Part 10
=186.= In the last group of verbs, where each verb consists of two words, it is the first word _will_ that denotes future time. Such a word is called a helping word, or =auxiliary= verb.
=187.= The change in the form of a verb to denote time is called =tense=.
=188.= Tense is a property of all verbs. It is evident that there must be three tenses,—present, past, and future, as shown in the three sets of verbs that have just been examined. These are called =primary= tenses.
There are three other tenses, called =secondary= tenses. We may say, “I _have eaten_ my supper,” “I _had eaten_ my supper,” “I _shall have eaten_ my supper.” These verbs call attention not so much to the time of the
## action as to the fact that it is completed, or perfected.
_Have eaten_ means that a past action is completed at the present time. This form is called the =present perfect= tense.
_Had eaten_ means that a past action was completed before some particular past time. This form is called the =past perfect= tense.
_Shall have eaten_ means that an action will be completed before some definite future time. This is called the =future perfect= tense.
=Summary.=—=Tense= is that property of a verb which denotes the time of an action or an event.
There are six tenses:—
(1) The =present tense= denotes that an action is taking place. It usually consists of one word, the simplest form of the verb.
(2) The =past tense= denotes that an action did take place. It usually consists of one word.
(3) The =future tense= denotes that an action will take place. It consists of two words, one of which is the auxiliary _shall_ or _will_.
(4) The =present perfect tense= denotes that a past action is now completed. It consists of two words, one of which is the auxiliary _have_ or _has_.
(5) The =past perfect tense= denotes that a past action was completed before a particular past time. It consists of two words, one of which is the auxiliary _had_.
(6) The =future perfect tense= denotes that a future action will be completed before a particular future time. It consists of three words, one of which is the auxiliary _have_, and another the auxiliary _shall_ or _will_.
NOTES.—1. The present tense is used also to denote (1) that something is true at all times; as “Waste makes want,” and (2) that something occurs habitually; as, “She teaches school.”
2. When a predicate consists of a series of verbs in the same tense, the auxiliary is usually expressed only with the first verb. In the sentence, “Now that he has eaten and slept, he is ready for work,” the second verb is _has slept_, with the auxiliary understood.
=189.= A common error is the use of the present perfect tense for the past tense. We say, “I _have been_ in Florida several times,” because we mean several times before now; but we say, “I _was_ in Florida last year,” because we mean that our being there occurred in past time with no reference whatever to the present. If we are still in Florida we may say, “I _have been_ in Florida a long time”; but if we are no longer in Florida we say, “I _was_ in Florida a long time.”
=Exercise 1.=—Justify the use of the past or the present perfect tense in each of these sentences:—
1. I learned the poem last evening.
2. I have learned the poem already.
3. I bought my hat at Stone’s.
4. I have bought a new spring hat.
5. I came home last Monday.
6. I have come to stay a week.
7. I tried my skates this afternoon.
8. I haven’t tried my new skates.
9. I have walked ever since sunrise.
10. I walked from sunrise until noon.
11. I spoke to the President this morning.
12. I have never spoken to the President.
13. I spoke to him twice when I was in Washington.
14. I have spoken to him several times.
=Exercise 2.=—Using the subject _I_, form the six tenses of the following verbs. Consult the dictionary for forms of which you are not sure.
break bring buy come drive go leave love run see sing take turn wait
=Exercise 3.=—Select all the verbs in these sentences, and tell the tense of each:—
1. Trees wave, flowers bloom, and bright-winged birds flit from palm to cedar.
2. The lynx turned to the right, along a well-worn trail, ran up a tree, descended hastily, and glided away among the thickets.
3. Tommy and I had played together till five o’clock that Saturday afternoon.
4. The children thought, “how long the vacation will be!” but the mother thought, “how soon it will have come and gone.”
5. He who knows nothing fears nothing.
6. The duck had never seen a guinea egg before in all her life.
7. The boy comes nearer to perpetual motion than anything else in nature.
8. Nobody has yet discovered how many grasshoppers a turkey will hold.
9. I have made no addition to my cabinet since we met.
10. The big black pots swinging from the cranes had bubbled and gurgled and sent out puffs of appetizing steam.
11. “How many pieces shall I cut this pie into?” said she.
