The verbs following are defective, having only

the present and imperfect tense.

Can, could.
May, might.

Will, would, Ought, ought. Must and ought are regarded by some writers as having the present tense alone, but in sentences similar to the following, these verbs evidently have a past signification as well as present; "She must do that work;" "he must have been drowned if the boat had not taken him up ;" "he ought not to speak so hastily;" "they ought not to have been treated in that manner."

Impersonal verbs are such as are defective in regard to persons. They have no first nor second person, because their subject is always of the third person: as, it blows hard; it snows fast; it freezes severely; it rains incessantly; it lightens fearfully; it thunders violently; it threatens a tempestuous night.

SECT. 5. Farther observations upon verbs in general.

The ancient termination of the third person singular of the present tense of verbs, in th, gives an idea of solemnity, and is therefore well adapted to serious subjects: as, "He loveth righteousness and hateth iniquity;" "he who correcteth not his own faults, hath no right to censure the faults of others;""the fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." Had not this termination been ex

ploded from common use, and the letter s been substituted to it, the English tongue would not have been so much exposed to the charge of being a hissing language.

lines."

There is a peculiar word in our language, which, though not having the nature of the verb in any other respect, yet, in one single construction, is used as a verb; it is lief. "I had as lief the town crier spoke my "I had as lief say any thing after him, as after another." The verb ail has likewise a singular use and construction, having sometimes a transitive and sometimes an intransitive signification: as, "What ails him that he should be so cross;" "he ails something, or he would not act so contrary to his usual urbanity." But the expression, "a fever ails him," or "he ails a fever," would be very improper.

The old verb, Behove, is generally used impersonally; as, "It behoveth him to repent and turn from his iniquities;" "it behoved them to send messengers to declare the important event."

The verb Irks is never used but impersonally as in this sentence of Shakspeare's "As you like it,"

"Come shall we go and kill us venison?

And yet it irks me, the poor dappled fools,
Being native burghers of this desert city,

Should, in their own confines, with forked heads,
Have their round haunches gored."

In familiar conversation, the active voice sometimes seems to be put for the passive form of verbs and participles: as, "The books continue selling;" that is, "the books are still upon sale ;" or "the books continue to be sold ;" "the brass is forging," or a forging; that is, at the forging; in the act of being forged; "they are to blame;" that is, "they are to be blamed;"" those books are to bind," to be bound.

In some familiar phrases, the subject and object of the verb appear to be transposed: as, "They are well read in Grecian history;" that is, "Grecian history is well read by them ;" "she was asked an impertinent question;" that is, "an impertinent question was asked of her;" "they were offered a free pardon if they would return;" that is, 66 a free pardon was offered to them," &c.

When verbs end in s, se, ss, k, p, and some other letters, the preter tense, and participle, are generally pronounced in conversation, as if the final letter were t, and with a contraction of the last syllable: as, disperst; "The enemy's fleet was disperst;""they all talkt together;" "he lookt as if he wisht to speak with you;" but it is not proper to make such abridgments in writing.

Ought is an imperfect verb, which can scarcely be regarded as an auxiliary, because it requires the preposition to, to be placed between it and the verb: as, "He ought to go to London ;” they ought to lend assistance."

It is not right to use the present tense to express time that has a certain limited duration, since time, in fact, must be past or future: as, "How long are you in Ireland?" "He is at my house, now, three days." Such phrases are manifestly improper. The expressions should be; "How long have you been in Ireland?" "He has been at my house, now, three days." The verb, Have, is appropriated to this very use.

In the conjunctive form of verbs, the auxiliaries, would, have, are often contracted into had. The verb, then, often precedes its nominative case, and the conjunction implying doubt or uncertainty is omitted. "He had infallibly been crushed by the fall of so large a stone, had he not been wary and active;" that is, "he would have been crushed, &c. if he had not been wary and active." "Had he not made so absurd a display of his ill gotten wealth, he had not been suspected;" that is, "if he had not made, &c. he would not have been," &c.

To begin a sentence with the conjunctive form of a verb, is sometimes contributive to its elegance and beauty: as, "Were he not blinded by his passions, he would not thus rush headlong to destruction."

The adverb, perhaps, may govern the conjunctive mood: as, "Perhaps it were better for the child to remain quiet to-day."

Sometimes the particles, or conjunctions ex

pressing supposition, are omitted before verbs in the conjunctive form, as this form itself sufficiently conveys the idea of uncertainty: as, "Were those letters to be opened by a certain person, they would prove the writer's ruin.”

Formerly, the indicative and conjunctive forms of the verb to be, were used indifferently; "We be three poor mariners;" "we be twelve brethren."

CHAP. VIII.

Adverbs.

1. ADVERBS are words which, in their grammatical construction, are dependent upon verbs; from which circumstance is derived their name, signifying something annexed to a verb. They are mostly formed from adjectives, by having ly, a contraction of like, added to them. They generally denote the manner and other circumstances of an action: as, "She dances gracefully;" that is, in a graceful manner; "to live soberly, righteously, and piously, is the duty of a Christian;" that is, in a sober, a righteous, a pious manner; "you acted wisely;" in a wise manner; they are here, now;" that is, "they are in this place at this time.”

2. Adverbs have very seldom the construction of adjectives; yet there are some of them that appear to be sometimes adverbs, and at other times, adjectives. They are distinguished from one another by connection, and by situation in