tions of the principal verb; and others, by the addition of a helping verb. It is, therefore, indisputable, that the principal verb, or rather its participle, and an auxiliary, constitute a regular tense in the Greek and Latin languages. This point being established, we may, doubtless, apply it to English verbs; and extend the principle as far as convenience, and the idiom of our language require.

If it should be said, that, on the same ground that a participle and auxiliary are allowed to form a tense, and the verb is to be conjugated accordingly, the English noun and pronoun ought to be declined at large, with articles and prepositions; we must object to the inference. Such a mode of declension is not adapted to our language. This we think has been already proved.* It is also confessedly inapplicable to the learned languages. Where then is the grammatical inconsistency, or the want of conformity to the principles of analogy, in making some tenses of the English verb to consist of principal and auxiliary; and the cases of English nouns, chiefly in their termination? The argument from analogy, instead of militating against us, appears to confirm and establish our position.

We shall close these remarks on the tenses, with a few observations extracted from the ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA. They are worth the student's attention, as a part of them applies, not only to our views of the tenses, but to many other parts of the work." Harris (by way of hypothesis) has enumerated no fewer than twelve tenses. Of this enumeration we can by no means approve: for, without entering into a minute examination of it, nothing can be more obvious, than that his inceptive present, "I am going to write," is a future tense; and his completive present, "I have written,” a past tense. But, as was before observed of the classification of words, we cannot help being of opinion, that, to take the tenses as they are commonly received, and endeavour to ascertain their nature and their differences, is a much more useful exercise, as well as more proper for a work of this kind, than to raise, as might easily be raised, new theories on the subiect."

* See page 38.

The following criticism affords an additional support to the author's system of the tenses, &c.

"Under the head of Etymology, the author of this grammar judiciously adheres to the natural simplicity of the English language, without embarrassing the learner with distinctions peculiar to the Latin tongue. The difficult subject of the Tenses, is clearly explained ; and with less encumbrance of technical phraselogy, than in most other grammars." Analytical Revicz.

SECTION 6. The Conjugation of the auxiliary verbs

TO HAVE and TO BE.

The Conjugation of a verb, is the regular combination and arrangement of its several numbers, persons, moods, and tenses.

The Conjugation of an active verb, is styled the ACTIVE VOICE; and that of a passive verb, the PASSIVE VOICE. The auxiliary and active verb TO HAVE, is conjugated in the following manner.

*The terms which we have adopted, to designate the three past tenses, may not be exactly significant of their nature and distinctions. But as they are used by grammarians in general, and have an established authority; and, especially, as the meaning attached to each of them, and their different significations, have been carefully explained; we presume that no solid objection can be made to the use of terms so generally approved, and so explicitly defined. See page 62 and 64. We are supported in these sentiments, by the authority of Dr. Johnson. See the first note in his "Grammar of the English Tongue," prefixed to his dictionary. If, however, any teachers should think it warrant able to change the established names, they cannot perhaps find any were aps propriate, than the terms first preterit, seconil preterit, and third preterit.

Octavo Grammar.

The imperative mood is not strictly entitled to three persons. The command is always addressed to the second person, not to the first or third. For when we say, "Let me have," "Let him, or let them have," the meaning and construction are, do thou, or do ye, let me, him, or them have. In philosophical strictness, both number and person might be entirely excluded from every verb. They are, in fact, the properties of substantives, not a part of the essence of a verb. Even the name of the imperative mood, does not always correspond to its nature: for it sometimes petitions as well as commands. But, with respect to all these points, the prac tice of our grammarians is so uniformly fixed, and so analogous to the languages, ancient and modern, which our youth have to study, that it would be an unwarrantable degree ofinnovation, to deviate from the established terms and arrangements. See the advertisement at the end of the Introduction; and the quotation from the Encyclopædia Britannica, page 62. Potential Mood.

such sentences should be rigorously examined, the Imperative will an.

The remaining tenses of the subjunctive mood, are, in every respect, similar to the correspondent tenses of the indicative mood; with the addition to the verb, of a conjunction, expressed or implied, denoting a condition, motive, wish, supposition, &c. It will be proper to direct the learner to repeat all the tenses of this mood, with a conjunction prefixed to each of them. See, on this subject, the notes on the nineteenth rule of syntax.

*Shall and will, when they denote inclination, resolution, promise, may be considered, as well as their relations should and would, as belonging to the potential mood. But as they generally signify futurity, they have been appropriated, as helping verbs, to the formation of the future tenses of the indicative and subjunctive moods.

† Grammarians, in general, conjugate the present of the auxiliary, in this manner. But we presume that this is the form of the verb, considered as a principal, not as an auxiliary verb.

Except that the second and third persons, singular and plural, of the second future tense, require the auxiliary shalt, shall, instead of wilt, will. Thus, "He will have completed the work by midsummer," is the indicative form: but the subjunctive is, "If he shall have completed the work by midsummer."

1

As the subjunctive mood, in English, has no variation, in the form of the verb, from the indicative, (except in the present tense, and second future tense, of verbs generally, and the present and imperfect tenses of the verb to be,) it would be superfluous to conjugate it in this work, through every tense. But all the other moods and tenses of the verbs, both in the active and passive voices, are conjugated at large, that the learners may have no doubts or misapprehensions respecting their particular forms. They to whom the subject of grammar is entirely new, and young persons especially, are much more readily and effectually instructed, by seeing the parts of a subject so essential as the verb, unfolded and spread before them, in all their varieties, than by being generally and cursorily informed of the manner in which they may be exhibited. The time employed by the scholars, in consequence of this display of the verbs, is of small moment, compared with the advantages which they will probably derive from the plan.

It may not, however, be generally proper for young persons beginning the study of grammar, to commit to memory all the tenses of the verbs. If the simple tenses, namely, the present and the imperfect, together with the first future tense, should, in the first instance, be committed to memory, and the rest carefully perused and explained, the business will not be tedious to the scholars, and their progress will be rendered more obvious and pleasing. The general view of the ́ subject, thus acquired and impressed, may afterwards be extended with ease and advantage.

It appears to be proper, for the information of the learners, to make a few observations in this place, on some of the tenses, &c. The first is, that, in the potential mood, some grammarians confound the present with the imperfect tense; and the perfect with the pluperfect. But that they are really dis tinct, and have an appropriate reference to time, correspondent to the definitions of those tenses, will appear from a few examples: "I wished him to stay, but he would not;” “I could not accomplish the business in time;" "It was my direction that he should submit ;"" He was ill, but I thought he might live," "I may have misunderstood him ;" "He cannot have deceived me;" "He might have finished the work sooner, but he could not have done it better."-It must, however, be admitted, that, on some occasions, the auxiliaries might, could, would, and should, refer also to present and to future time.

The next remark is, that the auxiliary wall, in the first person singular and plural of the second future tense; and the