INFLEXION AND CONSTRTTCTION OF "WOEDS. 39 



2. A simple verb, on the contrary, may govern the infinitive by means of ' li ' ; 

 as, 6 sd li ati^e e (he fem^ediTirrega/rdrto doing it), Tie feared to do it, instead of 6 

 s& atise e. 



a. It should be observed that, although the use of ' li ' in such cases is not indis- 

 pensable, yet the people generally prefer it. Hence we constantly hear such 

 expressions as, nwoq rd li atikpa S, they thought to hill him ; awa kpfed^o li 

 atikole, we assembled to huild a house. 



h. In many cases the form with ' li ati,' and the simple form of the verb, may be 

 employed indifferently and interchangeably ; but when the infinitive is gerundive 

 in its nature, the form with ' li ati ' is preferable. Thus it is perfectly correct to say, 

 awa kp^dio kole (instead of li atikole), toe assembled to build a house; but it would 

 not be proper to say, nwoq r6 kpa fi (instead of li atikpa), they thought to hill him, 

 because the precise meaning of the expression is, tJiey thought of hillvng him. 



§ 169. Nouns formed by reduplication have much the same sense when employed 

 actively as those in ' i ' and ' ati.' Thus, igb6 ko ito, atigb6 k6 it6, gbigb6 k6 

 it6, hearing is not enotigh, are equivalent and equally proper forms of expression. 



§ lYO. In the form atima ri, to be seeing, the auxiliary particle takes the for- 

 mative prefix like a principal verb. A gerund or infinitive of this form denotes 

 continued or customary action ; as, atima ^e eru ni ii^oro, to be a slave is hard; emi 

 I)r6n6 li atima gb6 6ro Olorui), lam thinking to hear the woi'dof God, i. e. to become 

 a hearer, or to make a (mstom of hearing. 



§ 171. The infinitive passive is expressed; 



1. By the form in 'a'-; as, 6hug ari, a thing to be seen; nwoq ^e agbarar^ akpa- 

 ruq {they made power his Ordestruction*), they caused his pcnoer to be destroyed. 



2. By nouns in ' ati ' preceded by ' li ' ; as, 6 kp6 woq di;ade li atikpa, he called 

 them out to be hilled, or to hill them. 



3. a. By reduplicated forms preceded by di, ni or li, or ^e, in the sense of to be ; 

 as, 6 mu woq di kpikpa, he caused them to be slain ; 6 fi woq le ^e tit^, he delivered 

 them wp (fi . . . le) to be sold ; 6 fu woq li eraq ni diid^e (he gave tliem to have meat 

 to he eaten), he game tJiem meat to eat. 



b. But the verb di, ni, or ^e is sometimes omitted ; a.s, Yoruba 6oro fif5, Yoi"id)a 

 is difficult to speak or he spoken, ; mo r^ dgutaq kpikpa, I bought sheep to hill or be 

 hilled. 



Participles. 



§ 172. The Yoruba language has no participial words except the verbal nouns just 

 noticed. The substitutes to be employed for participles depend on the nature of 

 the sentence. 



§ 173. Our Present Participle is represented, 



1. By a simple verb ; as, 6e gbogbo re here nihinyi, do all of it beginning here. 



2. By a verb with the prefix ' g ' ; as, d ri enia qdiioko lebd 5na, we saw people 

 sitting by the road. 



3. By nigbati, when, with a verb and nominative ; as, nigbati 6 si yanu r^, 6 k6 



Akparui), which is destroyed, which is to be destroyed ; ari, which is seen or to he seen. A noun in ' a,' 

 •when It denotes the object or recipient of an action, has no exact equivalent in English. See ' a ' in the 

 Dictionary. 



