He can write much better than he could last

year.

Must is sometimes called in for a helper and denotes necessity; as, We must speak the truth whenever we do speak, and must not prevari

cate.

Will, in the first person singular and plural, intimates resolution and promising; in the second and third only foretells; as, I will reward the good and will punish the wicked: We will remember benefits and be grateful: Thou wilt or he will repent of that folly: You or they will have a pleasant walk.

Shall, on the contrary, in the first person, simply foretells; in the second and third persons, promises, commands, or threatens; as, I shall go abroad: We shall dine at home: Thou shall or you shall inherit the land: Ye shall do justice and love mercy: They shall account for their misconduct. The following passage is not translated according to the distinct and proper meanings of the words shall and will: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever;" it ought to be, will follow me, and I shali dwell-The foreigner who, as it is said, fell into the Thames, and cried out, "I will be drowned, and nobody shall help me ;" made a sad misapplication of these auxiliaries.

These observations respecting the import of the verbs will and shall must be understood of explicative sentences; for when the sentence

is interrogative, just the reverse, for the most part, takes place thus, I shall go; you will go; express event only: but, Will you go? imports intention; Shall I go? refers to the will of another.

When the verb is put in the subjunctive mood, the meaning of these auxiliaries likewise undergoes some alteration.

Would primarily denotes inclination of will; and should, obligation; but they both vary their imports and are often used to express simple

events.'

Were is frequently used for would be; and had, for would have; as, It were injustice to deny the execution of the law to any individual ; that is, it would be injustice. Many acts which had been blamable in a peaceable government, were employed to detect conspiracies; that is, which would have been blamable.

The auxiliary should, is frequently used to express a modest assertion; as, I should think it would be for his interest to proceed; i. e. I am inclined to think it would be: I should think the method he has chosen, to be judicious; i. e. it is my opinion that it is. Such a manner of expression has the form of the potential mood, but the effect of the indicative. It cannot properly be called the potential mood; for it nei ther implies "possibility, liberty, power, will, nor obligation." It may rather be said to "indicate or declare a thing" and may be styled the indicative mood, in the potential form.The tense is present.

Verbs are divided into regular irregular and defective.

Verbs are called regular, when they form their imperfect tense and perfect participle by 'the addition of ed; or d, when the verb ends

Irregular verbs are those which do not form their imperfect tense and their perfect parti ciple by the addition of d or ed to the verb;

Defective verbs are those which are used only in some of the moods and tenses, and have no participles. The principal of them are these; May, can, will, shall, must, ought, might, could, would, should, quoth.

All these are used as auxiliaries to other verbs, except ought and quoth.

Ought is made to convey both a present and past signification; its tense being determined by the infinitive mood, by which it is always followed. When followed by a present infinitive, ought is in the present tense; as He ought to go, and when followed by the infinitive perfect, ought is in the imperfect tense; as, He ought to have gone.

te

Quoth is seldom used; and then only in the first and third persons singular of the imperfect

tense.

THE CONJUGATION OF REGULAR VERBS. Transitive.

A regular transitive verb is conjugated in the following manner :

2. Thou lovedst, or you 2. Ye or you loved.

loved.

3. They loved.

3. He loved.

Perfect Tense.

Singular.

Plural.

1. I have loved.

1. We have loved.

2. Thou hast loved, or 2. Ye or you have loved. you have loved. 3. They have loved.

3. He hath or has loved.

*In the present and imperfect tenses, we use a different form of the verb, when we mean to express energy and positiveness; as, I do love; thou dost love; he does love :-I did love; thou didst love; he did love.

G*

Singular.

1. I had loved.

Pluperfect Tense.

Plural.

1. We had loved.

2. Thou hadst loved, or 2. Ye or you had loved you had loved. 3. They had loved.

1. I shall or will love. 1. We shall or will love.

2. Thou wilt have lov- 2. Ye or you will have ed, or you will have

loved.

3. He will have loved.

loved.

3. They will have loved.

Those tenses are called simple tenses, which are formed of the principal, without an auxiliary verb; as, I love, I loved. The compound tenses are such as cannot be formed without an auxiliary verb; as, I have loved; I had loved; I shall or will love; I may love;