INFLEXION AND CONSTRUCTION OF WORDS. 31 



SUBJUNCTIVE PARTICLES. 



ba. 



§ 139. The verb 'ba' signifies to arrive at, attain to, meet, find, &c. It is 

 employed as an auxiliary particle, chiefly in what may be termed the subjunctive 

 mode, with something of the sense of o-eacUng, arriving at, or attaining to, the 

 action expressed by the verb before which it is placed ; as, bi iwo ba ri T, kpa a, if 

 thou seest it. Ml it, lit. if tlioii attain to seeing it or chance to see it. 



§ 140. It is also employed as an emphatic or definite particle in the indicative 

 mode ; as, ile timo ba ko ni, o w6 {Jiouse whicli Ihuilt it-is, it fell down), the Jmise 

 which I built lias fallen down ; 6hur) ti Olorur) ba ti weno, mdh fi kpt; li aimo 

 {thing which God has cleansed not nutke to-call to-le uncleanness'), the thing which 

 God has cleansed call not tinclean. 



§ 141. It is customary also to use 'ba' after nigbati, when; as, nigbati mo l)a 

 de, when I arrive. 



aba and iba. • 



§ 142. These particles, which appear to be derivatives of 'ba,' imply duty or 

 obligation ; as, emi aba se G, or iba se e, / o^ujht to do it; eyyiq ki iba ti loh, ye 

 should not go or have gone. ■ (For the use of ti after ki, not, see § 131, 2, G.) ' 



§ 143. In subjunctive sentences 'iba' is equivalent to -if; as, iba se woli, i ba 

 m(), if he %oere a prophet, he woidd Jcnoio ; iba se mo ni iye (//" it-v)ere I had 

 win//s), if I had wings ; a form of expression employed for oh! that I had, &c. 



ki. 



§ 144. Another subjunctive form arises from the use of the conjunction ki, that : 



1. If the nominative to the verb is q, I, or a monosyllabic pronoun (except 

 ' (n) '), only one ' ki ' is used ; as, 



ki q ri, ] , ^ 

 kiemiri,^^^^^^*^'^- 

 ki o ri, that thou see. 

 ki 6 ri, that he see. 

 ki ix ri, that we see. 

 ki e ri, that ye see. 



2. If the nominative begins with a consonant or consists of two or more syllables, 

 it is usually followed by a second 'ki,' with the pronoun 6 or 6, he, she, or it; as, 



ki iwo ki 6 ri, tliat thou see. 

 ki awa ki 6 ri, that we see. 

 ki uwoi] ki 6 ri, that they see. 

 ki babd ki 6 ri, that father see. 

 ^ 3. The pronoun 6q, he, she, it, is used with one ' ki' or with two ; as, ki 6i] ri, oi- 

 ki 6q ki 6 ri, that he see. 



§ 145. These forms are employed as follows : 



1. Subjunctively ; as, ki q ri, ki emi ri, or ki emi ki 6 ri, which maybe rendered, 

 according to the context, that I see, that I shall see, that I may see. 



2. Impei-atively ; as. 



