Page:The grammar of English grammars.djvu/384

 ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not.'"--Gram. in Joh. Dict., p.

9. To neglect the subjunctive mood, or to confound it with the indicative, is to augment several of the worst faults of the language.

II. COMPOUND OR PROGRESSIVE FORM.

Active and neuter verbs may also be conjugated, by adding the Imperfect Participle to the auxiliary verb BE, through all its changes; as, "I am writing a letter."--"He is sitting idle."--"They are going." This form of the verb denotes a continuance of the action or state of being, and is, on many occasions, preferable to the simple form of the verb.

FOURTH EXAMPLE.

The irregular active verb READ, conjugated affirmatively, in the Compound Form.

PRINCIPAL PARTS OF THE SIMPLE VERB.

Present. Preterit. ''Imp. Participle. Perf. Participle.'' R=ead. R~ead. R=eading. R~ead.

INFINITIVE MOOD.

PRESENT TENSE. To be reading.

PERFECT TENSE. To have been reading.

INDICATIVE MOOD.

PRESENT TENSE.

Singular.               Plural. 1. I am reading,               1. We are reading, 2. Thou art reading,           2. You are reading, 3. He is reading;              3. They are reading.

IMPERFECT TENSE.

Singular.               Plural. 1. I was reading,              1. We were reading, 2. Thou wast reading,          2. You were reading, 3. He was reading;             3. They were reading.

PERFECT TENSE.

Singular.               Plural. 1. I have been reading,        1. We have been reading, 2. Thou hast been reading,     2. You have been reading, 3. He has been reading;        3. They have been reading.

PLUPERFECT TENSE.

Singular.               Plural. 1. I had been reading,         1. We had been reading, 2. Thou hadst been reading,    2. You had been reading, 3. He had been reading;        3. They had been reading.

FIRST-FUTURE TENSE.

Singular.               Plural. 1. I shall be reading,         1. We shall be reading, 2. Thou wilt be reading,       2. You will be reading, 3. He will be reading;         3. They will be reading.

SECOND-FUTURE TENSE.

Singular.               Plural. 1. I shall have been reading,  1. We shall have been reading, 2. Thou wilt have been reading, 2. You will have been reading, 3. He will have been reading;  3. They will have been reading.