Sing. 2. Be

Present Tense.

[thou] reading, or Do thou be reading;

Plur. 2. Be [ye or you] reading, or Do you be reading.

PARTICIPLES.

1. The Imperfect.

2. The Perfect.

Being reading.

3. The Pluperfect. Having been reading.

III. FORM OF PASSIVE VEBBS.

Passive verbs, in English, are always of a compound form; and are made from active-transitive verbs, by adding the Perfect Participle to the auxiliary verb Be, through all its changes: thus, from the active-transitive verb love, is formed the passive verb be loved.

Obs. 1.—A few active-intransitive verbs, that merely imply motion, or change of condition, may be put into this form, with a neuter signification; making not passive but neuter verbs, which express nothing more than the state which results from the change: as, I am come; He is risen; They are fallen. Our ancient writers very frequently employed Jhis mode of conjugation in a neuter sense; but present usage is clearly in favour of the auxiliary have in preference to be, whenever the verb formed with the perfect participle is not passive: as, They have arrived—not, They are arrived.

How are passive verbs formed?

OBS. 2.—Passive verbs may be distinguished from neuter verbs of the same form, by a reference to the agent or instrument; which fre quently is, and always may be, expressed after passive verbs; but which never is, and never can be, expressed after neuter verbs: as, "The thief has been tried by the magistrate,"—" Pens are made with a knife.”

What is the fifth example of conjugation? How is the passive verb BE Loved conjugated throughout?

2. You may
3. They may have been loved.

have been loved,

Pluperfect Tense.

Singular. 1. I might have been loved,
2. Thou mightst have been loved,
3. He might have been loved;

Singular. 2. Be [thou] loved, or Do thou be loved; Plural. 3. Be Lye or you] loved, or Do you be loved.

PARTICIPLES.

1. The Imperfect. 2. The Perfect. 3. The Pluperfect.

Being loved.

Loved.

Having been loved.

IV. FORM OF NEGATION.

A verb is conjugated negatively, by placing the adverb not after it, or after the first auxiliary; but the infinitive and participles take the negative first: as,

Inf. Not to love, Not to have loved. Ind. I love not, or I do not love, I loved not, or I did not love, I have not loved, I had not loved, I shall not love, I shall not have loved. Pot. I may, can, or must not love; I might, could, would, or should not love; I may, can, or must not have loved; I might, could, would, or should not have loved. Subj. If I love not, If I loved not. Part. Not loving, Not loved, Not having loved.

How is a verb conjugated negatively? How is the form of negation exem. plified?

V. FORM OF QUESTION.

A verb is conjugated interrogatively, in the indicative and potential moods, by placing the nominative after it, or after the first auxiliary: as,

Ind. Do I love? Did I love? Have I loved? Had I loved? Shall I love? Shall I have loved? Pot. May, can, or must I love? Might, could, would, or should I love? May, can, or must I have loved? Might, could, would, or should I have loved?

VI. FORM OF QUESTION WITH NEGATION.

A verb is conjugated interrogatively and negatively, in the indicative and potential moods, by placing the nominative and the adverb not after the verb, or after the first auxiliary: as,

Ind. Do I not love? Did I not love? Have I not loved? Had I not loved? Shall I not love? Shall I not have loved? Pot. May, can, or must I not love? Might, could, would, or should I not love? May, can, or must I not have loved? Might, could, would, or should I not have loved?

IRREGULAR VERBS.

An irregular verb is one that does not form the preterit and perfect participle by adding d or ed.

Obs. I.—When the verb ends in a sharp consonant, t is sometimes improperly substituted for ed, making the preterit and the perfect par ticiple irregular in spelling, when they are not so in sound: as, distrese for distressed, tost for tossed, curst for cursed, crackt for cracked,

Obs. 2.—When the verb ends with a smooth consonant, the substitution of t for ed produces an irregularity in sound, as well as in writing. In some such irregularities the poets are indulged for the sake of rhymes, but the best speakers and writers of prose prefer the regular form wherever good use has sanctioned it: thus, learned is better than learnt; burned, than burnt; spelled, than spelt; smelted, than smelt,

Obs. 3.—Several of the irregular verbs are variously used by the best authors; and many preterits and participles which were formerly in good use, are now obsolete, or becoming so.

How is a verb conjugated interrogatively? How is the form of question exemplified? How is a verb conjugated interrogatively and negatively? How is the form of negative question exemplified? What is an irregular verb?

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