PROGRESSIVE FORM.

The forms which denote the action or state as imperfect, or continuing, are composed of the imperfect participle and the verb to be. Thus,

[The pupil may go through the other tenses in the same way.]

Remarks.-1. Some verbs, especially such as denote affections or operations of the mind, in their simple forms express actions that can not be performed without being completely performed or actions that are in their nature continuous, and such verbs can not take the progressive form. "I am loving," for instance, is not good English.

Among verbs of this kind are love, hate, desire, despise, respect, revere, venerate, hope, despair, wish, know, understand. Verbs of sensation, if they denote merely impressions made on the mind through the senses, can not take the progressive form; but verbs of sensation which represent the sentient being as active may take the progressive form; as, "I see him;" "I am looking at him;" "I hear him;" "I am listening to him."

2. Expressions of the same form are sometimes used in a passive sense; as, "The house is building;" "While these arrangements were making.”

3. In modern usage the same idea is often expressed in another way; as, "What lies at the bottom of the question which is now being discussed every where?"-Dr. Arnold. "He struck the Count de Harcourt a violent blow as he was being led away."-G. P. R. James. 'Mr. Pickwick's face while his tale was being read would have attracted the attention of any man alive."-Dickens.*

66

Besides that it is used to make up an incorrect form, being in each of the passages cited above is superfluous, the sense being expressed without it. "What lies at the bottom of the question which is now discussed every where?" "He struck the Count de Harcourt a violent blow as he was led away." "Mr. Pickwick's face while his tale was read would have attracted the attention of any man alive."

This modern form is very seldom used among writers of the highest class. The best writers say, "The house is building," not "The house is being built.” “An act not less horrible was perpetrating in Eskdale."-Macaulay. "Chelsea hospital was building."—Id. "The nearest chapel where divine service was performing.”—Id.

*Dickens in his later works made use of the correct form: "Among the mighty store of wonderful chains that are for ever forging."-Edwin Drood. "The street lamps were lighting."-Little Dorrit.

How are forms which denote the action or state as imperfect composed?

"A

"This new tragedy was acting."-Edward Everett. "The fortress was building.”. Irving. "Which have been made or are making."-Henry Clay. "The whilst this play is playing.”—Shakespeare. "While the temple of the Lord was building.”Milton. "Designs are carrying on against their liberties."-Locke. "Whilst this necessary movement was making."-Cooper. "An attempt is making in the English parliament."-Daniel Webster. "While these things were transacting in England." -Bancroft. "The excellent edition of Shakespeare now publishing in Boston."George P. Marsh. "For me the final chapter is now writing; it may be already written."-John Bright. "Another weapon was secretly forging."- Motley. considerable armament then equipping in the port of Malaga."-Prescott. "The house is being built" does not express what is intended; being built denotes existence in the state expressed by built; as, "Our house being built, we have now a home." Being denotes actual existence in the state expressed by the word with which it is connected, not coming into existence. Being when referring to present time has the same meaning that is has; being, the participle, assuming what is, the indicative, asserts. Compare these two sentences: "He is wealthy, and he can afford to do this;" "Being wealthy, he can afford to do this." By employing is we assert that he is wealthy, and by employing being we assume that he is wealthy. Each of the sentences expresses present existence in the state denoted by wealthy, not coming into that state. If instead of an adjective we use a participle after is and being, there is no change in the meaning of either of them, being still assuming the same thing that is asserts. "The letter is written, and I will now seal it;" "The letter being written, I will now seal it." Here being as well as is denotes actual existence in the state expressed by written, is asserting and being assuming. If is does not denote coming into being, and being does not denote coming into being, and built does not denote coming into the state expressed by built, how can is being built denote coming into the state expressed by built? It would be better for those who are not satisfied with the well-established classical form to say, "The house is becoming built or getting built"--coming into the state expressed by built.

