TENSES are modifications of the verb to denote the relatio of the event to time.

There are three divisions of time; the present, the past, an the future.

In each division there are two tenses, one of which denote the occurrence of the event in the division of time referred to the other denotes the event as perfect, that is, as having alread taken place, in the time.

Thus we have six tenses, which are named as follows:

FORMATION OF THE PERFECT TENSES.

I have is the present tense of the verb to have; I had is the pas tense, and I shall have the future tense of the verb to have. Writte is the auxiliary perfect participle of the verb to write.

The perfect tenses are composed of the present, past, and futur tenses of the verb to have and the auxiliary perfect participle of the principal verb, which in the present instance is to write. The tense of the verb to have points out the time, and the perfect participle denote the completion of the action.

Thus,

PARTICIPLE.

[Denoting the completion.]

Perfect, written;

Perfect, written;

Perfect, written;

COMPOUND TENSE.

[Formed of the two.]

I have written.

I had written.

I shall have written.

Remarks.-1. Strictly speaking, present time is merely the point at which the

Thus, if we assume this hour as the present time, part of the hour is past and part is to come; so if we take this minute or this second. But we may take any portion of time-a day, a year, a century—and consider the whole of it as constituting present time and the rest of time as past and future. Thus, "I am writing this moment," "I have written a letter to-day;" "Many great works have been written in this century;” “A great change has taken place since the birth of Christ." In the last example the whole period from the birth of Christ, including the moment of speaking, is taken as present time. "Many earthquakes have occurred since the creation." Here the creation is the beginning of the time which is assumed as present.

2. The past tenses and the future tenses of themselves denote no particular portion of past time and future time. "I wrote expresses an action which may have been performed in the last hour or the last year.

EXERCISES.

1. What division of time is referred to in each of the following sentences? [Remember that the time may be present though the action is completed.]

I walked yesterday. I walk to-day. I have walked twenty miles to-day. I will walk to-morrow. I am writing a letter. I wrote a letter yesterday. I have written two letters to-day. I will write three letters to-morrow.

Cæsar defeated Pompey. Washington commanded the army. The river overflowed its banks. The summer has now come. The summer has come. Summer is here. The clouds have disappeared. He rode yesterday. He is riding to-day. She will study well.

Many philosophers have lived since the time of Bacon. You had written your letter before dinner. Many discoveries have been made during the present century. God loves good men. Time destroys all things. Good children obey their parents.

2. With each of the following auxiliary perfect participles form a presentperfect, a past - perfect, and a future - perfect tense. [Remember that with the participle I have forms the present-perfect I had, the past-perfect, and I shall have the future-perfect.]

Written, walked, jumped, studied, learned, caught, done, returned, been, sailed, begun, fallen, dined, known, seen, come, gone, loved.

A FULLER VIEW OF THE TENSES.

The PRESENT TENSE expresses what takes place in present time; as, "I love; I am loved."

The PRESENT-PERFECT TENSE represents an action or state as perfect or completed in present time; as, "I have walked to-day;" "John has studied this week;" "Many excellent works have been written during this century."

The PAST TENSE expresses what took place in past time as, "I wrote a letter yesterday;" "God created the world "Cæsar was killed by Brutus."

The PAST-PERFECT TENSE represents an action or state perfect or completed at some past time referred to; as, "I ho written the letter when he arrived;" "The ship had saile before he reached Boston."

The FUTURE TENSE expresses what will take place her after; as, "George will go to Chattanooga, and I shall se him there."

The FUTURE-PERFECT TENSE represents an action or stat as perfect or completed at some future time; as, "I shall hav dined at one o'clock."

In the active voice same as the simple form of the infinitive; after thou est is annexed to the simple form; after a word in the third person is annexed.

In the passive voice, am, are, art, and is, with the passive participle.

Active-I followed, thou followedst, he followed. Passive-I was followed, thou wast followed, we were followed.

Active-I had followed, thou hadst followed, he had followed.

Passive-I had been followed.

Active-I shall follow, thou wilt follow, he will follow.

Passive I shall be followed, thou wilt be followed. Active-I shall have followed, thou wilt have followed.