12. I have seen wild bees and butterflies feeding at a height of 13,000 feet above the sea.
13. You shall go to bed, and I will remain with you a few days until you get over this fever.
14. The daisies have shut up their sleepy red eyes.
Analyze sentences 2, 3, 6, 9, 14.
L. THE INDICATIVE MODE
=190.= Each of the six verb forms that we have been studying,—I _eat_, I _ate_, I _shall eat_, I _have eaten_, I _had eaten_, I _shall have eaten_,—is used in the statement of a fact, and is said to be in the =indicative mode=.
Mode is that property of a verb which denotes the manner of an assertion.
The indicative mode is used in the statement of a fact.
=191.= In some tenses there is a slight difference between the singular and the plural form of a verb, hence verbs are said to have the property of =number=. We should always use the verb form that agrees with the number of the subject. In the present tense, for example, we say in the singular, “The man _goes_;” and in the plural, “The men _go_.”
=192.= In some tenses there is a slight difference in the form of the verb to denote person, hence verbs are said to have the property of =person=. In the present perfect tense, we say in the first person, “I _have_ gone;” and in the third person, “He _has_ gone.”
=193.= When we give all the forms of a verb in the three persons and the two numbers of each tense, we are said to =conjugate= the verb.
=194.= Conjugation of the verb _be_ in the indicative mode:—
PRESENT TENSE PAST TENSE
_Singular_ _Plural_ _Singular_ _Plural_
I am we are I was we were thou art you are thou wast you were he is they are he was they were
FUTURE TENSE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
_Singular_ _Plural_ _Singular_ _Plural_
I shall be we shall be I have been we have been thou wilt be you will be thou hast been you have been he will be they will be he has been they have been
PAST PERFECT TENSE
_Singular_ _Plural_
I had been we had been thou hadst been you had been he had been they had been
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
_Singular_ _Plural_
I shall have been we shall have been thou wilt have been you will have been he will have been they will have been
=195.= Conjugation of _see_ in the indicative mode:—
PRESENT TENSE PAST TENSE
_Singular_ _Plural_ _Singular_ _Plural_
I see we see I saw we saw thou seest you see thou sawest you saw he sees they see he saw they saw
FUTURE TENSE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
_Singular_ _Plural_ _Singular_ _Plural_
I shall see we shall see I have seen we have seen thou wilt see you will see thou hast seen you have seen he will see they will see he has seen they have seen
PAST PERFECT TENSE
_Singular_ _Plural_
I had seen we had seen thou hadst seen you had seen he had seen they had seen
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
_Singular_ _Plural_
I shall have seen we shall have seen thou wilt have seen you will have seen he will have seen they will have seen
=Exercise.=—Conjugate the verbs in Exercise 2, p. 126, in the six tenses of the Indicative Mode.
LI. THE INTERROGATIVE FORM OF THE INDICATIVE MODE
=196.= The indicative mode is used not only in stating facts, but also in asking questions. In interrogative sentences the order of the words that make up the verb is changed somewhat. In a simple statement we say, _I have paid_. In a question we say, _Have I paid?_ putting the auxiliary before the subject.
=197.= Conjugation of _be_ in the indicative mode, interrogative form:—
PRESENT TENSE PAST TENSE
am I are we was I were we art thou are you wast thou were you is he are they was he were they
FUTURE TENSE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
shall I be shall we be have I been have we been wilt thou be will you be hast thou been have you been will he be will they be has he been have they been
PAST PERFECT TENSE
had I been had we been hadst thou been had you been had he been had they been
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
shall I have been shall we have been wilt thou have been will you have been will he have been will they have been
=198.= When we use the present and past tenses of any verb except _be_ for asking questions, we do not say _sings she?_ or _sang she?_ but _does she sing?_ _did she sing?_ that is, we use the auxiliaries _do_ and _did_.
