remarks on Voice.

1. The active form is changed to the passive by making the object of the action the subject of the sentence; as, "I shot the bird" (active), "The bird was shot by me" (passive).

2. In the passive form the word denoting the actor is put in the objective case after a preposition.

Ex. "The book was bought by James."

Here James is in the objective case after the preposition by.

3. Intransitive verbs have no passive voice, because the action expressed by the verb is never exerted upon any object. They usually have the form of the active voice.

4. Intransitive verbs when followed by a preposition may have the form of the passive voice.

Ex.-1. The cars were anxiously looked for (expected).

2. You will be laughed at (ridiculed)..

In such sentences the verb should be parsed as a complex verb.

5. In a few sentences like the following, “We suffered at the hands of the enemy," the subject is represented as receiving the action, and yet has the active form. This does not contradict the definition, but it results rather from the particular meaning of the verb.

6. Intransitive verbs of motion sometimes have the passive form, though in the active voice. The meaning, however, is unchanged, and the subject remains in the nominative case. Ex. 1. He is come.

2. The melancholy days are come.

3. He is fallen.

These are equivalent to has come, have come, and has fallen. In each case it is best to call the verb an intransitive verb having the passive form, etc.

7. A few transitive verbs have the active form with a passive signification.

Ex.-1. The field ploughs well.

2. The goods sell readily.

3. Some wood warps badly.

In parsing these verbs it is best to call them intransitive verbs, passive in meaning, but having the active form.

Exercise.

Name the verbs in the following sentences, tell whether transitive or intransitive, and give the voice:

Who killed the squirrel? My book is torn. Read none but good books. Set a good example. I have driven two miles this morning. We walked to school rapidly. The knife was bought for a dollar. Fly the kite to-morrow. I have been running. Let us run a race. The wrong-doer will be punished. Let us return at once. Give us some work to do. Ignorance is not bliss. The fox was caught by the hound. My dog caught a rabbit. The lesson which we learned was not difficult. We believe in God. Do you believe the statement?

Mode.

Mode is the manner in which an assertion is expressed. Verbs have five modes-the Indicative, the Potential, the Subjunctive, the Imperative, and the Infinitive.

The Indicative Mode is used to express a direct assertion or a question.

Ex.-Mary studies. Does Mary study?

The Potential Mode is used to express possibility, liberty, necessity, or duty.

Ex. I can read. You may come. He must study.

The signs of the potential mode are may, can, must, might, could, would, and should.

The potential mode may be used in asking a question; as, May I go? Can you teach?

The Subjunctive Mode is used to express an assertion as doubtful or conditional.

Ex.-1. If he be studious, he will improve.

2. Oh that he were here!

3. If he were attentive, he would hear.