Were is here called a past "subjunctive form, used with a present meaning. English verbs once had a "subjunctive " mood, consisting of special forms used in dependent clauses. A very few subjunctive forms remain in spoken English. Examples:

1. If John were here, I should be glad.

2. I wish he were here.

3. Heaven be praised for such news!
4. God grant it be true!

Sometimes we say I wish John was here. It is better English to say I wish John were here. After if, as if, and verbs of wishing, the subjunctive were is either singular or plural.

610. Active and passive combinations. Verbs of action represent the subject as acting, as I strike. But group-verbs may represent the subject as either acting or suffering, thus: 1. I am striking.

2. I am being struck.

3. I am struck.

Thus we get two kinds of combinations. Active combinations represent the subject as acting on something. Passive combinations represent the subject as acted on.

The distinction between active and passive subject is usually called a distinction of voice.

But it is not necessary to speak of two voices of the English verb, so long as we speak of active and passive combinations.

611. The complete conjugation. We have seen that the simple conjugation of a verb consists of subject-pronouns combined with the true verb-forms, arranged with reference to person, number, time present, and time past.

The complete conjugation gives the active and passive combinations, arranged according to six distinctions of time. This complete conjugation furthermore recognizes two chief distinctions of mood, namely the indicative and the imperative; also two lesser distinctions of mood, namely willingness and determination as added to the future indicative.

As a matter of convenience, the complete conjugation does not include any of the forms called potential, obligative, emphatic, etc. (607). Neither does it include the progressive forms (587), although these are very common.

612. An outline of a complete conjugation consists of one of its three persons

say the first or third. The complete outline of see would contain eighteen forms, as follows;

613. Verbals do not properly form a part of the conjugation, since none of them can take a subject. But it is interesting to see how phrase-verbals may be developed by help from the verbals of have and be.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE OLDER STYLE

614. Certain forms of words, like thou and thee, were once in daily use, but now belong to the older style. Such forms are still employed in solemn or poetic language. We hear them in church, and we read them in the Bible or in Shakspere.

always present the

615. The King James version of the Bible (published 1611) is the book which has chiefly preserved these forms, and they are best learned by a study of this book.1 Indeed, other books written about 1611 do not same forms as the Bible. For example, ye is always a subject-pronoun in the Bible, whereas in Shakspere it is often an object. In the Bible we never find the adjective its, but always his or her, referring to objects. Its however occurs a

1 To the Teacher. Young persons often feel the need of a surer grasp of biblical grammar than they can get without definite drill. Such drill should be given in Bible classes rather than in the public school.