completed his business when the messenger arrives." shall have had; thou wilt have served; he will have completed," &c. would have been correct and applicable. The peculiar import of these auxiliaries, as explained in Section 7 of this chapter, seems to account for their impropriety in the applications just mentioned. Some writers on Grammar object to the propriety of admitting the second future, in both the indicative and subjunctive moods: but that this tense is applicable to both moods, will be manifest from the following examples. "John will have earned his wages the next new-year's day," is a simple declaration, and therefore in the indicative mood: "If he shall have finished his work when the bell rings, he will be entitled to the reward," is conditional and contingent, and is therefore in the subjunctive mood. We shall conclude these detached observations, with one remark which may be useful to the young scholar, namely, that as the indicative mood is converted into the subjunctive, by the expression of a condition, motive, wish, supposition, &c. being superadded to it; so the potential mood may, in like manner, be turned into the subjunctive; as will be seen in the following examples: "If I could deceive him, I should abhor it;""Though he should increase in wealth, he would not be charitable ;""Even in prosperity he would gain no esteem, unless he should conduct himself better." The auxiliary and neuter verb To be, is conjugated as follows: 3. He might, could, would, 3. They might, could, would, or should have been. SINGULAR. 1. If I be. 2. If thou be. 3. If he be. SINGULAR. 1. If I were. 2. If thou wert. 3. If he were. or should have been. Subjunctive Mood. PRESENT TENSE. PLURAL. 1. If we be. 2. If ye or you be. 3. If they be. IMPERFECT TENSE. PLURAL. 1. If we were. 2. If ye or you were. 3. If they were. The remaining tenses of this mood are, in general, similar to the correspondent tenses of the Indicative mood. See pages 80, 81, 93, 94, and the notes under the nineteenth rule of Syntax. 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 that they are chiefly useful, in 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. |
