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The remaining tenses of this mood are, in every respect, similar to the corresponding tenses of the Indicative See pages 90, 102, and the notes under the nineteenth rule of syntax.

mood.

Infinitive Mood.

Present Tense. To be. Perfect. To have been.

Present. Being.

Participles.

Perfect. Been.

Compound Perfect. Having been.

SECT. 7. The auxiliary Verbs conjugated in their simple form; with observations on their peculiar nature and force.

THE learner will perceive that the preceding auxiliary verbs, to have and to be, could not be conjugated through all the moods and tenses, without the help of other auxiliary verbs; namely, may can, will shall, and their variations.

That auxiliary verbs, in their simple state, and unassisted by others, are of a very limited extent, and chiefly useful from the aid which they afford in conjugating the principal verbs, will clearly appear to the scholar, by a distinct conjugation of each of them, uncombined with any other. They are exhibited for his inspection; not to be committed to memory.

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Plur. 1. We should. 2. Ye or you should. 3. They should.

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Sing. 1. I might.

Imperfect Tense.

2. Thou mightst. 3. He might. Plur. 1. We might. 2. Ye or you might. 3. They might..

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Shall is here properly used in the present tense, having the same analogy to should that can has to could, may to might, and will to would.

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Plur. 1. We could. 2. Ye or you could. 3. They could.

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The verbs have, be, will, and do, when they are unconnected with a principal verb, expressed or understood, are not auxiliaries, but principal verbs: as, "We have enough" "I am grateful" "He wills it to be so;" "They do as they please." In this view, they also have their auxiliaries: as, "I shall have enough;" "I will be grateful," &c.

The peculiar force of the several auxiliaries will appear from the following account of them.

Do and did mark the action itself, or the time of it, with greater energy and positiveness: as, "I do speak truth;" "I did respect him;" "Here am I, for thou didst call me." They are of great use in negative sentences: as, “I do not fear;" "I did not write." They are almost universally employed in asking questions: as, "Does he learn? Did he not write?" They sometimes also supply the place of another verb, and make the repetition of it, in the same or a subsequent sentence, unnecessary: as "You attend not to your studies as he does;" (i. e. as he

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attends, &c.) "I shall come if I can; but if I do not, please to excuse me ;" (i. e. if I come not.)

Let not only expresses permission, but entreating, exhorting, commanding as, "Let us know the truth;" "Let me die the death of the righteous;" "Let not thy heart be too much elated with success ;" "Let thy inclination submit to thy duty."

May and might express the possibility or liberty of doing a thing; can and could, the power: as, " It may rain ;" "I may write or read;" "He might have improved more than he has ;"" He can write much better than he could last year."

Must is sometimes called in for a helper, and denotes necessity: as, "We must speak the truth, whenever we do speak, and we must not prevaricate.”

Will, in the first person singular and plural, intimates resolution and promising; in the second and third person, only foretels: as, "I will reward the good, and will punish the wicked;" "We will remember benefits, and be grateful;" "Thou wilt, or he will, repent of that folly;" "You or they will have a pleasant walk."

Shall, on the contrary, in the first person, simply foretels; in the second and third persons, promises, commands, or threatens as, "I shall go abroad;" "We shall dine at home;" "Thou shalt, or you shall inherit the land;" "Ye shall do justice, and love mercy;" "They shall account for their misconduct." The following passage is not translated according to the distinct and proper meanings of the words shall and will: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever;" it ought to be, "Will follow me," and "I shall dwell."

These observations respecting the import of the verbs will and shall, must be understood of explicative sentences; for when the sentence is interrogative, just the reverse, for the most part, takes place: thus, “I shall go; you will go;" express event only: but, "will you go?" imports

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