Although intransitive verbs have no voice, yet they have the form of the active voice.

Sometimes an intransitive verb, when followed by a preposition, may take the form of the passive voice; as, "The event was looked for. "Virtue is sneered at very often." Was looked for and is sneered at, are parsed as complex verbs in the passive voice.

A few intransitive verbs have sometimes the form of the passive voice, but the sense is not changed, because the subject remains in the nominative case; as, "Summer is gone," for, "Summer has gone.""He is come," for, "He has come."

Although such expressions are sometimes elegantly used, it is generally better to employ the form of the active voice.

EXERCISE.-Name the verbs in the following sentences, tell which are transitive and which intransitive, and the voice of each, and give the

reasons:

MODELS."James was esteemed because he performed all his duties." Was esteemed.-James was esteemed.-"Was esteemed" is a verb, "A Verb is a word which, etc.";-transitive, because the action which it asserts, is exerted upon some object;-in the passive voice, because it shows that the subject James receives the action asserted by the verb was esteemed.

Performed. He performed duties.-"Performed" is a verb, "A Verb is, etc.";-trans., because it has an object (duties);—in the act. voice, because it shows that the subject he does the action asserted by the verb performed. He is loved by all. Temperance preserves the body in health. The battle was fought on the banks of the river. Attend to your business yourself, if you wish it to prosper. The French elected Napoleon. We should improve our time by study. His hours were spent in idleness. The scholars write correctly. Orthography is taught in spelling books. The money was returned by the borrower. God, who made the world, governs it. experience. Lifeless, but beautiful, he lay. Not a berry was found, not a kernel remained.

The king returned to his capital. His wisdom was acquired by bitter

Mode.

Mode is that property of a verb which distinguishes in what manner the action, the being, or the state, asserted by the verb, is expressed.

Verbs have five modes; the Indicative, the Potential, the Subjunctive, the Imperative, and the Infinitive.

The Indicative Mode is that form of a verb which is used to express a positive assertion; as, "Washington commanded the American army."

A verb in the indicative mode may also be used to ask a question, and to express uncertainty or contingency; as, "Who invented the art of printing?"—"If he has gone. I do not know it."

The Potential Mode is that form of the verb which is used to express possibility, liberty, power, or necessity; as, "I can go."-"He must study."

A verb in the potential mode may also be used to ask a question, and to express uncertainty or contingency; as, "May I go?”—“If I may go, I certainly will (go)."

The Subjunctive Mode is that form of the verb which is used to express the action, the being, or the state, asserted by the verb, as desirable, uncertain, or as subject to some condition; as, "If he come, he will be received."-"O that I were happy!"-"If this be true, all will end well."

A verb in the subjunctive mode always depends upon a verb in some other mode, and is connected with it by one of the conjunctions, if. although, unless, except, whether, though, lest, etc.

The Imperative Mode is that form of the verb which is used to express entreaty, permission, command, or exhortation; as, "Attend to my directions."--" Grant my request.”—“Come when you wish."

The subject of a verb in the imperative mode, which is either thou or you, is usually omitted, but it must be mentioned in parsing.

The Infinitive Mode is that form of the verb which is used to express an action, a being, or a state, which is not limited to a subject; as, "To love."-"He tries to study."

Remarks.

1. A verb is said to be finite when the action, the being, or the state, which it asserts, is limited to a subject, or nominative.

2. Verbs in the infinitive mode are called Infinitives.

3. Verbs in the indicative, the potential, the subjunctive, and the imperative mode, are finite verbs.

4. A verb in the infinitive mode depends upon the word which it limits, or completes in meaning,-usually a verb, an adjective, or a noun; as, “I wish to go."—"It is too late to go. -"It is time to go."

To, a part of the infinitive, is omitted after the active voice of a few verbs; as, "I did not see him (to) come.” And also after such verbs as bid, make, pray, etc.; as, "I pray you come with me."—"I bade him do his duty."

The infinitive mode is often equivalent in its use and meaning to a verbal or participial noun; that is, it may be used as a noun in the nominative or in the objective case; as, "To play is healthful.”

