CONJUGATION OF A PASSIVE VERB. Indicative Mood. PRESENT. Indefinite.-I am, thou art, he is, &c.-loved. PAST. Indefinite.-I was, thou wast, he was, &c.-loved. FUTURE. Indefinite. I shall, thou wilt, he will, we shall, &c.-be loved. Perfect.-I shall, thou wilt, he will, &c.-have been loved. 41. In a Clause expressing a condition, and introduced by a Conjunction of condition, the Verb is sometimes, but not always, in the Subjunctive Mood: if I be able,'' if I were strong enough,'' if thou should come.' The only subjunctive inflection in English is in the verb 'be' I were, thou wert, he were,' which is a past tense. For the present THE SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD. 111 tense of the verb, we use the 'simple form of the verb, without any inflections for persons: if I be, thou be, he be, we be,' &c. It is the same for all other verbs: if I write, thou write, he write.' We might suppose that there is here an ellipsis of some auxiliary, as should:' if I should be, I should write.' (§ 15.) But this will not apply to the past, which is, if I wrote, he wrote,' the inflections of person being dropped in like manner. The following is the rule given for the use of the subjunctive mood: 42. When in a Conditional Clause it is intended to express doubt or denial, use the Subjunctive Mood.* 'If I were sure of what you tell me, I would go.' When the conditional clause is affirmative and certain, the verb is indicative if that is the case' (as you now tell me, and I believe) 'I can understand you.' This is equivalent to a clause of assumption, or supposition, that being the case,' inasmuch as that is the case,' &c. As futurity is by its nature uncertain, the subjunctive is extensively used for future conditionality: if it rain, we shall not be able to go;' if I be well;' if he come shortly;' if thou return at all in peace; though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.' These events are all in the uncertain future, and are put in the subjunctive.t The subjunctive is used to express a future consequence in such instances as these: I will wait till he return;'no fear lest dinner cool;' thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die;' 'take heed lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting.' 6 But we may have uncertainty as to a past event, through our own ignorance, in which case the subjunctive is properly employed, and serves the useful purpose of distinguishing our ignorance from our knowledge. If any of my readers has looked with so little attention upon the world around him;' this would mean, as I know that they have.' The meaning intended is probably, as I do not know whether they have or not,' and therefore the subjunctive 'have' is preferable. If ignorance is bliss,' which I (ironically) admit. Had Pope been speaking seriously, he would have said 'if ignorance be bliss,' he himself dissenting from the proposition. * Dr. Angus on the English Tongue, art. 527. 6 In the following passages, the indicative mood would be more suitable than the subjunctive: If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread;' 'if thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.' For although the address was not sincere on the part of the speakers, they really meant to make the supposition, or to grant that he was the Son of God; 'seeing that thou art the Son of God.' Likewise in the following: Now if Christ be preached, that He rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection from the dead?' The meaning is, seeing now that Christ is preached.' In the continuation, the conditional clauses are of a different character, and 'be' is appropriate: 'But if there be no resurrection from the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.' Again, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest, &c.' Consistency and correctness require 'remember.'-Harrison on the English Language, p. 287. A wish contrary to the fact takes the subjunctive: 'I wish he were here' (which he is not). An intention not yet carried out is also subjunctive the sentence is that you be imprisoned.' 43. By using the Past Subjunctive, we can express a certain denial; as if the book were in the library (as it is not), it should be at your service.' 'If the book be in the library,' means, 'I do not know whether it be or not.' We have thus the power of discriminating three different suppositions. If the book is in the library' (as I know it is); if it be (I am uncertain); if it were' (as I know it is not). So, if it rains,' ' if it rain,' 'if it rained.' 'Nay, and the villains march wide between the legs, as if they had gyves on,' implying that they had not. The same power of the past tense is exemplified in 'if I could, I would,' which means, I cannot;' whereas, if I can, I will,' means, 'I do not know;'Do it, if thou canst,' would imply 'you can. 44. The Past Subjunctive may be expressed by an inversion had I the power,' 'were I as I have been.' 45. The principal clause in a conditional statement also takes the Subjunctive form when it refers to what is future and contingent, and when it refers to what is past and uncertain, or denied. 'If he should try, he would succeed;' if I had seen him, I should have asked him.' The forms of the subjunctive in the principal clause, are 'would,' 'should,' 'would have,' should have.' The English idiom permits the use of a past indicative for these subjunctive forms. If 'twere done, when 'tis done, then 'twere (would be) well It were (should be) done quickly. Many acts, that had been otherwise blameable, were employed;" I had fainted, unless I had believed,' &c. A present indicative is used in the following passage : Which else lie furled and shrouded in the soul. But we may suppose that there is an ellipsis of 'would,'-' would lie.' The employment of the past indicative admits of no such explanation. We must refer it to the general tendency, as already seen in the uses of 'could,' 'would,' 'should,' &c., to express conditionality by a past tense. 