4. Those words in ing in such expressions as "The house is building" are really gerunds, or participial nouns, not participles or verbal adjectives. A gerund merely presents in the form of a noun what is denoted by the verb, and whether a gerund in any particular passage is active or passive in sense is determined by the context. In the first of the following passages from Shakespeare killing has an active, in the second a passive sense: "I promised to eat all of his killing ;" "How 'scaped I killing when I crossed you so!" In the form under consideration the gerund has a passive sense.

The gerund, whether employed in an active or a passive sense, had originally the preposition on expressed before it. On became o', which is so often used for on by Shakespeare, and in rapid pronunciation o' could not be distinguished from a, which became established as a preposition. "The house is on building" became "The house is o' building," "The house is a building," "The house is building;" building in this last form being the object of a preposition understood. Carlyle goes back to one of the more ancient forms when he writes, "Their gallows must even now be o' building." Shakespeare uses the form with the preposition a; as, "Even in their promise as it is a making;" "She has been too long a talking of;" "I would have him nine years a killing." The preposition in, which in AngloSaxon is another form of on, has been used; as, "Forty and six years was this temple in building."--English Bible. "Whilst these sentences are in reading."Book of Common Prayer. "The preliminaries were not long in arranging."-Lever. No ambiguity need result from the use of such expressions as "The house is building." If the subject denotes something incapable of performing the act, the form must of course be passive in sense. No one but an advocate of the form is

being built would think of stopping to ask "What is the house building?" "The men are paying " is in itself an ambiguous expression, because men are capable of performing the act. Such expressions as "The man is binding,' "The criminal is punishing," are exposed to a similar objection. In such cases some other forms should be employed; as, "The men are receiving their pay;" "They are binding the man ;" The criminal is undergoing punishment."

5. The modern innovation was for some time confined to the present and past tenses; but one recent grammarian dashes "without any mitigation or remorse of voice" through all the tenses: "I am being smitten, I have been being smitten, I was being smitten, I had been being smitten, I shall be being smitten, I shall have been being smitten, I should be being smitten, I should have been being smitten," etc.-English Grammar, by C. P. Mason, B. A., Fellow of University College, London. When these forms shall have been admitted, or even shall have been being admitted, into the English language there will be an urgent demand for a new language on the part of several persons who will not have been being smitten with the beauties of the new style of English.

EXERCISES.

Give the progressive form of each of the following verbs: Learn, follow, strive, work, place, describe, protect, beguile.

NEGATIVE FORM.

In simple negation the adverb not is placed after the verb, or after the first auxiliary; sometimes after the object of a transitive verb; as, "I love not this man;" "I do not love you;" "I love you not."

Not is placed before the infinitive and the participle; as, "Not to love;" "Not loving;" and after the subject in the imperative mood when the subject is expressed; as, "Love thou not."

The simple forms of the present and past tenses are seldom used in this negative form.

Where is not placed in simple negation? | With the infinitive and the participle?

Note. The first person only is given. The pupil may name all the persons if it is thought necessary.

EXERCISES.

Conjugate the following verbs with the adverb not:

Follow, deceive, persuade, attend, perceive, convince, contend.

INTERROGATIVE FORM.

In interrogative sentences the subject is placed after the first auxiliary, or after the verb when there is no auxiliary; as, "Lovest thou?" "Dost thou love?"

None but the indicative mood can be used in interrogation.

Conjugate the following verbs in the interrogative form:

Defeat, desert, examine, deprive, gladden, advise, persuade.

INTERROGATIVE NEGATIVE FORM.

In interrogative negative sentences the subject is placed after the first auxiliary, and followed by the adverb not; if no auxiliary is used, the subject and the adverb follow the verb.

Conjugate the following verbs in the interrogative negative form: Persuade, betray, deceive, envy, arm, instruct, perceive, offend.

IRREGULAR VERBS.

An IRREGULAR VERB is one which does not form its past tense and auxiliary perfect participle by adding ed.

There are about one hundred and seventy irregular verbs, some of which have the past tense and the auxiliary perfect participle alike in form, and others have them different.

Some verbs have two forms of the past tense, or of the auxiliary perfect participle, or of both. In the list the preferable forms are placed first; those which stand in the second place being in some instances almost obsolete.