The Grammar of English Grammars Part 66

PERFECT TENSE.

This tense prefixes the auxiliaries, _may have, can have_, or _must have_, to the perfect participle: thus,

_Singular_. _Plural_.

1. I may have loved, 1. We may have loved, 2. Thou mayst have loved, 2. You may have loved, 3. He may have loved; 3. They may have loved.

PLUPERFECT TENSE.

This tense prefixes the auxiliaries, _might have, could have, would have_, or _should have_, to the perfect participle: thus,

_Singular_. _Plural_.

1. I might have loved, 1. We might have loved, 2. Thou mightst have loved, 2. You might have loved, 3. He might have loved; 3. They might have loved.

SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD.

The subjunctive mood is that form of the verb, which represents the being, action, or pa.s.sion, as conditional, doubtful, or contingent. This mood is generally preceded by a conjunction; as, _if, that, though, lest, unless, except_. But sometimes, especially in poetry, it is formed by a mere placing of the verb before the nominative; as, "_Were I_," for, "_If I were_;"--"_Had he_," for, "_If he had_;"--"_Fall we_" for, "_If we fall_;"--"_Knew they_," for, "_If they knew_." It does not vary its termination at all, in the different persons.[261] It is used in the present, and sometimes in the imperfect tense; rarely--and perhaps never _properly_--in any other. As this mood can be used only in a dependent clause, the _time_ implied in its tenses is always relative, and generally indefinite; as,

"It shall be in eternal restless change, Self-fed, and self-consum'd: _if this fail_, The pillar'd firmament is rottenness."--_Milton, Comus_, l. 596.

PRESENT TENSE.

This tense is generally used to express some condition on which a future action or event is affirmed. It is therefore erroneously considered by some grammarians, as an elliptical form of the future.

_Singular_. _Plural_.

1. If I love, 1. If we love, 2. If Thou love, 2. If you love, 3. If He love; 3. If they love.

OBS.--In this tense, the auxiliary _do_ is sometimes employed; as, "If thou _do prosper_ my way."--_Genesis_, xxiv, 42. "If he _do_ not _utter_ it."--_Leviticus_, v, 1. "If he _do_ but _intimate_ his desire."--_Murray's Key_, p. 207. "If he _do promise_, he will certainly perform."--_Ib._, p.

208. "An event which, if it ever _do occur_, must occur in some future period."--_Hiley's Gram._, (3d Ed., Lond.,) p. 89. "If he _do_ but _promise_, thou art safe."--_Ib._, 89.

"Till old experience _do attain_ To something like prophetic strain."--MILTON: _Il Penseroso_.

These examples, if they are right, prove the tense to be _present_, and not _future_, as Hiley and some others suppose it to be.

IMPERFECT TENSE.

This tense, like the imperfect of the potential mood, with which it is frequently connected, is properly an aorist, or indefinite tense; for it may refer to time past, present, or future: as, "If therefore perfection _were_ by the Levitical priesthood, what further need _was_ there that an other priest _should rise_?"--_Heb._, vii, 11. "They must be viewed _exactly_ in the same light, as if the intention to purchase _now existed_."--_Murray's Parsing Exercises_, p. 24. "If it _were_ possible, they _shall deceive_ the very elect."--_Matt._, xxiv, 24. "If the whole body _were_ an eye, where _were_ the hearing?"--_1 Corinthians_, xii, 17.

"If the thankful _refrained_, it _would be_ pain and grief to them."--_Atterbury_.

_Singular_. _Plural_.

1. If I loved, 1. If we loved, 2. If thou loved, 2. If you loved, 3. If he loved; 3. If they loved.

OBS.--In this tense, the auxiliary _did_ is sometimes employed. The subjunctive may here be distinguished from the indicative, by these circ.u.mstances; namely, that the time is indefinite, and that the supposition is always contrary to the fact: as, "Great is the number of those who might attain to true wisdom, if they _did not already think_ themselves wise."--_Dillwyn's Reflections_, p. 36. This implies that they _do think_ themselves wise; but an indicative supposition or concession--(as, "Though they _did not think_ themselves wise, they were so--") accords with the fact, and with the literal time of the tense,--here time past. The subjunctive imperfect, suggesting the idea of what is not, and known by the sense, is sometimes introduced without any of the _usual signs_; as, "In a society of perfect men, _where all understood_ what was morally right, and _were determined_ to act accordingly, it is obvious, that human laws, or even human organization to enforce G.o.d's laws, would be altogether unnecessary, and could serve no valuable purpose."--PRES.

