Page:A handbook of the Cornish language; Chiefly in its latest stages with some account of its history and literature.djvu/147

 128 GRAMMAR IMPERATIVE. Singular. Plural. 1. wanting. i. bedhon, let us be. 2. bedh, be thou. 2. bedhough, be ye. 3. bedhens (bedhes, boes, bes), let 3. bedhens, let them be. him be. A common variant of the imperative is formed with the auxiliary gwtl, to do. Singular. Plural. 1. wanting. i. gwren ny bos. 2. gwra bos. 2. gwreugh bos. 3. gwrens e bos. 3. gwrens y bos. 2. Gwtl (older guthil, gruthil, guil, gut), to do. I. PRESENT OR FUTURE TENSE, / do, or / shall do. (a). Inflected. Singular. Plural. 1. gwrav, gwrama. i. gwren, gwron. 2. gwreth, gwrs, gwresta. 2. gwreugh, gwrough. 3. gwra. 3. gwrons. Gwrama, gwresta, in the second mutation wrama, wresta, are used in interrogative and negative sentences, and after mar, if, in the fourth mutation qwrama, qwresta. The older form of gwresta was gwreta. Occa- sionally in late Cornish a form of this present is found exactly like the imperfect of bos ; therama, thera, etc. This is probably wrama, wra, with the verbal particle dth (ytti) prefixed. It occurs in cases where it cannot pos- sibly be the imperfect of bos. Lhuyd (pp. 246, 253) was rather puzzled by it, but with his usual clearness of sight was able to find out the real facts. (b). Impersonal. Mi a wra, ti a wra, ev a wra, etc.