the perfect tense of an active verb, then the verb is said to be in the passive form or voice. We will now try back, and once more test our progress by a summary of the points to be remembered concerning the verbs. 1st, OF VERBS GENERALLY. 1.-A verb is the principal word in a sentence. 2.-A verb may be active, passive, or neuter. 3. When the verb is active, the action expressed by the verb passes on from the doer, or noun in the nominative case, to the thing done, represented by the noun in the objective case. 4.-Active verbs are called transitive, from transeo, to go or pass over. 5.-When the verb is passive, the action expressed by the verb does not pass on, or over, from the noun in the nominative case. 6.-Passive signifies to suffer, from patior. 7.-Passive verbs may be followed by a noun in the objective case, if the noun and the verb be connected by a preposition. 8.-Passive verbs may be considered as the opposites of active verbs. 9.-A noun used as the objective case to an active verb, becomes a noun in the nominative case, if used with a passive verb. 10. A noun used as the nominative case to an active verb, becomes a noun in the objective case, if used with a verb passive; the noun being preceded or connected by a preposition. 11.-Neuter verbs are neither active or passive, but show the existence, being, or state of the nouns to which these verbs are added. H 12.-Neuter verbs are divided into active-intransitive and intransitive. 13.-By active-intransitive neuter verbs, we mean verbs that express action, but the action does not pass on, or over, to a noun following. 14.-But an active-intransitive neuter verb may be connected with a noun or pronoun following, by using a preposition. 15. By intransitive-neuter verbs we mean those verbs which merely give the idea of existence. 16. To verbs belong number, person, and mood. 2nd, OF NUMBER. 17.-Number in the verbs has reference, as in the nouns, to one or more than one. 18.-A verb must be of the same number as the noun, that is, they must agree in number; the noun and verb must be both singular or both plural. 3rd, OF PERSON. 19. The explanation given of person with respect to pronouns will apply to verbs. 20.-But we must note, that a verb must always be of the same person as the noun or pronoun, in the nominative case; that is, if the noun or pronoun be of first person, the verb must be of first person; and so of the rest, whether singular or plural. 4th, OF MOOD. 21.-Mood, as applied to verbs, means the manner of expressing the verb. 22.-Verbs may be expressed in five different ways, called the Indicative, Potential, Subjunctive, Imperative and Infinitive. 23. The Indicative simply declares or says, and may be used with or without some of the signs. 24.-The Potential signifies power or ability. 25.-The words mayest or canst, when used with verbs, are called helping words, or signs of the potential mood. 26.-The Subjunctive mood has reference to some conditions expressed or implied. 27.-Imperative mood marks authority over or signifies command. 28.-The Infinitive mood means not having bounds or limits, and may be known by the little word to going before it. 5th, OF TIME OR TENSE. 29.-Tense signifies time, and there are six ways of expressing time with reference to verbs, by which the meaning of the verb becomes altered or varied. 30. The six divisions of time or tense are named present tense, past tense, perfect tense, past-perfect tense, future tense, and past-future tense. 31.-By the present tense I learn what is doing now, or at this time. 32.-By the past tense I learn what was doing then, or at a time past. 33.-By the perfect tense I learn what is now done, or completed. 34.-By the past-perfect tense I learn what was done or completed then, or at some time past. 35.-By future tense I learn what is to be done. 36.-By past, or second future, I learn what is to be done before a certain future time to come. 37.-By observing the different signs, or helping words, I may discover the mood and the tense. 38.-With respect to the signs of the Indicative mood :Do and am mark present tense. Did and was the past tense. Have shows the perfect tense. The signs of the first future are shall and will. The signs of the second future are shall have or will have. 39.-We may note when the verb is used without signs, in the present and past tense, it is said to be in the common form. 40.-When the signs do and did are used, the verb is said to be in the emphatic form. 41.-When the signs am and was are used, the verb is said to be in the continuate form. 42.-As to the Potential mood, I must remember the signs are may or can, might or could, should have, might have, and shall have.. 43.-The word if, or some other word implying or marking a condition, either expressed or understood, joined to a verb in the indicative or potential mood, would transform the verb into the subjunctive mood. 44.-The Imperative mood has only present time. 45.-The Infinitive mood is not confined by time, but it has three ways of expressing time-present, past, and future-and may be known by the sign to going before the verb; for instance : To advise, expresses present time. To have advised, expresses past time. To be about to advise, expresses the future time. 6th, OF PARTICIPLES. 46.-Participles partake both of the nature of a verb and of an adjective, and may be known by their peculiar form. 47.-Participles are divided into present and past, or active and passive. The active participle of a regular verb ends in ing, as advising. The passive participle ends in d, or ed, as advised. The past participle of an irregular verb ends in en. ADVERBS. What is an adverb ?-(See p. 27.) From whence do you get the word Adverb? The word adverb is derived from ad, a Latin prefix meaning to, and verb from the Latin, verbum, a word. Do you remember the adverbs in the sentence, Peter went out and wept bitterly ?— You say the word "out" is an adverb; why?— You say the word "bitterly" is an adverb; why?— Are adverbs always joined to verbs ?— Why are adverbs joined to adjectives ?— Is there any other use of an adverb ?— Give an instance of an adverb joined to an adverb.— Why are adverbs joined to adverbs? To heighten the meaning, or to give us more information, as in the instance very swiftly; very is joined to the adverb swiftly, and describes how swiftly he ran. Now give a definition which shall contain the three uses of an adverb. An adverb is a word which is sometimes joined to a verb, to an adjective, or to another adverb. Now inform me why adverbs are used. Adverbs are used to describe or qualify verbs, adjectives, and sometimes other adverbs. Are not adverbs something like adjectives? Yes; but you must always bear in mind that adjectives only belong to nouns. |