alytical practical grammar - Toronto Public Library

76 ENGLISH GRAMMAR.
436. The Present subjunctive, in its proper form, according to present
approved usage, has always afuture reference; that is, it denotes a pre·
sent uncertainty or contingency respecting a supposed future action (lr
event; thus, U If he write," is equivalent to, "If he should write," or, "If
he shan write."*
437. Uncertainty or contingency respecting a supposed present action
or state, is expressed by the present indicative used subjunctively; 'IS, "If
he writes as well as he reads, be will succeed."
438. The PRESENT'PERFECT subjunctive is only the same tense of the
indicative, used subjunctively. Such expressions as Ii If she have brougltt
up children," &c. (1 Tim. v. 10), are now obsolete.
439. The Past snbjunctive is used in two senses-
1. It is used to express a past action or state as conditional or contino
gent; as, U If he wrote that letter he deserves credit, and shonld be reo
warded;" "Ifhe was at home, I did not know it."
2. It expresses a supposition with respect to something present, and im·
plies a denial of the thing supposed; as, ., If I had the money now, I would
pay it," implying, I have it not. Used in this way, the verb" fo be" (and
of course the passive voice of transitive verbs) has a separate form in the
singular, but not in the plural, viz, I were, thou wert, he were; for I was,
thou wast, he was; thus, "If my kingdom were of this world, then would
my servants fight," implying, It is not of this world; "0 that thou wert
as my brother," implying, "thou art not."
440. In this way, the Past subjunctive seems to be always used when
the conjunctive term is omitted, and the verb or auxiliary is placed before
its nominative (389); as, .. Had,t thou been here, my brother had not
[would not have (358)] died."
441. When a supposition, &Ce., respecting something past, is expressed
in this way, the Past-perfect must be used; as, "If I had had the money
yesterday, I would have paid it," implying, I had it not; "0 tbat thou
hadst been as my brother," implying" thou wast not."
442. Though the pas I tense, used in this way, refers to a present act or
state, yet, as it has the past form, it should, in parsing, be called the past
tense.
• From this usagE" some gTammarians regard this as an elliptical form of the
fntnre, or of the past potential, in a future sense, the signs shall or should being
omitted; and some have given it as B future. in the conju"ation of the verb, HoweVPf
plausib10 this may appear, from the present prevailing nsag(>, there can be no
donbt that this, so called, elliptical future was formerly considered, and is cven still
used. as a present subjunctive. It is often used when the time is manifestly pre·
sent, and in such a way that neither shall, nor slwuld, nor any similar term, can be
supplied without changino; the sense; and where the Jlresent usage would require
tho present indicative; thus. "Though the Lord be ps, high," &c -Fs. cxxxVlii. G .
.. If thou be [artl the son of God."-Malth. iv. 3,6. 'That which thou sowest is no$
quickened exce»t it die [dies]."-l Cor. XI'. 36- "Whether he be lis] 1\ sinner or not
I know nol."-John ix. 25, &c.
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