SHANNON: _Examiner_, No. 78.

IMPERATIVE MOOD.

The imperative mood is that form of the verb, which is used in commanding, exhorting, entreating, or permitting. It is commonly used only in the second person of the present tense.

PRESENT TENSE.

_Singular._ 2. Love [thou,] _or_ Do thou love;

_Plural._ 2. Love [ye _or_ you,] _or_ Do you love.

OBS.--In the Greek language, which has three numbers, the imperative mood is used in the second and third persons of them all; and has also several different tenses, some of which cannot be clearly rendered in English. In Latin, this mood has a distinct form for the third person, both singular and plural. In Italian, Spanish, and French, the first person plural is also given it. Imitations of some of these forms are occasionally employed in English, particularly by the poets. Such imitations must be referred to this mood, unless by ellipsis and transposition we make them out to be something else; and against this there are strong objections. Again, as imprecation on one's self is not impossible, the first person singular may be added; so that this mood _may possibly have_ all the persons and numbers. Examples: "_Come we_ now to his translation of the Iliad."--_Pope's Pref. to Dunciad_. "_Proceed we_ therefore in our subject."--_Ib._ "_Blessed be he_ that blesseth thee."--_Gen._, xxvii, 29.

"Thy _kingdom come_."--_Matt._, vi, 10. "But _pa.s.s we_ that."--_W. Scott_.

"Third person: _Be he, Be they_."--_Churchill's Gram._, p. 92.

"My soul, _turn_ from them--_turn we_ to survey," &c.--_Goldsmith_.

"Then _turn we_ to her latest tribune's name."--_Byron_.

"Where'er the eye could light these words you read: 'Who _comes_ this way--_behold_, and _fear_ to sin!'"--_Pollok_.

"_Fall he_ that must, beneath his rival's arms, And _live the rest_, secure of future harms."--_Pope_.

"_Cursed be I_ that did so!--All the _charms_ Of Sycorax, toads, beetles, bats, _light_ on you!"--_Shakspeare_.

"_Have done_ thy charms, thou hateful wither'd hag!"--_Idem_.

PARTICIPLES.

1. _The Imperfect_. 2. _The Perfect_. 3. _The Preperfect_.

Loving. Loved. Having loved.

SYNOPSIS OF THE FIRST EXAMPLE.

FIRST PERSON SINGULAR.

IND. I love _or_ do love, I loved _or_ did love, I have loved. I had loved, I shall _or_ will love, I shall _or_ will have loved. POT. I may, can, _or_ must love; I might, could, would, _or_ should love; I may, can, _or_ must have loved; I might, could, would, _or_ should have loved. SUBJ. If I love, If I loved.

SECOND PERSON SINGULAR.

IND. Thou lovest _or_ dost love, Thou lovedst _or_ didst love, Thou hast loved, Thou hadst loved, Thou shalt _or_ wilt love, Thou shalt _or_ wilt have loved. POT. Thou mayst, canst, _or_ must love; Thou mightst, couldst, wouldst, _or_ shouldst love; Thou mayst, canst, _or_ must have loved; Thou mightst, couldst, wouldst _or_ shouldst have loved. SUBJ. If thou love, If thou loved. IMP. Love [thou,] _or_ Do thou love.

THIRD PERSON SINGULAR.

IND. He loves _or_ does love, He loved _or_ did love, He has loved, He had loved, He shall _or_ will love, He shall _or_ will have loved. POT. He may, can, _or_ must love; He might, could, would, _or_ should love; He may, can, _or_ must have loved; He might, could, would, _or_ should have loved. SUBJ.

If he love, If he loved.

FIRST PERSON PLURAL.

IND. We love _or_ do love, We loved _or_ did loved, We have loved, We had loved, We shall _or_ will love, We shall _or_ will have loved. POT. We may, can, _or_ must love, We might, could, would, _or_ should love; We may, can, _or_ must have loved; We might, could, would, _or_ should have loved. SUBJ.

If we love, If we loved.

SECOND PERSON PLURAL.