An English Grammar Part 49

(5) With the THIRD PERSON, _will_ and _would_ often denote an action as customary, without regard to future time; as,

They _will_ go to Sunday schools, through storms their brothers are afraid of.... They _will_ stand behind a table at a fair all day.--HOLMES

On a slight suspicion, they _would_ cut off the hands of numbers of the natives, for punishment or intimidation.--BANCROFT.

In this stately chair _would_ he sit, and this magnificent pipe _would_ he smoke, shaking his right knee with a constant motion.--IRVING.

Conjugation of _Shall_ and _Will_ as Auxiliaries (with _Choose_).

254. To express simply expected action:--

ACTIVE VOICE. Pa.s.sIVE VOICE.

_Singular_. _Singular_.

1. I shall choose. I shall be chosen.

2. You will choose. You will be chosen.

3. [He] will choose. [He] will be chosen.

_Plural_. _Plural_.

1. We shall choose. We shall be chosen.

2. You will choose. You will be chosen.

3. [They] will choose. [They] will be chosen.

To express determination, promise, etc.:--

ACTIVE VOICE. Pa.s.sIVE VOICE.

_Singular_. _Singular_.

1. I will choose. I will be chosen.

2. You shall choose. You shall be chosen.

3. [He] shall choose. [He] shall be chosen.

ACTIVE VOICE. Pa.s.sIVE VOICE.

_Plural_. _Plural_.

1. We will choose. 1. We will be chosen.

2. You shall choose. 2. You shall be chosen.

3. [They] shall choose. 3. [They] shall be chosen.

Exercises on _Shall_ and _Will_.

(_a_) From Secs. 252 and 253, write out a summary or outline of the various uses of _shall_ and _will_.

(_b_) Examine the following sentences, and justify the use of _shall_ and _will_, or correct them if wrongly used:--

1. Thou art what I would be, yet only seem.

2. We would be greatly mistaken if we thought so.

3. Thou shalt have a suit, and that of the newest cut; the wardrobe keeper shall have orders to supply you.

4. "I shall not run," answered Herbert stubbornly.

5. He informed us, that in the course of another day's march we would reach the prairies on the banks of the Grand Canadian.

6. What shall we do with him? This is the sphinx-like riddle which we must solve if we would not be eaten.

7. Will not our national character be greatly injured? Will we not be cla.s.sed with the robbers and destroyers of mankind?

8. Lucy stood still, very anxious, and wondering whether she should see anything alive.

9. I would be overpowered by the feeling of my disgrace.

10. No, my son; whatever cash I send you is yours: you will spend it as you please, and I have nothing to say.

11. But I will doubtless find some English person of whom to make inquiries.

12. Without having attended to this, we will be at a loss to understand several pa.s.sages in the cla.s.sics.

13. "I am a wayfarer," the stranger said, "and would like permission to remain with you a little while."

14. The beast made a sluggish movement, then, as if he would have more of the enchantment, stirred her slightly with his muzzle.

WEAK VERBS.

255. Those weak verbs which add _-d_ or _-ed_ to form the past tense and past participle, and have no change of vowel, are so easily recognized as to need no special treatment. Some of them are already given as secondary forms of the strong verbs.

But the rest, which may be called irregular weak verbs, need some attention and explanation.

256. The irregular weak verbs are divided into two cla.s.ses,--

[Sidenote: _The two cla.s.ses of irregular weak verbs._]

(1) Those which retain the _-d_ or _-t_ in the past tense, with some change of form for the past tense and past participle.

(2) Those which end in _-d_ or _-t_, and have lost the ending which formerly was added to this.

The old ending to verbs of Cla.s.s II. was _-de_ or _-te_; as,--