Mr. Robinson means to say that absence from the city at the time of Mrs. Hollis's entertainment will prevent him from being present at it, and that therefore he is unable at the time of writing to accept the invitation. His absence from the city is a fact (or probability) of the future, in consequence of which he decides not to accept the invitation; but his decision not to accept is a fact of the present. I. Mr. Curron accepts with pleasure Mrs. Hollis's kind invitation for Tuesday evening. II. Mr. Curron will be happy to accept Mrs. Hollis's kind invitation for Tuesday evening. happy to accept? Does he he means to accept at some When will Mr. Curron be write a note now to say that future time, and that when he does accept his happiness will begin? Or is this note his answer to the invitation? If it is, he is happy while writing his acceptance. The use of the future tense for the present is common in answers to notes of invitation. I. It is the duty of history to record inventions as well as wars. II. It was the duty of history to record inventions as well as wars. As the author of this sentence is speaking of the duty of history in general, the present tense is correct. I. It has always been a question with me whether scientific tastes denote a higher type of mind than æsthetic tastes. II. It has always been a question with me whether scientific tastes denoted a higher type of mind than æsthetic tastes. The question "has always been" whether "scientific tastes," wherever and whenever they exist, denote a "higher type of mind;" not whether they did at a given time denote it. In the last sentence, "is" and "have been are preferable to was and had been. The meaning is, "This makes my second absence." The act referred to is in past time, but the assertion about the act belongs to the present. I. Nothing is more interesting than the attempt to trace the fortunes of men who died long ago. II. Nothing is more interesting than the attempt to trace the fortunes of men who have died long ago. "Died" is correct; for the writer is speaking of the act of dying, not of the condition of death. I. This case still awaits evidence as to the origin of the injury to the left hand, as you were informed by letters from this office, dated June 6, 1887, and Feb. 5, 1888. II. This case still awaits evidence as to the origin of injury to left hand, as you have been informed by letters from this office dated June 6, 1887, and Feb. 5, 1888. Had the sentence ended at "informed," have been would The additional words make " were have been proper. proper, because they confine the writer's assertion to defi The three verbs "relieve," "yield," and "make" refer to the same point of time, and should therefore be in the same tense. Other examples are I. Gulliver manages by swimming to reach the shore. Worn out by his exertion, he crawls up the beach, lies down, and falls asleep. Darcy, seeing that he has made a mistake, hastens the very next day to repair the mischief. Thackeray was of a quiet disposition, and could not bring himself to scoff at Swift. The driver volunteered no information about any object of interest that we passed. Samuel would have been contented, if the condition of his father's health had not troubled him so much. At this point, Elizabeth could keep silent no longer, and answered (or, unable to keep silent longer, answered) him. The proposition was unanimously adopted, and off we hurried to consult the "Elders." They demurred somewhat, but the boys carried the day. The proposition is unanimously adopted, and off we hurry to consult the "Elders." They demur somewhat, but the boys carry the day. Under this inspiration we made up some of the distance II. Gulliver managed by swimming to reach the shore. Worn out by his exertion, he crawls up the beach; lies down, and falls asleep. Darcy, seeing that he had made a mistake, hastens the very next day to repair the mischief. Thackeray was of a quiet disposition and can not bring himself to scoff at Swift. The driver volunteered no information about any object of interest we might pass. Samuel would have been contented, if the condition of his father's health did not trouble him so. At this point, Elizabeth could keep silent no longer and answers him. The proposition was unanimously carried, and off we hurry to consult the "Elders." The latter demur somewhat, but the boys carry the day. Under this inspiration we made up some of the distance In the last passage in its original form, the writer, without apparent cause, goes from the past to the present tense and back again. I. At last appeared the longlooked-for spring, which we hailed with joy after the tedious, cold winter. We gladly gave up theatre-going and other winter amusements for out-of-door sports. Again we glided in our swift shells along the sinuous course of the Charles; again we played ball on Jarvis Field, and took long evening strolls, and sat by the open window to study. II. At last the long looked for spring appeared, which we hailed with joy after the tedious cold winter; and we gladly gave up theatre-going, and other winter amusements, for our out-of-door sports. Again we glide in our swift shells along the sinuous course of the Charles; again we play ball on Jarvis Field, and take long evening strolls, and sit by the open window to study. This appears to be an attempt to slip from the past tense into what is called the historical present; but the historical present should be used sparingly. It is only justified by the fact that the writer's interest in the narrative is so intense that the past becomes present to his imagination. I. It was the business of Harvard to be on the lookout, and to secure all the glory it could. II. It was Harvard's business to have been on the lookout and to have secured all the glory it could. In this example, "was" fixes the time at which certain duties rested upon Harvard. Relatively to that time, those duties were present; "to be," not to have been, "on the lookout," "to secure," not to have secured, "glory," was the business of Harvard. I. And this at a time, it may be added, when a single disaster would have led the British Government to withdraw its troops from the Peninsula. II. And this at a time, it may be added, when a single disaster would have led the British Government to have withdrawn their troops from the Peninsula.1 "The Saturday "Major Henderson does not mean," says Review," "that the British Government would have withdrawn its troops before the disaster, but that is what he says; and thus you will see how easy it is, even for a writer who is well acquainted with his subject, to say the contrary of what he means when he does not pay sufficient attention to accuracy of grammar." It is (or, was) a pleasure to pass my examinations so well. It is (or, was) a pleasure to have passed my examinations so well. These sentences are both correct; but they differ in meaning, as becomes apparent when we change the form of the sentence. "To pass my examinations so well is (or, was) a pleasure," means that my pleasure lies (or, lay) in the fact that I am (or, was) passing my examinations so well. "To have passed my examinations so well is (or, was) a pleasure," means that my pleasure lies (or, lay) in the fact that I have (or, had) passed my examinations so well: my examinations are over. Indicative or Subjunctive. The subjunctive mood is a less important part of the English language than it used to 1 Quoted from a notice in "The Saturday Review" (Jan. 23, 1892) of "The Battle of Spicheren," etc., by Brevet-Major G. F. Q. Henderson. |