LESSON XLV.
We have learned in Lesson XL. that the verb has different forms of itself to express a difference between present and past time only, and when we wish to express that an act took place any other time, we use another verb to aid the principal verb.
State which of the italicized verbs in the following sentences is used independently, to express its own meaning, and which is used to aid another verb to express its meaning:—
| 1. | I have a knife. | |
| 2. | I have written the letter. | |
| 3. | He was a good student. | |
| 4. | He was fined for doing wrong. |
A verb that is used to help to conjugate other verbs is called an auxiliary verb; as, We have found your book.
The auxiliary verbs that aid in distinguishing the time of an action are have, shall, will, do and be.
THE FORMS OF THE VERB HAVE.
| PRESENT TENSE. | PAST TENSE. | PERFECT PART. | ||
| have, | had, | had. |
INDICATIVE MODE.
| PRESENT TENSE. | ||||
| Singular. | Plural. | |||
| 1. I have, | 1. We have, | |||
| 2. Thou hast, | 2. You have, | |||
| 3. He has. | 3. They have. | |||
| PAST TENSE. | ||||
| Singular. | Plural. | |||
| 1. I had, | 1. We had, | |||
| 2. Thou hadst, | 2. You had, | |||
| 3. He had. | 3. They had. | |||
SUBJUNCTIVE MODE.
| PRESENT TENSE. | ||||
| Singular. | Plural. | |||
| 1. (If) I have, | 1. (If) we have, | |||
| 2. (If) thou have, | 2. (If) you have, | |||
| 3. (If) he have. | 3. (If) they have. | |||
| PAST TENSE. | ||||
| Singular. | Plural. | |||
| 1. (If) I had, | 1. (If) we had, | |||
| 2. (If) thou had, | 2. (If) you had, | |||
| 3. (If) he had. | 3. (If) they had. |
IMPERATIVE MODE.
| Singular. | Plural. | ||
| Have (thou). | Have (ye or you). | ||
| Infinitives. | Participles. | ||
| (To) have, | Imperfect—Having, | ||
| Having. | Perfect—Had. |
Have is used as an auxiliary with the perfect participle of a verb, to form the perfect tenses; as,
Present Perfect—I have written.
Past Perfect—I had written.
Future Perfect—I shall have written.
Perfect Infinitives—(To) have written; having written.
Perfect Participle—Having written.
When have denotes possession it is an independent verb; as My friends have a canary.
EXERCISE.
In which of the following sentences is have an independent verb, and in which is it an auxiliary:—
| 1. | The wheelmen have their own road. | |
| 2. | I know that he has taken it. | |
| 3. | England had won the sources of the Nile!—Baker. | |
| 4. | Have then thy wish; he whistled shrill, | |
| And he was answered from the hill.—Scott. | ||
| 5. | I have obeyed my uncle until now. | |
| And I have sinned, for it was all through me | ||
| That evil came on William at the first.—Tennyson. | ||
| 6. | Have you the heart? When your head did but ache, | |
| I knit my handkercher about your brows, | ||
| (The best I had, a princess wrought it me,) | ||
| And I did never ask it you again.—Shakespeare. |