"Were he to go."

"Wert thou to go."

"If he was unhappy a year ago.”

Though thou wast unhappy a year ago."

365. As the preceding rules partake of some novelty, and bear upon what grammarians have injudiciously denominated the subjunctive mood, the author is powerfully tempted to bring before you his own previous observations in order that no obscurity may rest on the subject.

366. Directing your attention to the conjugation according with the preceding remarks, it may be observed, in the first place, that—

Lennie, Murray, and many other grammarians, consider what is here called the future subjunctive to be the present tense of that mood, and, in conformity with this opinion, they have divested the subjunctive mood of the indicative form for the present tense. But their own inconsistency is strongly confirmed by their conjugating all the other tenses like the indicative, except the present or future conditional, which they hold forth for the past subjunctive. It cannot be very encouraging to the youthful mind who has persevered through his pages on Etymology, to come in contact with the principles of Rule X, and others, in Mr. Lennie's Syntax. Rule X may be particularly referred to, because, notwithstanding that his readers are taught in his Etymology that his future tense is a present tense, it teaches them that his present subjunctive is never used but when contingency and future time are implied, and that what we have called the PRESENT subjunctive is never employed but when FUTURITY is NOT implied!

367. A little reflection on the nature of the subjunctive mood will more forcibly attest the unreasonableness of conjugating the future for the present tense. You are aware that all verbs vary, except must and ought, to suit the different persons of the names or fornames which actuate them. But there is no change of person in the future (Mr. Lennie's present) subjunctive of the verb to be. The reason is, that "If he be there when I go, I will discharge him," means "If he shall be there." "If thou be there when I go," is, "If thou shalt be there when I go." From this, you perceive that a sign is understood before the subjunctive, and that it is the sign which changes to desig

nate person, and not the principal verb, and that although no sign is employed in the conjugation, it is clearly understood.

For instance, as it has just been observed, the abbreviated future subjunctive is "If I, thou, he, we, you, or they be," thus retaining the verb in the same form in all the three persons of both numbers. Now the real state of the matter is, that this future subjunctive should be conjugated in full, and then the persons are manifest. is no longer "If I, thou, he, we, you, or they be," but If I should or shall be. If thou shouldst or shalt be. If he should or shall be.

It

If we should or shall be. If you should or shall be. If they should or shall be. 368. The only distinction between the future indicative and the future subjunctive is, that, in the subjunctive, the auxiliary verb is suppressed, but you perceive, not necessarily so, for it is left to our own taste whether we say, "If he be alive to-morrow," or, "If he should be alive to-morrow."

369. The present subjunctive, likewise, is in all verbs the same with the indicative, the conditional connecting word, if, though, lest, or some other, being the distinguishing characteristic. Quoting Mr. Hiley's observations: Suppose a child making a noise near my door, I request my servant to send it away, but if it is my own son to send him within. Now, were I to say, 'If he be my son,' my words would imply, 'If he shall be hereafter my son,' which thing would be an absurdity."

370. In conjugating the verb to love, the future subjunctive is, If I love, If thou love, If he love. But shall or should is understood to precede each, according to the nature of the expression. Mr. Lennie in conjugating to love, and all other principal verbs, commits himself, as in the verb to be, by giving the future for the present tense. When we say, "If he survives till he is twenty," survives is improper. The person referred to not yet having attained the age of twenty, the sign shall is called for, and it ought to be "If he survive till he is twenty”—that is, if he shall or should survive.

371. The verb to be is the only verb that has a suppositional tense, which forms the greatest difficulty connected with the theory of a subjunctive mood. The suppositional

tense is mostly called the past subjunctive, but it is more properly a present or future tense, and the author is of opinion that if any definite tense whatever exists in the subjunctive mood, its inflections in the verb must be precisely correspondent to those of the indicative.

372. No peculiarity has tended more to warp the principles of grammarians, and render them prejudicially on the side of set moods for the verb, than this suppositional tense of the verb to be, nor has anything been more whimsically treated. Murray, Lennie, and others, who offer the suppositional tense for the past subjunctive, have no cause to assign for so glaring a departure from the simplicity of this mood, but the imaginary powers of an unmeaning connecting word. But with Dr. Crombie, it may be unhesitatingly asserted that no example can be produced in English, where the indicative form is altered merely because the verb is preceded by some conjunctive partiele. "If we say," continues the Doctor, "Though he were rich, he would not despise the poor,' was is not here turned into were because subjoined to though; for though is joined to the indicative mood, when the sentiment requires it; the verb therefore is not in the subjunctive mood."