EXERCISE.-Name the verbs in the following sentences, tell to which class each belongs, and its voice and mode, and give the reasons:— MODEL.-"Example teaches better than precept."

Teaches.-Example teaches.-"Teaches" is a verb, "A Verb is a word, etc.";-intrans., because it has no object;-it has no voice, because it is an intrans. verb;-in the indic. mode, because it is used to express a positive assertion.

Oxen draw carts. A bird can fly. The rain causes the grass to grow. I will remain, but you may go. All that live must die. The faithful ser

vant should be rewarded. She could have returned whenever she wished. He must increase, but I must decrease. If a man strive honestly, he may expect to succeed. All this passed much more quickly than I can write it. To relieve the poor is a source of pleasure. Love thy neighbor as thyself. Whatever you do, do well. Though he fall, he will rise again. It is time to go. My son, forget not my law. Mohammed fled from Mecca. fruits are gathered in Autumn. I saw the storm arise.

Tense.

The

Tense is that property of the verb which distinguishes the time of the action, the being, or the state, asserted by the verb. There are six tenses; the Present, the Past, the Future, the Present Perfect, the Past Perfect, and the Future Perfect.

The present, the past, and the future tense represent divisions of time into present, past, and future. The other three tenses represent time relatively present, past, or future, according to their use or their connection with other verbs.

The Present Tense is that form of the verb which is used to express present time; as, “I learn."-"Thou art loved.”. "He is writing a letter."

The present tense denotes what now is, what now takes place, or what is now taking place.

The present tense also denotes what is habitual, or what is always true; as, "Vice produces misery."-"He said that the earth is round." The present tense is often used in narrative to describe more vividly what took place in past time; as, "Hancock advances with his troops and breaks through their ranks."

The present tense sometimes refers to future time when preceded by a relative pronoun, or by when, after, before, as soon as, etc.; as, “He will treat kindly, all whom he receives."—"He will go when he becomes ready."

The Past Tense is that form of the verb which is used to

express past time; as, “He was a good man."—"He fought a battle."--"He was dying when I entered."

The past tense denotes what was, what took place, or what was taking place.

The past tense expresses time which is fully past, however recent or remote that time may be; as, “I saw William a moment since.”—“I saw him yesterday."—"I met him many years ago."

The Future Tense is that form of the verb which is used to express future time merely; as, "I shall learn."—"Spring will come."-"He will be famous."

The future tense denotes what shall or will be, what shall or will take place, or what shall or will be taking place.

The Present Perfect Tense is that form of the verb which is used to express past time connected with the present; as, “I have learned."-"Thou hast been loved."--"He has written a letter to-day."

The present perfect tense denotes what has been, what has

taken place, or what has been taking place, during a period of time of which the present moment is a part.

The present perfect tense may refer to a past action whose consequences still continue, or whose effects are still felt; or it may be used in reference to an author whose writings still exist; as, "Christianity has civilized many nations."-Washington has left an example which all should delight to follow."—"Shakespeare has written better plays than any other English dramatist."

The present perfect tense, like the present, sometimes refers to future time; as, "Let me know when he has arrived."

The propriety of the use of either the present, or the present perfect tense, to express future time is, in most instances, quite doubtful, although such use is common among good writers. It is better, perhaps, always to employ the forms of the future and of the future perfect tense to express the relations of future time.

The Past Perfect Tense is that form of the verb which is used to express past time which is previous to some other past time; as, "He had gone before the messenger arrived."

The past perfect tense denotes what had been, what had taken place, or what had been taking place before some past

event mentioned.

The Future Perfect Tense is that form of the verb which is used to express future time which is previous to some other future time; as, “I shall have finished the task before the close of next week."

The future perfect tense denotes what shall or will have been, what shall or will have taken place, or what shall or will have been taking place, before some future event mentioned.

The Tenses of the Different Modes.

The indicative mode has all the six tenses.

The potential mode has four tenses; the present, the past, the present perfect, and the past perfect.

The subjunctive mode has two tenses; the present and the past.