[For the conjugation of the verbs Shall, Will, Can, and May, see Lesson XXI. It is important to make children clearly understand that auxiliary verbs can be joined only to one or other of the three Infinitive parts of another verb, viz., the Infinitive Mood or the Participles, and that they can never be joined with either the Present Tense, or the Past Tense, or the Imperative Mood. Many mistakes in parsing arise from ignorance of this simple principle.]

LESSON XXIII.

Compound Moods and Tenses.

211. The Compound Moods and Tenses of Verbs are formed with the aid of the Auxiliary Verbs.

212. Besides the two Simple Tenses of the Indicative Mood, namely, the Present and the Past, there are four Compound Tenses in the same Mood, viz., the Perfect Tense, the Pluperfect Tense, the First Future Tense, and the Second Future Tense.

213. The Perfect Tense, Indicative Mood, of a Verb is formed by placing its Perfect Participle

214. The Perfect Tense is sometimes called the Present-Perfect Tense, and denotes an action commenced in past time, but continued up to present time, or completed in present time. Thus if I say: "He HAS LIVED in that house for several years," I imply that he is living in it still. If he had ceased to live in it, I should employ the Past Tense, and say: "He LIVED in that house for several years." In like manner if I say: "I HAVE

WRITTEN my exercise," I mean I have NOW finished it, whereas if I referred to an exercise written at some past time, as yesterday, I should have said: "I WROTE my exercise yesterday."

215. The Pluperfect Tense Indicative Mood of a verb is formed by placing its Perfect Participle after the Past Tense of the verb To Have, as

PLUPERFECT, INDICATIVE. 1st per. sing.-I had moved

Thou hadst moved
He had moved.

216. The Pluperfect Tense is sometimes called the Prior-Perfect Tense, and denotes a past action as completed or finished before another past action was commenced or took place, as "The ship HAD SAILED before the storm began," "I HAD WRITTEN my exercises before the scholars were sent home."

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217. The First Future Tense of a verb is formed by placing its Infinitive Mood (without the sign to) after the present tense of shall or will, as—

218. The First Future Tense denotes that an action is to take place at some future time, as I SHALL GO to town to-morrow"; "He WILL WRITE to you next week."

219. The Second Future Tense of a verb is formed by placing its Perfect Participle after the Firet Future tense of the auxiliary verb To Have,

as

SECOND FUTURE, INDICATIVE. 1st per. Sing.-I shall or will have moved.

220. The Second Future Tense denotes that a future action will be completed before another future action takes place, as "I SHALL HAVE FINISHED my letter before the mail leaves."

[Here the two future actions are the writing of my letter, and the departure of the mail, and the Second Future Tense denotes that the former will be completed before the latter takes place.]

221. It appears, then, that the Indicative Mood of a verb comprises six Tenses, viz., two Simple Tenses the Present and the Past, and four Compound Tenses: the Perfect, the Pluperfect, the First Future, and the Second Future.

222. The Subjunctive Mood comprises only two Tenses, viz., one Simple tense, the Present, If I move, if thou move, if he move, &c.; and one Compound tense, the Perfect, as—

223. [The verb To be has three Tenses in the Subjunctive Mood, viz., two Simple tenses, the Present, and the Conditional or Imperfect, and one Compound, the Perfect: If I have been, if thou have been, if he have been, &c. See §§ 207 and 208.]

224. Besides the four Simple Moods, viz., the Indicative, the Subjunctive, the Imperative, and the Infinitive, Verbs have also a Compound Mood called the Potential Mood, which denotes the possi

bility of an action, as " I MAY SEE you next week"; "He CAN WRITE well when he takes pains."

225. The Potential Mood comprises four Tenses: the Present, the Past, the Perfect, and the Pluperfect, which are all Compound Tenses, as—

1st per. Sing.-I might, could, would, or should move.

2nd

3rd

Thou mightst, &c., move.
He might, &c., move.

1st per. Plur.-We might, &c., move.

2nd

3rd

Ye or you might, &c., move.
They might, &c., move.

PERFECT POTENTIAL.

1st per. Sing.-I may or can have moved.

2nd

3rd

Thou mayest or canst have moved.
He may or can have moved.

1st per. Plur.-We may or can have moved.

Ye or you may or can have moved.
They may or can have moved.

PLUPERFECT POTENTIAL.

1st per. Sing.-I might, could, would, or should have

2nd

moved.

Thou mightst, fc., have moved.
He might, &c., have moved.

1st per. Plur.--We might, &c., have moved.