LIV.-MODIFICATIONS OF THE VERB.

Number of Modifications.-The verb has modifications of five kinds: namely, I. PERSON. II. NUMBER. III. TENSE. IV. MOOD. V. VOICE.

1. Person and Number.

DEFINITION.-Person and number in verbs are modifications expressing the agreement of a verb with its subject.

Person.-Verbs are said to have three persons, according as they are connected with one of the three personal pronouns. Thus1. I call-(verb in the first person).

2. You call (verb in the second person).

3. He [or any singular noun] calls—(verb in the third person).

Number.—Verbs are said to have two numbers according as they are connected with a singular or a plural subject. Thus

1. The boy calls-(verb in the singular number).

2. The boys call—(verb in the plural number).

NOTE.-There are very few actual forms to mark the person and number of a verb, and usually these modifications can be told only by referring to the subject. "A verb agrees with its subject in person and number."-Syntax, Rule II.

EXERCISE 35.

a.

Tell the person and number of each verb by referring to the person and number of the subject.

1. I met a little cottage girl.
2. The lady walks gracefully.
3. You learn your lesson quickly.

4. The wind blew down the lofty tree.

5. They went away the day after we arrived.

6. He ran with all his might.

7. I remember, I remember the house where I was born.

8. We are fond of swimming.

9. The young larks have left their nests, but they cannot fly far. 10. I think we are never weary of beholding nature.

11. Various officers fell in that engagement.

12. The sheep know when the rain is coming. 13. The Greeks loved the fine arts.

14. She was eight years old, she said.

15. I flew to the pleasant fields traversed so oft

In life's morning march, when my bosom was young;

I heard my own mountain-goats bleating aloft,
And knew the sweet strain that the corn-reaper sung.

Change the following verbs into the singular form, using a singular subject instead of each plural subject:

Flowers......bloom, grow, fade, flourish, thrive.
Animals......eat, drink, sleep, live, die.

2. The Tenses.

DEFINITION.-Tenses are modifications of the verb to denote the time of an action or event.

NOTE. The tenses denote, in addition to the time of an action or event, the degree of its completeness.

3. The Moods.

DEFINITION.-Moods (or modes) are modifications of the verb to denote the manner of asserting action or being.

NOTE. "Mood (or mode) is a grammatical form denoting the style or manner of predication."-Swinton's English Grammar.

There are four moods: namely—

Indicative
Potential

Subjunctive
Imperative

The indicative mood is used in the statement of a fact, or of a matter taken as a fact.

The potential mood is used in the statement of something that may, can, might, could, would, or should be.

The subjunctive mood is used in the statement of something merely thought of.

The imperative mood is used in the statement of a command or request.

DEFINITION.

4. The Verbals.

The verbals are verb forms, partaking of the mature of the verb, and having in addition the use of some other part of speech.

The verbals are of two kinds: I. INFINITIVES. II. PARTICIPLES. The infinitive is a verbal noun. It merely names the action or state which the verb asserts. Thus

To read good books is improving.

"To read" is an infinitive. It partakes of the nature of the verb, because it takes an object, " books;" and it has in addition the use of a noun, because it is the subject of the verb "is." Hence "to read " is a verbal noun.

The root (or root infinitive) of a verb is a verb in its simplest form, and is the same as the infinitive without the preposition to. Thus read is the root of the verb to read.

The Gerund. Besides the regular form of the infinitive, the verbal in ing is sometimes equivalent to an infinitive: thusReading good books (= to read good books) is profitable. This form is called the gerund. The gerund is a verbal noun. It shares or participates

The participle is a verbal adjective.

in the nature both of the verb and of the adjective. Thus

แ

The boy, seeing the bear, ran away.

Seeing" is a participle. It partakes of the nature of the verb, because it takes an object, “bear,” and of the adjective, because it is joined with a noun, " boy," to modify it.

There are two participles formed by suffixes-the present participle and the past participle.

RULE. The present participle of all verbs is formed by adding ING to the root: as

write, writing; hop, hopping.

NOTE.—In adding ing the rules for spelling derivative words must be observed.

RULE.—The past participle of most verbs is formed by adding ED to the root; but some verbs form their past participles in other ways: as— write, written; tell, told.

NOTE.-Verbs that do not form their past participle by adding ed belong to the class of irregular verbs. (See Definition, page 103.)

5. Voice.

DEFINITION.-Voice is a modification of the transitive verb, expressing whether the subject names the actor or the recipient of the action.

There are two voices: namely, the active voice and the passive voice.

A verb in the active voice represents the subject as acting upon an object: as

Watt invented the steam-engine.

A verb in the passive voice represents the subject as receiving an

action: as

The steam-engine was invented by Watt.

RULE. The passive voice is formed by uniting with the past participle of any transitive verb the various parts of the verb TO BE.

6. Conjugation of Verbs.

The conjugation of a verb is the systematic arrangement of its various forins.

There are two conjugations: I. THE REGULAR. II. THE IRREGULAR. These two conjugations are distinguished by the mode of forming the past tense (indicative) and the past participle.

A regular verb is one whose past tense and past participle are formed by adding ed to the root: as, (root) love; (past tense) loved; (past participle) loved.

OBS.-In suffixing ed care must be taken to observe the rules for spelling derivative words.

An irregular verb is one whose past tense or past participle, or both, are not formed by adding ed to the root: as, (root) take; (past tense) took; (past participle) taken.

The principal parts of a verb are: I. THE PRESENT INDICATIVE. II. THE PAST INDICATIVE. III. THE PAST PARTICIPLE.

An auxiliary verb is one used to assist in conjugating other verbs. The principal auxiliaries are, do, be, have, shall, may, can, must, with their variations.