is no additional syllable; but if not, an additional syllable is made. 66 'In solemn style, ed and est are uttered, by most speakers, distinctly in all cases; except sometimes when a vowel precedes.'

CONJUGATION OF VERBS.

§ 149. The conjugation of a verb consists in naming the present and imperfect tenses, and the present and perfect participles; as, present, love; imperfect, loved; present participle, loving; perfect participle, loved.

REMARK 1. "The most simple form of the verb, is that of the infinitive present, or the present indicative; as, to love, I love."

REM. 2. This form is called the general root, because all the other parts of the verb are derived from it.

REM. 3. There are also four specific roots from which, by the aid of auxiliaries, all the other parts of the verb are readily formed. These specific roots, are the present and imperfect tenses, and the present and perfect participles.

DECLENSION OF VERBS.

150. The declension of a verb consists in the formation and arrangement of its several parts, according to their modes, tenses, numbers, and persons.

§ 151. The synopsis of a verb consists in giving the form of the first person singular of all the tenses of the indicative and subjunctive modes, the second person singular and plural of the imperative, the present and perfect infinitives, and the participles.

AUXILIARIES.

$152. Auxiliaries are short verbs which are pre

FIRST COURSE.

In what does the conjugation of a verb consist? What is the declension of a verb? Define the synopsis of a verb. What are auxiliaries?

SECOND COURSE.

What is the most simple form of the verb ? What is this form called?

How many specific roots are there?

fixed to a radical part of another verb to assist in forming the compound tenses of the different modes.

153. The auxiliaries are, do, be, have, shall, will, may, can, must, might, could, would, and should, with their variations.

REMARK 1. Do, be, have, and will, are sometimes principal verbs.

REM. 2. Do is used with the present and imperfect tenses of active, transitive, and intransitive verbs, as an auxiliary to render a declaration or question more emphatic, or to make a contrast, or supply the place of the principal verb and its object; as, "It would have been impossible for Cicero to inflame the minds of the people to so high a pitch against oppression considered in the abstract, as he actually did inflame them against Verres."-Camp. Rhet. Here did denotes emphasis. "It was hardly possible that we should not distinguish you, as he has done.' -Camp. Rhet. Here done supplies the place of distinguished you.

Here dost supplies the place of lovest plays. Do is auxiliary only to verbs in the present and imperfect tenses.

REM. 3. Shall, in its primitive sense, denotes to be obliged, or bound in duty; but in many of its uses, its sense is much varied. In the first person, it merely foretells; as, "I shall go to New York to-morrow.'

In this phrase, the word seems to have no reference to obligation; nor is it considered by a second or third person as imposing obligation on the person uttering it. But when shall is used in the second and third persons, it resumes its primitive sense, or one nearly allied to it, implying obligation or command; as, when a superior commands with authority, You shall go; or implying a right in the second and third person to expect, and hence denoting a promise in the speaker; as, "You shall receive your wages.' This is radically

FIRST COURSE.

Repeat each of the auxiliaries.

SECOND COURSE.

Are do, be, have, wil, need, and dare, ever principal verbs? How is do used? What does shall denote?

saying, "You ought to receive your wages;" but this right in the second person to receive, implies an obligation in the person speaking to pay. Hence shall in the first person foretells; in the second, promises, commands, or expresses determination. When shall, in the second and third persons, is uttered with emphasis, it expresses determination in the speaker, and implies an authority to enforce the act; "You shall go.

Hence proceeds the impropriety of using shall when the Supreme Being is supposed to be the person addressed or spoken of. "The Lord shall fight for us -the Lord shall destroy them-the Lord shall comfort Zion."

"Thou shalt

not suffer thy Holy One to see corruption." Acts xiii. 35. See Ps. xvi. 10. Acts ii. 27.-Webster's Grammar.

REM. 4. Will, when an auxiliary, denotes in the first person a promise or determination; as, "I will reform,” i. è., I promise to reform. In the second and third persons will simply foretells or expresses an opinion of what will occur

hereafter.

