and run refer to present time. Verbs that refer to present time are said to be in the PRESENT TENSE. Moved, drifted, sang, stung, drove, came, brought, bought, sold, and ran refer to past time. Verbs that refer to past time are said to be in the PAST or PRETERITE TENSE.

As these examples show, the preterite tense of some verbs is formed by the addition of "-d" or "-ed" to the present; of others, by an internal change. The majority of verbs form the preterite in "d" or "-ed," and are called ✅ REGULAR, WEAK, or NEW VERBS. The others are called IRREGULAR, STRONG, or OLD VERBS. In Early English, the latter class was the larger.

When I say "I have lived in Washington," I speak of past time, but I use a form of the verb which shows that the action spoken of is at present completed.

We have sold our land.
The miller has ground the corn.

Our neighbors have moved.
Have you made a whistle?

moved, and have made

Have sold, has ground, have refer to an action or a state begun in the past and at present completed, and are said to be in the PERFECT TENSE.

-e.

-

The perfect tense differs from the present and the preterite in one important respect: it consists of two words instead of one. The second of the two, and the more important, e. g., sold, ground, moved, or made, is called a PARTICIPLE, a word which will be defined later. The first of the two -e. g., have or has - helps to make a form of the verb. Verbs used in this manner as helps or aids are called AUXILIARY VERBS.

The auxiliary verbs in most frequent use

are more commonly spoken and written

and no verbs are "be" and

"have" in their various forms; others are "may," "can," "will" or "shall," "might," "could," "would" or "should," "must," and "do.”

When I say "I shall take the train," I speak of future

time.

You will break that cup.

Richard will come next week.

We shall lose our supper.

Our friends will entertain us.

Will break, will come, shall lose, and will entertain refer to future time. Verbs that refer to future time are said to be in the FUTURE TENSE.

If I say "Next spring I shall have spent a winter in Washington," I use a form of the verb which shows that the action of which I speak is thought of as completed in the future.

By that time you will have learned to sing.

Before winter, my brother will have taught me to play.

Before another year begins, we shall have crossed the ocean.

Then the birds will have flown.

Will have learned, will have taught, shall have crossed, and will have flown refer to actions that are thought of as completed in the future. Verbs so used are said to be in the FUTURE PERFECT TENSE.

If I say "I had landed by noon," I speak of a time in the past before some other past time.

You had sailed when the letter arrived.

I asked Jack if he had lost a knife.

We had started before it began to rain.

They had gone several miles before they found out their mistake.

Had sailed, had lost, had started, and had gone refer to actions completed in the past before some other past time. Verbs so used bear a relation to the preterite similar to that which the perfect bears to the present tense. They are said to be in the PAST PERFECT or PLUPERFECT (more than perfect) TENSE.

Some inflections show the manner in which verbs are used.

When I say "Haste makes waste," I use the verb to assert something about “haste." When I say "If I were

hasty, I should waste time," I use "were" to show that I am naming a condition under which my time would be wasted.

It is necessary to lie in bed.
Are you going away?

I feel so strongly that I cannot help mentioning the fact.

If it be necessary,I will lie in bed. If I were you, I should go away. Were it not that I feel strongly, I should not mention the fact.

Is and feel make, or help to make, an assertion; are going asks a question. Verbs used in a manner which simply points out, or indicates, the meaning, are said to be in the INDICATIVE MODE or MOOD. Be, were, and were introduce conditional statements, which are joined in a subordinate manner (subjoined) to the principal assertion, so as to limit or qualify it. Verbs so used are said to be in the SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD.

When I say "Make haste slowly," I tell you (the person or persons addressed) what to do. When I say "I like to play," I use the verb "to play " to say what I like to do.

Go to the ant.

Love me little, love me long.
Strike, but hear me.

Be kind to the children.

It began to grow dark.

The men tried to guard us.
Little birds must learn to fly.
It is natural for foxes to be sly.

Go, love, strike, hear, and be ask or order you (the person or persons addressed) to do or to be something. Verbs so used are said to be in the IMPERATIVE MOOD. To grow, to guard, to fly, and to be name an action or a situation without limitation as to person or number. Verbs so used are said to be in the INFINITIVE MOOD. The infinitive has two forms, the simple or present infinitive, e. g., to see; and the perfect infinitive, e. g., to have seen. The infinitive is not a mood in the sense in which the indicative, the subjunctive, and the imperative are moods; for it does not show

the manner in which the verb is used. For convenience, however, it is usually called a mood.

These moods- the indicative, the subjunctive, the imperative, and (with the qualifications mentioned) the infinitive are recognized as such in all books on grammar. Other moods are recognized in some books, but not in others. Some writers mention the conditional mood, e. g., "If it should rain, I should stay at home;" others, the potential mood, e. g., "I may stay at home;" others, the emphatic mood, -e. g., "I do want to go." There seems, however, to be no stronger reason for recognizing these forms of expression as moods of English verbs than there is for recognizing an optative, e. g., "Oh, had I the wings of a dove," "Would that he were here," "God save the queen;" or a mood of determination, e. g., "I will do it," "You shall do it; " or an obligatory mood, e. g., "You should (ought to) go,” “We must go."

1

Participles are always classed with verbs; but they have much in common with adjectives, and they may become nouns. They are called participles, because they partake of the nature of more than one part of speech.

If I say "Taking the advice of their leaders, they stayed indoors," I treat "taking" like a verb, for I give it an object, "the advice of their leaders;" and I also treat it, in connection with the words with which it is grouped, like an adjective.

When I say "It is raining," I use "raining" as a part of the verb.

So saying, threw him his pocket-book.

Shame, being naturally timorous, keeps company with Virtue.

The fear of offending his uncle kept him quiet.

My little family were gathered round a charming fire, telling stories of the past, and laying schemes for the future.

Drawing me aside, he disclosed his plan.

1 See page 14.

Saying, being, telling, laying, and drawing are part verb, part adjective. Each refers to a time which is present in relation to the time denoted by the verb. Words so used are called PRESENT PARTICIPLES.

Offending is a participial form which is a verb in that it takes an object, and a noun in that it depends upon a preposition. Words so used are generally called VERBAL NOUNS; sometimes nouns verbal; sometimes gerunds.

When I say "Taken at his own estimate, he is a great man,” I use "taken" as an adjective. When I say "It has rained," I use "rained" as part of the verb.

Seen from a distance, it looked like a face.

The flag, torn by the wind, hangs in shreds.

Wearied by the long journey, she hoped for an hour's rest. The horses, terrified by the lightning, started to run.

Seen, torn, wearied, and terrified are part adjective, part verb. They refer to past time, or to a time which is past in relation to the time denoted by the main verb in the sentence. Words so used are called PAST PARTICIPLES.

The present infinitive, the preterite tense, and the past participle are called the PRINCIPAL PARTS of the verb.

When I say "Our Nine made a good score," my meaning is the same as when I say "A good score was made by our Nine;" but the point of view is different. The words in the first remark are so arranged as to call attention to the persons who "made a good score;" the words in the second remark are so arranged as to call attention to the thing "made.” In the first, "our Nine" is both the grammatical subject of the verb and the real subject of the action denoted by the verb; in the second, "a good score" is the grammatical subject of the verb, but is not the real subject of the action.

The farmer ploughs the ground.

The ground is ploughed by the farmer.