'I had fainted' is, in construction, analogous to I should have fainted;' the word for futurity, shall,' not being necessary to the sense, is withdrawn, and its past inflection transferred to 'have.' The only correct form of the future subjunctive is 'if I should.' We may say I do not know whether or not I shall come;' but if I shall come,' expressing a condition, is not an English construction. MEANINGS OF THE TENSES. 113 If I write' is an ellipsis, not of 'shall,' but of 'should' if I should write.' If he will' has a real meaning, as being the present subjunc tive of the verb 'will:' if he be willing;' if he have the will.' It is in accordance with good usage to express a future subjunctive meaning by a present tense; but in that case the form must be strictly subjunctive, and not indicative. 'If any member absents himself, he shall forfeit a penny for the use of the club;' this ought to be either absent,' or should absent.' If thou neglectest, or doest unwillingly, what I command thee, I will rack thee with old cramps;' better, if thou neglect, or do unwillingly,' or 'if thou should neglect.' The Infinitive. 46. The perfect form of the infinitive to have written,' is often erroneously used for the simple, or indefinite form, to write.' 'I intended to have written,' should be, I intended to write.' The perfect infinitive is properly used only when the action is completed previous to the date of the governing verb; as 'I am glad to have met you.' 'It is' should be followed by the infinitive with 'to,' and not by the infinitive in 'ing.' 'It is easy distinguishing,' ought to be, it is easy to distinguish.' MEANINGS OF THE TENSES. The Present Indefinite. 47. The principal use of the Present Indefinite is to express what is true at all times: the sun gives light;' 'twice two is four;' 'man is mortal;' 'conscience makes cowards of us all.' Hence a more suitable name would be the universal tense. It expresses present time only as representing all time. The permanent arrangements and laws of nature, the peculiarities, habits, and propensities of living beings, and whatever is constant, regular, and uniform, have to be represented by the present indefinite. The mountains look on Marathon, So in expressing men's characters and habitual occupations; as "he works hard;' he superintends the harbour;' 'he sings a good song;' 'he has a good name.' 6 48. It is only by a special Adverb, or by the context, that we can confine this tense to mean a present act solely I now charge this jar;' at present I do duty for another person;' 'now tread we a measure, said young Lochinvar.' Frequently we know from the context that the affirmation is for the present only. When any one says the door is open,' we under I 6 stand that it is not always open, but is so at present. The wind blows hard,'' we are late,' the stranger speaks to you,' 'Mr. Speaker is in the chair,' are declarations known from the circumstances to be strictly present, as opposed to past and future. 49. This Tense has sometimes a future meaning; as 'Duncan comes here to-night;' 'I go to my father.' In the first example, the futurity is determined by the adverb tonight,' and not by the verb. In the second example, the meaning of the verb points to the future; the action 'I go' is a continuing action. Also in such a phrase as, 'how is the government to be carried on?' futurity is involved in the gerund form to be carried on.' We have seen that by an ellipsis of an auxiliary, a future subjunctive is expressed by a present tense. There is a rhetorical employment of the tense known as the historic present. This consists in describing past events as if the narrator saw them passing before his eyes: Fierce as he moves, his silver shafts resound. The Present Progressive, Imperfect, or Incomplete. 50. The Progressive form, I am writing,' expresses the continuance of the action over some time. It is, moreover, a true or strict present tense. This peculiarly English form enables us both to confine an action or a fact to the present, instead of extending it over all time, and to intimate that the agent is now engrossed, and is barred from other occupation. Even when the indefinite tense is limited by the context to a present operation, it does not mean the same as the progressive. He writes,' merely states the action that he is engaged in, and implies that he does not read, or walk, or talk, or sit idle. 'He is writing,' indicates that he is now fully occupied, and is not available for any other work, Hence in describing occupation, this tense is employed: he is balancing his books; he is revising his mathematics;' he is pursuing his investigations;' the boys are playing.' The Past Tenses. 51. The Past Indefinite states something that was formerly true, but is no longer so: at Athens the poets sang, and the sages taught;' there my young footsteps in infancy wandered;' he died, no one knew how.' The very nature of this tense implies limitation as compared with the present. It may indicate various degrees of extent of time. In the geological ages, the air had more carbon,' may apply to a period of millions of years; it is a law of nature applicable to a period of |