492 
Universal the verb thus points out a connection betwixt an object 
Grammar. 
Different 
contrivan- 
ces for a 
— 
orm, 
Tn French, 
In Icelandic 
and Latin. 
and an event without specifying the nature of thia.con- 
nection, The circumstance of agency or any other may 
be safely left to the inferences formed by the under-\ 
standing of the hearer. a 
In other instances, it is found convenient to contrive 
a mode of expressing by some slight alteration in. the 
form of the verb the circumstance of being the object 
acted on. An expression of this sort, if found to har- 
monize with the genius of a language, may be after- 
wards universally adopted ; and the original form of the 
verb will then be limited to the active application. In 
such languages the distinction betwixt the active and 
passive voices will be most constant... This happens in 
the Latin language, and in the active and passive voices 
of the Greek. But, where the contrivances adopted for 
this purpose are in point of convenience less fortunate, 
they will be more varied and less strictly adhered to. 
Much will be left to urgent. occasion or individual 
taste. Of this we have instances in the middle, voice 
of the Greek verb, and in several phrases in the modern 
languages of Europe. 
The French apply the verb in a passive acceptation, 
by introducing the same object as the nominative and 
the accusative to it, as Le vin de Bourgoigne sz BOIT par- 
tout, literally “ the wine of Burgundy drinks itself every 
where.” A verb thus used has been called a reciprocal 
verb, and it appears particularly appropriate when the 
same object is the agent and the object affected, as in 
the phrase “ he prepares himself,” Yet it is not ne- 
cessarily limited to such occasions. Le vin boit does not 
mean “the wine performs. the act of drinking,’ but 
“the wine has some connection with the act of drink- 
ing.” The nature of that connection is here indicated 
by the accusative se. The phrase le vie se boit may 
be thus analysed, “‘ The wine is concerned in drink- 
ing, by being the liquor which some one drinks.” But 
we find that in English, when we say, “ the wine 
drinks pleasantly,” the kind of connection betwixt the, 
wine and the act of drinking is left to be inferred from 
the nature of the subject, This is of itself sufficiently. 
prominent to prevent ambiguity, notwithstanding the 
incomparably aie frequency. of the active applica- 
tion of that verb, , 
In other instances, a slight addition or a mere altera- 
tion is used for denoting the passive. In the Icelandic 
language, @g elska signifies “ 1 love,” ag elshast 1am 
-loved,’’ In Latin, we have amo for “ I love,” and amor 
for “Iam loved.”” The expedients adopted. in diffe- 
rent languages, will depend on the previous state of 
each. When a language already possesses a. word 
expressive of suffering or being acted on, it will be na- 
tural to employ this, or some part of it, in union with the 
verb to denote the passive. It is not improbable that 
the letter +, which distinguishes. the passive voice in 
Latin, is derived from, res “‘ a thing,” or some previ- 
ously existing word of similar import. The radical let- 
ters.am signify ‘“ love);? am-o. ‘ 1 love,” i.e. “ I have 
some general connection with loving.” Am-o-r “« Iam 
connected with loving as the ‘hing or object loved.” The 
letter r runs through all those forms of the passive voice 
hich are produced by inflexion, with the exception of 
the second person plural, 
The preterite tense of the passive verb in Latin is 
made up of a compound phrase, consisting of the par- 
ticiple with the substantive verb. The. participle em- 
ployed is derived from the past tense. Amatus is most 
probably a contraction for amavit-us, and derived from 
amavil, The past tense is thus converted into a part 
GRAMMAR, 
of speech resembling the adjective ; the effect of Unit 
the past is exhibited as a quality is to be con- CF 
nected or adjectived to some other idea din = 
the form cf a cspanges noun. The patent sere 
the copula forms an indicative or asserting sentence. 
This 5 te that assertion was not early appropriated _ 
to that particular sort of connection betwixt actions 
and other objects. r. 
The best passive form of the verb:which the English In E 
language possesses is in the preterite tense, and yet itis 
of an equally compound nature with this part of the 
Latin passive. We adopt the sign of past action in the 
form of an adjectived quality, and complete our assertion 
by inserting the copula. ‘ Destroyed” is the past tense 
of the verb “ destroy.” ‘* The enemy’s troapariesiotar 
ed the city” expresses the active voice: “ city, is 
destroyed” expresses the passive. ee 
We have no good contrivance for a passive voice in. 
the present indicative. Domus cedificatur cannot be 
literally translated into our language. When we say 
“The house is built,” we assert the completion of an. 
action. The nearest approach which we make to it, 
in respect to tense is by the phrase ‘ the house is build« 
ing ;” but. here we confound the voices, at least we em= 
ploy a word which in respect.of voice is general, as a2 
participle in img is most commonly used in the ace 
tive voice. Some of our southern neighbours choose 
to express their meaning by the phrase “the house, 
is being built,” which is no farther appropriate to the. 
resent tense than as the same combination never 
ppens to be used for the past. It labours under the 
disadvantage of an awkward. verbosity, which pee 
vents it from being generally adopted, or sanctioned by) 
the authority of persons of taste. Another effort has. 
sometimes been made to supply this want by prefixing 
the letter a to the present participle, and tom con=, 
verting it into a passive present, as ‘the house is, 
a-building,” but this has not succeeded in meeting, 
with a permanent adoption. A strictly appropriate 
phrase-has not been found absolutely necessary, because: 
a slight alteration in the form of our sentence enables. 
us to dispense entirely with the passive form of the 
verb. We can say ‘the building of the house goes. 
forward,” or “the work people are engaged in the. 
building of the house.’? No inconvenience is experi~ 
enced in expressing our meaning ; it is confined to our 
asta to translate Latin sentences literally into Eng=. 
lish. 
In the French language.the passive voice is much subs 
less frequently used foo in English, . That language.for th 
has a resource which few others possess for introducing ‘ive 
the object acted on after the active verb without. the 
mention of any particular agent, as.it has a nominative 
of a very general application, on or ’on, signifying meres. 
ly. * some being,or beings or imaginable:’. Thisis 
prefixed to the active form of the verb, and the object 
acted:on is conveniently made to follow in the accusa- 
tive (or objective) case. On le dit, “some being or” 
beings say so,” is translated with propriety “ it is. 
said,” > 
Our language is.equally defective in a:passive voice! 
for the future as for the present.. If the sentence do-. 
mus cedificabitur is translated by the phrases “ the house 
will be built,’’ or “* the house will be building,” or “a+ 
building,” or * will be being built,” we shall find these. 
forms to labour under the. same disadvantages with the 
attempts already mentioned to give a translation of the 
words ‘ domus eedificatur,”? Yet we experience equals, 
ly little inconvenience. in this as in the former instance, 
