Owen—Hybrid Parts of Speech. 
211 
the case is simple: There are two modes—the assertive and 
the unassertive—the latter being subdivisible, as later indicated, 
first according to the verbal idea’s membership in thought, and 
again according to inflectional outfit. 
If per contra verbal forms containing further additions to 
dictionary meaning be regarded as further modes, I see no 
theoretical limit to their number. If such there be, it has 
hampered Grammar very little. All together, grammars thus 
far examined exhibit more than a score of modes. As an illus¬ 
tration of their genuineness, I cite what may be known (the 
actual name declining to recur to me), as the “as if” mode, 
or system of forms available in expressions of the type “My 
brother acts as if he were ill.” Mode for condition and mode 
for conclusion not contenting the modal adept, a special mode 
is invented to serve in what apparently is not perceived to be 
the merest abbreviation of “My brother acts as he would act 
if he were ill.” 
Abstracting from such little known and less accepted modes, 
I pass to the examination of modes more commonly recognized, 
which however also impress me as irrational, beginning with the 
imperative. 
To illustrate, the expression “Else!” The equivalent of this, 
in highly inflected languages, is formally differentiated from 
its conjugationa.1 associates, retaining however a formal re¬ 
semblance thereto, sufficient to warrant its admission to their 
conjugation so far as any, the most obvious, formal kinship 
can be recognized as alone sufficient ground for admission. As 
indicated however on page 204, I recognize no value in kin¬ 
ship of form, except when attended by all-important kinship of 
meaning. Indeed, in illustration, I shall consider kinship of 
meaning even unattended by kinship of form, the latter being 
always readily conceivable as coincident, in view of the acci¬ 
dental formal similarity to which words are notoriously sub¬ 
ject. 
Examining then the meaning of the imperative “Rise!” (See 
“Interrogative” pages 397-401), I offer in definition “I wish 
(command, etc.) you to rise” (or “That you rise is my wish,” 