REM. 5. May and might denote liberty or possibility; as, "He may go if he will;" "He may have written or not;" "He might go."

REM. 6. Čan and could denote possibility or power.

REM. 7. Must denotes necessity, and is not varied for person, number or tense.

REM. 8. Would denotes will or resolution; as, "I would go, if I could.” Would has sometimes the sense of wish or pray; as, "Would to God!" "Would to God we had died in Egypt.' It denotes a wish to do or to have; as, "What

wouldst thou ?”

REM. 9. Should generally denotes obligation; as, “Every man should do his duty." Sometimes, however, it denotes a simple possible action or state; as, "I should go to town, if my health were good." Here should does not denote obligation.

REM. 10. Might, could, would, are construed in all grammars with which the author is acquainted, as the imperfect tense. But is such a construction accordant with the definition given to the imperfect tense? Does the proposition, I

SECOND COURSE.

What does will denote? May and might? Can and could? Must? Would? Should? How are might, could, and would construed?

"He

might, could, would or should do, denote a past action or state? So far as the author has examined the use of these auxiliaries, he has found no authority, either in common parlance, or in standard works, to authorize such an application of the imperfect tense. If they denote any other time than the present, it must be the future. In saying, "I might or could go, I declare my present power or ability to go. "I would go," denotes a present disposition or desire to go. should go," denotes an obligation or duty to go. These auxiliaries have no more reference to past time, than may or can. Neither of them, when prefixed to the principal verb of the present tense, denotes a real action or state, but simply a present possible or obligatory action or state. The verb in this case only affirms the possibility of action or state, and not the action or state itself. The action or state, may or may not occur in future; but the possibility of them which is affirmed in the examples given, is denoted by the present tense. REM. 11. Could may, however, sometimes be used in the past tense, after a verb in the imperfect, though it is generally used in the present; as, "I avenged the wrong then, because I could do it.”

EXERCISES IN PARSING.

In the following examples, questions will be put with reference only to the verbs. The other parts of speech should be parsed according to the directions already given.

"Cæsar crossed the Rubicon."

Why? 122.

What part of speech is crossed? § 122. Conjugate crossed. §149. Is it regular or irregular? § 131. Why? 131. What kind? § 125. Why? 125. What mode? 135. Why? 135. What tense? $142. Why? § 142. What number? § 147. Why? § 147. What person? 148. Why? § 148. What is its subject-nomina

tive? Cæsar.

"The boy walks?"

What part of speech is walks? § 122. Why? Why? § 122. Conjugate it? § 149. Is it regular or irregular?

131.

Why? 131. What kind? § 126. Why? 126. What § § mode? 135. Why? § 135. What tense? §141. Why?

SECOND COURSE.

How is could sometimes used?

Why? § 147. What perWhat is its subject-nomina

§ 141. What number? § 147. son? § 148. Why? § 148. tive? Boy.

66

'James was instructed."

How is it

What part of speech is was instructed? § 122. Why? 122. What kind? § 128. Why? § 128. Conjugate it. 149. Is it regular or irregular? § 129. formed? § 128. What mode? 135. What tense? § 141. What number? § 147. What person? § 148. What is its subject-nominative? James.

Water runs.1

8

EXAMPLES FOR PARSING.

2

I can study. Perseverance overcomes all things. Charles is disinterested. You respect him. We completed our work. Your hope has failed. He had resigned himself. Their fears will prevail." You shall submit. He will have determined." He shall have agreed. Let me depart." Prepare" your lessons. He may fail. They might consider." They should have obeyed. I will join you if you please." He is not able to resist temptation.

PARTICIPLES.

§ 154. A participle is a word which is derived from a verb and partakes of its nature.

REMARK 1. The common definition given to this part of speech differs from the above in this, that it ascribes to the participle the nature of an adjective as well as that of a verb. But a pure participle partakes no more of the nature of an adjective than the verb from which it is derived. “I saw a man drinking." Here the participle drinking simply denotes

What is a participle?

FIRST COURSE.

SECOND COURSE.

How does the definition of the participle differ from that usually given?