Passive I shall have been followed.

passive voice has not the participle in ing. "I am following" is

1. An existing custom or general, truth may be expressed by the as, "Thomas visits me every day;" "Time and tide wait for no Produces misery."

tense may express a past custom, and the future tense a future

Thirty steeds, both fleet and wight,

Stood saddled in stable day and night,

A hundred more fed free in stall

Such was the custom in Branksome Hall."

shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the e lion shall eat straw like the ox."

ted narration the present tense is sometimes used to express past ker being supposed to become so much interested that the events ing before him; as,

"What sounds upon the midnight wind
Approach so rapidly behind?

It is, it is the tramp of steeds;

Matilda hears the sound, she speeds,
Seizes upon the leader's rein."

sent and present-perfect tenses may be employed in speaking of an ace dead when we refer to the works which are still in existence; as, = Homer;" "Virgil has imitated Homer." "Milton has written some prose as well as in verse." Here we refer not to the act of writing character as a writer, as shown in the works which still exist. But d not remain, we should say, "Milton wrote," and even though the tant, if we refer to the act of writing, we use the past tense; as, Paradise Lost."

sent and present-perfect tenses are sometimes used in subordinate o express future events, chiefly after when, as soon as, till, after, before, ve pronouns; as, "I shall see him when he comes," that is, shall have go when the sun rises," that is, shall have risen; "You will not see ight appears;" "I shall receive a letter after the mail arrives ;" "He one whom he meets;" "I will go when John has risen;" "You will not daylight has appeared."

6. In such expressions the present is used to denote the action or state absolutely without reference to time. Thus, "I shall receive a letter after the mail arrives," means "I shall receive a letter after the arrival of the mail;" "I will go when the sun rises," means "I will go at the rising of the sun."

7. This use of the present can not be explained on the ground that the present denotes "the relative time of a future event," that is, a future event present (going on) at the time of some other future event; for the arrival of the mail is assumed to take place before the reception of the letter. The use of the present-perfect, however, may be explained in this way; as, "I shall receive a letter after the mail has arrived."

8. To understand the distinction between the past tense and the present-perfect tense it is necessary to avoid confounding the time and the action. Each of these tenses denotes a past action; but with the present-perfect tense the time is assumed to be present, while with the past tense the time is regarded as past. At the close of the week, for instance, an account of what John did on Monday may be given in either the past tense or the present-perfect. We may say, "John studied last Monday," regarding the time as past; or we may say, speaking of the same event, "John has studied this week," taking the whole week as present. A very old man may say, "I have been young," because his whole life is regarded as present time. When he says, "I was once young," he separates his youth from the succeeding portion of his life and consequently employs the past tense. In short, the presentperfect tense is never used unless the time is regarded as present. One who has just met his friend may say, "I have seen my friend;" but if he uses any expression that separates the time from the present by the smallest imaginable interval, he can no longer employ the present-perfect tense. He does not say, "I have seen my friend a moment ago," but I saw my friend a moment ago." When we say, "John walked to-day," we refer to a portion of the day which has expired. (See Note L.)

9. In conditions or suppositions the past form sometimes refers to present time; as, "If I had a pen now I would write." In this sense the verb implies that the thing supposed does not exist. "If I have a pen," leaves it uncertain whether I have a pen or not. The English language having but two simple tenses, the present and the past, and the present being employed in conditions implying present uncertainty, the past was from necessity taken to express suppositions implying the present non-existence of the thing supposed. The difficulty could not have been avoided by taking one of the tenses formed by the aid of auxiliaries; for the auxiliary itself is in either the present or the past tense.

10. The verb to be has, in the singular number, a distinct form in expressions of this kind, when reference is made to present time; thus, "If I were, if thou wert, if he were," instead of "If I was, if thou wast, if he was." The plural has no distinct form.

11. Were is often used instead of would be, or should be, and had when employed as an auxiliary, instead of would have, or should have; as, "The city were ruined by such a course;" "James's fortitude had been laudable had he persisted in his first intention;""The notice which you have been pleased to take of my labors, had it been early, had been kind."

12. The past tense of other verbs is sometimes improperly used in the same way as were; as, "Such a policy, while it gladdened the hearts of the poor, would in ten years cause a greater advance in the wealth," etc.-Princeton Review. Here gladdened is used instead of would gladden.

These forms were formerly used promiscuously, at least in the second person; as, "Before the heavens thou wert."-Milton. The two forms had their origin in two different dialects of the Anglo-Saxon language.