GRAMMAR. 



ner of signification, are supplied in Eng- 

 lish by other verbs, which, from their em- 

 ployment, are called auxiliary, or helping 

 verbs : these are, be, do, have shall, tvili, 

 may, and can, which admit of the varia- 

 tions of other verbs, and must and let, 

 which are unvaried. Do in its present use 

 is merely emphatic ; and assists in pro- 

 ducing a discrimination which cannot be 

 .denoted in other languages ; but from its 

 . general resemblance to the other auxilia- 

 ries, we have mentioned it among them. 

 It is obviously the same word, both in ap- 

 pearance and in force, with the word, do, 

 when not employed as an auxiliary. Shall 

 signifies owe, and was formerly used as a 

 simple verb. Will\ve use at present as a 

 simple verb. These two words are em- 

 ployed as the principal denotements of 

 future time; and though their original 

 signification has in some degree yielded 

 to that with which custom has invested 

 them, the former is usually to be traced. 

 May signifies to be able. Can signifies to 

 know, to ken, and thence to be able. 

 These words are all employed as auxilia- 

 ries, in their pastas well as present tenses. 

 Must signifies to be obliged. Let is the 

 noun-state imperative of to let, signifying 

 to permit. Have, as an auxiliary, has the 

 same force with the simple verb ; it means 

 to possess. How this meaning is pre- 

 served in the complex expression, I have 

 loved, or similar cases, we shall see in 

 what will be said respecting the partici- 

 ple. 



35. We have an abbreviated mode of 

 expression in English, which has given 

 some trouble to the grammarian, but is 

 now pretty well understood, the subjunc- 

 tive mode, or future contingent form. This 

 arises from the omission of the future 

 auxiliary shall or -will, after words which 

 render the affirmation contingent : thus, 

 instead of say ing, Ifthou shall or shouldst 

 love, we may say, If thou love. In all 

 other cases in which affirmation is made, 

 we say the verb is in the indicative mood. 

 On this mood we have only to make one 

 remark, respecting the interrogative em- 

 ployment of it. In interrogations we may 

 simply state the thing, or the assertion 

 respecting which we require information, 

 leaving our wishes to be inferred by the 

 reader from the connection, or some word 

 or mark of interrogation, or by the hearer, 

 from a variation of our tone ; or, which is 

 certainly preferable, we may make such a 

 change in the order of the words as may 

 leave our meaning out of doubt. This is 

 effected in our own language by putting 

 the subject after the verb ; but this is not 



to be considered as making any change 

 on the mode of its signification, but mere- 

 ly as indicating to the eye or ear the wish 

 of the speaker to gain information re- 

 specting the affirmation. 



V. Of the Participle. 



36. Participles are formed from verbs, 

 generally by the addition of terminations, 

 originally without doubt expressive, but 

 now ceasing to have in themselves con- 

 sidered any force. What their original 

 force was will probably be shewn us in 

 future conversations at Purley ; their pre- 

 sent force is all into which we can as yet 

 enter. Those participles which are formed 

 by the addition of ingtothe noun-state of 

 the verb express a continued state of the 

 verbal denotement ; and as it is frequent- < 

 ly implied that what is meant by the verb 

 is being continued at some time referred 

 to, they are called present participles. 

 Those which are formed by the addition 

 of ed or en to the noun-state, or by some 

 change in the characteristic letters of the 

 verb, usually denote the completed state of 

 what is meant by the verb : hence they 

 are called perfect participles, or some- 

 times, with less propriety, past or passive 

 participles. There does not seem to be 

 any material difficulty attending the em- 

 ployment of these words, except in the 

 case where a perfect participle is employ- 

 ed after the verb have, as I have learned 

 my lesson. It has been supposed that 

 this means, I possess the finished act of 

 learning my lesson : we think it more 

 probable that it means, I possess my les- 

 son in that state which is called learned ; 

 in which case it is exactly equivalent to 

 the Latin habere, followed by a participle 

 in agreement with a noun. We readily 

 admit that by, I have learned it, there is 

 an inference brought into view, which is 

 not by, I have it learned ; but it seems to 

 be merely the inference of custom, not re- 

 sultingfrom any essential difference in the 

 mode of expression. 



VI. Of the Adverb. 



37. We have already given a general 

 account of the class of words called ad- 

 verbs. Those to which our definition will 

 apply, and to which alone the term should 

 be appropriated, are principally adnouns, 

 with or without nouns connected with 

 them ; others are prepositions with nouns 

 following them ; and the remainder are 

 participles. The chief class of adverbs 

 are those which end in ly , which 