Conjugate the verb _see_ in the indicative mode, interrogative form.
=Exercise.=—Conjugate the verbs in Exercise 2, p. 126, in the indicative mode, interrogative form.
=199.= The use of the negative word _not_ after a verb gives rise to many contractions which are permissible in familiar conversation. The contractions for which incorrect forms are often used are the following:—
isn’t wasn’t aren’t weren’t don’t doesn’t haven’t hasn’t
There is no contraction for _am not_; the word _ain’t_ is incorrect.
Contractions are oftenest misused in questions. Notice the following correct forms:—
Isn’t it too bad? Isn’t he tall? Isn’t she pretty? Aren’t you cold? Aren’t they coming? Wasn’t it long? Weren’t you there? Weren’t they slow? Don’t you believe me? Doesn’t it hurt? Doesn’t she work hard? Doesn’t he like it? Haven’t you been there? Hasn’t he any friends?
We should be careful never to say, _you was_ or _was you_; for the pronoun _you_, even when it denotes one person, is followed by a verb in the plural form. We should say, “You _were_ late,” “_Were you_ late?” “_Weren’t you_ late?”
LII. THE SUBJUNCTIVE MODE
=200.= When we say, “If I were you, I should be a doctor,” we have a dependent proposition, _If I were you_, which states not a fact, but an imaginary condition. This condition is, moreover, directly contrary to fact, for I am not you, and never can be. The verb used in expressing such a condition is said to be in the =subjunctive= mode.
=201.= The subjunctive mode is found not only in dependent propositions introduced by if, but in those introduced by _lest_, _whether_, _although_, etc.
(a) Be quiet lest the baby _wake_.
(b) We cannot tell whether he _be_ the rightful heir or not.
(c) Though he _wait_ long, yet he will come at last.
In each of these sentences the subjunctive mode is used to express doubt or uncertainty, or something imagined but not actually realized.
=202.= The subjunctive mode is so named because it is found principally in dependent, or subjoined propositions. It is, however, found also in independent propositions expressing a wish; as, “Long _live_ the King!” “God _bless_ thee, dear!”
=203.= The subjunctive mode is used in the statement of something that is uncertain; as, “If he _come_ in time, dinner will be served at six.” This sentence means that his coming is to take place in the future, hence we cannot tell whether it will be a fact or not. In the sentence, “If he _comes_ in time, dinner is served at six,” we use the indicative mode because we mean that sometimes he really does come in time.
=204.= The subjunctive mode is little used, especially in conversation; but we find many instances of it in the Bible and in the works of Shakespeare, hence we should understand its meaning. Nowadays, except to express a wish, as, “Heaven _defend_ thee!” and to express a condition contrary to fact, as, “If the ring _were_ gold, it would not discolor your finger,” most persons use the indicative mode or some other verb phrase. Instead of saying, “If to-morrow _be_ fair,” most persons say, “If to-morrow _is_ fair,” or “If to-morrow _should be_ fair.” (See Lesson LXI.)
=205.= There are four tenses in the subjunctive mode, but the forms do not differ greatly from those of the indicative mode. There is no interrogative form.
=206.= Conjugation of _be_ in the subjunctive mode:—
PRESENT TENSE PAST TENSE
I be we be I were we were you be you be thou were you were he be they be he were they were
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE PAST PERFECT TENSE
I have been we have been I had been we had been thou have been you have been thou had been you had been he have been they have been he had been they had been
=207.= Conjugation of _see_ in the subjunctive mode:—
PRESENT TENSE PAST TENSE
I see we see I saw we saw thou see you see thou saw you saw he see they see he saw they saw
PRESENT PERFECT TENSE PAST PERFECT TENSE
I have seen we have seen I had seen we had seen thou have seen you have seen thou had seen you had seen he have seen they have seen he had seen they had seen
=Summary.=—The =subjunctive mode= is used in an exclamative sentence to express a wish, and in a dependent proposition to express something contrary to fact or something uncertain.
