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Imperative, Love. Infinitive, To love.

PARTICIPLES.

Imperfect, Loving. Perfect, Loved.

154. The verb To Write is irregular, and is thus conjugated and declined :

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Imperfect, Writing. Perfect, Written.

155. The Irregular Verbs Be, Do, Have, and the Defective Verbs Shall, Will, May, Can, from their frequent occurrence, ought to be carefully examined. Tables of them are here presented :

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156. The verb To Be has a peculiar inflection, to express contingency or conditionality, which we here subjoin. It may be called the Conditional or Subjunctive Mood. In the case of other verbs, this form is elliptical.

CONDITIONAL TENSE OF THE VERB TO BE.

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163. For etymological purposes, we hold that this view of the verb is sufficient; but we readily allow that it is a good logical exercise to accustom the minds of youth to consider such expressions as, " He might have written,” “They shall have returned," synthetically as well as analytically, that is, as an expression of one thought effected by a combination of signs. It has the further utility of facilitating the acquisition of the grammar of other languages, such as Greek, Latin, French. We shall, therefore, give the compound tenses, and explain their uses as briefly as possible.

INDICATIVE MOOD.

164. The Present Tense has three forms. I love, I do love, and I am loving. The form I love is used to indicate a habit, as, "I love to read." It is often called the Present

Indefinite.

Monarchs seldom condescend to become the preceptors of their subjects.-Gibbon.

I do love, called the Present Emphatic, indicates not only present time, but affirmation in opposition to a denial.

Excellent wretch! perdition seize my soul, but I do love thee.Shakspeare.

I do not, however, find that they contributed much of secular learning.-Hallam.

I am loving, the Present Definite or Progressive, indicates present time and progressive action.

An author who waits till all requisite materials are accumulated to his hands, is but watching the stream that will run on for ever.Hallam.

165. I was loving, called the Imperfect or Past Progressive, indicates past time and progressive action.

While these events were occurring in Biscay, successes still more decisive were gained on the eastern frontier.-Alison.

One evening as the emperor was returning to the palace through a dark and narrow portico in the amphitheatre, an assassin, who waited his passage, rushed upon him with a drawn sword, loudly exclaiming," The Senate sends you this !"-Gibbon.

166. The Perfect Definite, I have loved, indicates action just completed.

I have descanted with pleasure on the fortunate condition of Italy.-Gibbon.

Thus have we seen, through the whole course of four reigns, a continual struggle maintained between the crown and the people.Hume.

167. The Perfect Indefinite, I loved, indicates completed action and past time indefinitely.

The militia fell much to decay during these two reigns.-Hume. Tarquin now determined on war; and at the head of the armies of Veii and Tarquinii he marched against the Romans.-Tytler. This is the tense commonly used in relating historical events. This tense has likewise an emphatic form.

Anarchy and disorder did not prevail in the country, because the throne was elective; but the throne became elective because the people were too jealous of their privileges to admit of hereditary succession.-Alison.

168. The Pluperfect, I had loved, shows that something was completed before something else mentioned along with it took place.

He was opposed by the consuls Brutus and P. Valerius, who

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