HINTS AND EXPLANATIONS. T4a 
There is yet in the English language one important differentiation 
which has been but partially accomplished. Verbs as usually considered 
are undifferentiated parts of speech; they are nouns and adjectives, one or 
both, and predicants. The predicant simply is a distinct part of speech. 
The English language has but one, the verb ¢o be, and this is not always a 
pure predicant, for it sometimes contains within itself an adverbial element 
when it is conjugated for mode and tense, and a connective element when 
it is conjugated for agreement. With adjectives and nouns this verb is used 
as a predicant. In the passive voice also it is thus used, and the participles 
are nouns or adjectives. In what is sometimes called the progressive form 
of the active voice nouns and adjectives are differentiated in the participles, 
and the verb “to be” is used as a predicant. But in what is usually de- 
nominated the active voice of the verb, the English language has undiffer- 
entiated parts of speech. An examination of the history of the verb ‘‘to 
be” in the English language exhibits the fact that it is coming more and 
more to be used as the predicant, and what is usually called the common 
form of the active voice is coming more and more to be limited in its use 
to special significations. 
The real active voice, indicative mode, present tense, first person, sin- 
gular number, of the verb “to eat,” is ““am eating.” The expression “I 
eat” signifies ‘“‘I am accustomed to eat.” So, if we consider the common 
form of the active voice throughout its entire conjugation, we discover that 
many of its forms are limited to special uses. 
Throughout the conjugation of the verb the auxiliaries are predicants, 
but these auxiliaries, to the extent that they are modified for mode, tense, 
number, and person, contain adverbial and connective elements. 
In like manner many of the lexical elements of the English language 
contain more than one part of speech: “to ascend” is to go up; “to de- 
scend” is to go down; and ‘‘to depart” is to go from. 
Thus it is seen that the English language is also synthetic in that its 
parts of speech are not completely differentiated. The English, then, differs, 
in this respect from an Indian language only in degree. 
In most Indian tongues no pure predicant has been differentiated, but 