The subjunctive mode has no future tenses.
=Exercise 1.=—Conjugate all the verbs in Exercise 2, p. 126, in the subjunctive mode.
=Exercise 2.=—Select all the verbs in the subjunctive mode in these sentences, and tell why that mode is used:—
1. Misery loves company—even though it be very poor company.
2. If the weather be fine, there breaks upon the eye, as we rise higher and higher, a succession of those views of mountain, lake and forest, which can be had only from an elevated position.
3. The Lord be between thee and me when we are absent one from the other.
4. If the whole world were put into one scale and my mother into the other, the world could not outweigh her.
5. If a boy were obliged to work at nut gathering in order to procure food for the family, he would find it very irksome.
6.
Green be the turf above thee, Friend of my better days!
7. John convinces himself that he must watch the hawk lest it pounce upon the chicken.
8. If chicadee seem preoccupied or absorbed, you may know that he is building a nest.
9. If I were a millionaire, city life would be agreeable enough, for I could always get away from it.
10.
And Death, whenever he come to me, Shall come on the wide, unbounded sea.
11. In their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12.
Christ save us all from a death like this, On the reef of Norman’s Woe!
13. If wishes were horses, beggars might ride.
14. God be merciful to us, and bless us, and show us the light of his countenance.
15. If a man say that he hath no sin, he deceiveth himself, and the truth is not in him.
16. If he had told the truth, somebody would have believed him.
17. If impressment were the law of the world, if it formed part of the code of nations and were usually practiced, then it might be defended as a common right.
LIII. THE IMPERATIVE MODE
=208.= We learned in Lesson XIV that sentences expressing a command or an entreaty are called imperative sentences; that the subject of the verb in an imperative sentence is a pronoun of the second person,—_you_, _thou_, or _ye_; and that this subject is seldom expressed. The verb in an imperative sentence is said to be in the =imperative mode=; as, “_Sleep_, baby, _sleep_.”
=209.= There is only one form for the imperative mode, hence it is not said to have tense at all.
Conjugation of _be_ in the imperative mode:—
_Singular_ _Plural_
be (_you_ or _thou_) be (_you_ or _ye_)
Conjugation of _see_ in the imperative mode:—
_Singular_ _Plural_
see (_you_ or _thou_) see (_you_ or _ye_)
=Summary.=—The =imperative mode= is used in expressing a command or an entreaty. It has but one form. Its subject is always the pronoun _you_, _thou_, or _ye_.
=Exercise.=—From these sentences select the verbs in the imperative mode. Conjugate these verbs in the indicative, subjunctive, and imperative modes.
1. Ring, happy bells, across the snow.
2. Break, break, break, on thy cold, gray stones, O sea!
3. Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
4. Run upstairs and get my glasses.
5. Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks.
6.
Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul! As the swift seasons roll. Leave thy low-vaulted past, Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast....
7. Laugh, and the world laughs with you.
8.
Work till the last beam fadeth, Fadeth to shine no more.
9. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.
11. Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
12. Honor thy father and thy mother.
13.
Tell me not in mournful numbers Life is but an empty dream.
Find all the terms of address in the sentences above.
LIV. PRINCIPAL PARTS OF VERBS. REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS
=210.= If we examine the conjugation of the verb _see_, we shall discover that most of the tenses are formed by the use of auxiliary verbs, and that only four forms of the verb _see_ itself are made use of; namely, _see_, _sees_, _saw_, _seen_. The form _sees_ occurs only once, but the other three forms occur often. These three forms—_see_, _saw_, _seen_—are called the =principal parts= of the verb _see_.
The principal parts of any verb are the present indicative, as, _go_, _take_; the past indicative, as, _went_, _took_; and another form, as, _gone_, _taken_, called the =past participle=.