373. Lowth, Priestley, Pinnock, Allen-it may be said, nearly all the most respectable authorities, proceed in the same lawless uncertainty. To the subjunctive mood, they have assigned one, two, and three tenses, but it may with much reason be affirmed, that it has either all the tenses or no tense, and, consequently, no existence.

374. Mr. Hiley says, "The present subjunctive simply expresses doubt respecting a fact; as, If he is poor, do not distress him; If thou art honourable, act accordingly. The suppositional tense implies supposition, and expresses either present or future time; as, If I were rich I would relieve the distressed; Were I to mention it, he would not attend."

375. Mr. Hiley does well in calling the latter the suppositional tense. Yet he has not a past subjunctive, but he has a present, which he gives the form of the present indicative to express doubt respecting a fact. It may be asked, as the present subjunctive merely expresses doubt respecting a present fact, and as the suppositional tense is expressive only of present and future supposition, by what are we to express doubt respecting a past fact?

Doubt may be entertained of a past as well as of a present fact. A person says of one of our friends, "He was ill yesterday," respecting which we have some doubt, but, as it is told to us for a fact, are we not justifiable in replying, "If he was we are sorry?" The position cannot but be equally consistent with propriety, as is the implying of mere doubt by the present indicative. Thus then, the past indicative and the past subjunctive must be devoid of difference.

376. There are offered more than the ordinary allotment of examples in support of the author's views of the subjunctive mood, but he has done this that not a doubt might remain respecting their general applicability. It is impossible to sit down and deliberately review the ordinary grammar moods, and their adventitious copiousness, without being forcibly struck with their absolute inutility as an instructive medium.

TRANSPOSITION OF SENTENCES.

377. Another circumstance must be noticed before drawing this part to a close, namely, That

Sentences in general, possess a natural and a transposed order.

378. The natural order of a sentence is that in which the words are arranged according to the most natural form of expression.

Example-" Time is precious to those whose interests are in danger."

379. The transposed or inverted order of a sentence is that in which the natural arrangement of the words is not adhered to.

Example-" To those whose interests are in danger, time is precious."

380. These rules are more essential in their bearing upon the grammatical accuracy of a sentence than may at first sight be apparent. For instance:

"This is he whom the people say is to be elected." 381. Now, on paying a little attention to this example,

and bearing in mind, that most sentences can be transposed two or three ways, you will readily perceive an error of which perhaps nineteen out of twenty of those who enjoy the credit of having learnt grammar are totally ignorant. The sentence, for instance, is at present transposed, or arranged differently from its natural order, and may be at least twice varied from its present form, thus:

"This is he whom is to be elected, the people say." "The people say, this is he whom is to be elected." 382. You perceive that whom is, apart from what you have been taught by grammar, do rot smoothly coalescethat they are of so harsh a sound that anybody would write who is without hesitation, thus:

"This is he who, the people say, to be elected." Now, there is a grammar rule to this effect:"When a forname in the acting case comes between whom and a verb, it is proper to retain the m," thus:"This is he whom we are to elect."

383. So that in applying this rule, which is very important, because it is often violated, if you cannot transpose the order of the words after whom, and thus separate the forname from the verb, and unite the relative and the verb, it may be considered as a fair test of its accuracy. Or in other words, when the relative can, by transposition, be united to the verb, as its actor, whom is improper. In all such cases, who should be employed, thus :—

"The man who is here."

384. When the relative cannot be thus placed before a verb, it may be traced to be in the receiving case, governed by a verb, or required to be in that case by a connecting word, thus:

"This is he whom I am about to write to."
"This is he to whom I am about to write."

"Whom he pleases, he teaches."
"He teaches whom he pleases."

385. For two of the four sentences above, we are indebted to the transposition, and we have thus a wider field for the exercise of good taste in the choice of forms of expression. But something like circumscription has even in this particular been attempted, in the advice of grammarians that the verb and relative, and the connecting word and the relative, should be kept as close together

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