37. The Infinitive expreffes the Action or Being, indeterminately: as, to be; to love.

38. There are five Tenfes, or Times; the Prefent, the Imperfect, the Perfect, the Pluperfect, and the Future.

39. The Prefent Tenfe expreffes the Time that now is: as, I love, or, am loving.

40. The Imperfect denotes the Time paft indeterminately: as, I loved, or was loving.

41. The Perfect denotes the Time paft determinately: as, I have loved, or, have been loving.

even when Conditionality is out of the Queftion, it is diftinguished from the merely declarative Form: The one declares the Action done, or to be done, without any further Confideration; the other declares not the Action done, or to be done, but the Ability, Inability, &c. of the Agent to perform that Action; and is therefore properly ftiled the potential Mode. * From infinitivus, without Bounds. D 3 42. The

42. The Pluperfect denotes the Time past, as prior to fome other point of Time fpecified in the Sentence: as, I had loved, or had been loving..

43. The Future denotes the Time to come: as, I will or shall love, or, will or fhall be loving.

NOTE 43. Thefe Formations of the several Tenfes feem to have Respect both to the Time and State of the Action fignified by the Verb. The prefent Tenfe denotes the Time that now is, and the Action unfinished: as, I write, or I am now writing, the Letter. The Imperfect denotes the Time paft indeterminately, and the Action to have been completed at any paft Time that may be fpecified: as, I wrote the Letter, or I began and finished the Writing of the Letter, this Morning, Yesterday, a Week ago, &c. The Perfect denotes the Time just paft, and the Action fully completed: as, I have written the Letter, or I have just now finished the Writing of the Letter. The Pluperfelt denotes the Time paft, and the Action to bave been completed prior to fome other Circumftance specified in the Sentence: as, written the Letter, or I had finished the Writing of the Letter, before you came in. The Future denotes the Time to come, and the Action to be completed at any future Time that may be mentioned: as, I will write the Letter, or I will begin and finifb the Writing of the Letter, tonight, to-morrow, &c.

I had

The

44. Thefe Modes and Tenfes are partly formed by the Verb itself, and partly by the Affistance of Signs.

45. There are two Modes formed from the Verb itself: The Indicative ; as, I love: and the Imperative; as, love thou.

46. The auxiliary* Signs are to, do, did, have, had, fhall, will, may, can, muft, might, would, could, fhould.

47. To, is a Sign of the infinitive Mode; as, to be; to love.

48. May, can, muft, might, would, could, fhould, and their Inflections,† mayeft, canft, mightest, wouldeft or wouldft, couldeft or couldft, fhouldeft or

The other Forms of these Tenfes, viz. I am writing, I was writing, I have been writing, I had been writing, I will be writing, feem for the most Part to have the Action undetermined.

* From auxilior, to help.

↑ From inflecto, to change (the Ending).

fhouldft,

fhouldft, are Signs of the potential Mode.

49. Do, and its Inflections, doft, doth or does, are Signs of the prefent Tenfe.

50. Did, and its Inflection, didft, are Signs of the imperfect Tenfe.

51. Have, and its Inflections, haft, bath or has, are Signs of the perfect Tenfe.

52. Had, and its Inflection, hadft, are Signs of the pluperfect Tense.

53. Shall and will, and their Inflections, fhalt and wilt, are Signs of the future Tenfe.

NOTE. The auxiliary Signs seem to have the Nature of Adverbs.

Do, have, and will, when they are not joined to Verbs to diftinguifb the Circumftance of Time, are abfolutely Verbs: as, I do it; I bave it; I will it.

54. In Verbs there is a Reference to three Perfons in each Number: as, Singular, I love, thou loveft, he loveth. Plural, We love, ye love, they love.

55. The first Perfon Speaks of him-, : as, "I John take thee Elizabeth."

Self:

56. The Second Perfon has the Speech directed to him, and is fuppofed to be prefent: as, "Thou Harry 66 art a wicked Fellow."

57.. The third Perfon is spoken of, or defcribed, and supposed to be abfent: as, "That Thomas is a good Man."

58. The Verb itself has but two Terminations refpecting Time: as, love, and loved; which laft may be called the Inflection of the preter or past Tense: And when this Inflection of the preter Tenfe is formed by adding d, or ed, to the first Perfon prefent Tenfe, the Verb is regular, and is declined after the following Example.

INDICATIVE