=211.= The past participle is used in forming all the perfect tenses. It is plain, then, that we should say _I have gone_ (not _have went_), _I had taken_ (not _had took_); since _went_ and _took_ are past tense forms, not past participles.
The past participle is never used in the primary tenses. That is why we say _I saw_ (not _seen_), _I did_ (not _done_).
NOTE.—The very common word _ought_ is, as we use it to-day, an old past tense form of the verb _owe_, and not a past
## participle. Hence, we should say _ought to go_, or _ought not
to go_ (not _had ought to go_ or _hadn’t ought to go_).
=212.= Most verbs form their past tense and past participle by adding _d_ or _ed_ to the present tense. The past tense and the past participle of _move_ are _moved_ and _moved_; of _plow_ are _plowed_ and _plowed_; of _lift_ are _lifted_ and _lifted_. Such verbs are called =regular verbs=.
=213.= Many verbs in very common use form their past tense or past
## participle, not by the addition of a suffix, but by some change within
the word, such as a change in the vowel. The past tense and past
## participle of _sing_ are _sang_ and _sung_ respectively; of _leave_ are
_left_ and _left_; of _write_ are _wrote_ and _written_. These verbs are called =irregular verbs=.
=214.= Some verbs, like _put_ and _set_, have the same form for each of their principal parts. These also are irregular verbs.
=215.= The verb _be_ is very irregular. Its principal parts are: present tense _am_, past tense _was_, past participle _been_.
=216.= If we know the proper auxiliaries for the different tenses, we can conjugate any verb correctly by first ascertaining its principal parts. These can always be found in a dictionary.
=Summary.=—The =principal parts= of a verb are the present tense, the past tense, and the past participle.
A =regular verb= is one that forms its past tense and past participle by adding _d_ or _ed_ to the present tense.
An =irregular verb= is one whose past tense or past participle is formed in some other way than by adding _d_ or _ed_ to the present tense.
NOTE.—Webster’s New International Dictionary gives the present tense form of every verb. If the verb is irregular, the dictionary gives also the past tense form preceded by _pret._, and the past participle preceded by _p.p._ The abbreviation _pret._ stands for _preterit_, which means past tense. If the verb is regular, the abbreviations are omitted, and the form _d_ or _ed_ is printed but once.
=Exercise.=—Find in the dictionary the past tense and the past participle of each of the following verbs. Use the three forms of each verb correctly in sentences.
awake bear beat begin bid bind bite bleed blow break bring build buy catch choose cling come cost creep cut dare dig do draw drink drive eat fall feed fight find flee fling fly forget freeze get give go grind grow hang have hide hit hold hurt keep kneel knit know lay lead lend let lie lose make meet pay read ride ring rise run say seek sell shake shed shine shoot show shrink shut sink sit slay sleep slide sling smite speak spend spin spread spring stand steal stick sting stride strike string strive swear sweat sweep swim swing take tell think throw tread wear weave weep wet win wind wring
=217.= Many errors are made in using the different forms of irregular verbs.
Certain verbs, the meaning and principal parts of which are somewhat alike, occasion a good deal of trouble to some persons. The most important of these are _lie_ and _lay_, _sit_ and _set_, and _rise_ and _raise_. The first word of each pair, _lie_, _sit_, and _rise_ is an intransitive verb. The second verb of each pair, _lay_, _set_, and _raise_, is a transitive verb.
=Exercise 1.=—Supply the correct form of _lie_ or _lay_ in each of these sentences, and give your reason in each case.
_Lie_ means to be at rest in a reclining position.
_Lay_ means to place a thing down in a reclining position.
1. —— down, Phiz, and be a good dog.
2. Phiz —— at the foot of my couch and gazed out of the nearest window.
3. After he had —— there an hour or more, he whined to go out on the street.
4. Phiz brought in a notebook and —— it at my feet.