LESSON IV. VERBS.

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§ 40. There are three Voices, Active, Middle, and Passive, generally distinguished by the termination.

The Middle is properly reflexive. Some of its tenses have an active meaning. A few verbs, called deponent, are throughout pass. in form, but act. or mid. in meaning.§ 41. There are five Mood in each voice, the Indicative, Imperative, Subjunctive, Optative, and Infinitive, to which may be added the Participles; they are mostly known by means of the union-vowel--that which immediately precedes the termination.§ 42. The Indic., Imper., Infin., and Participles correspond to the English, and have a short union-vowel, (ε, ο, or α,) except the Perf. and Pluperf. pass., which have no union-vowel; the Pluperf. act. and mid., which have ει; and the Aorists pass., which have η or its equivalent.§ 43. The Imper. has but two persons. 2d and 3d. The Infin. has but one termination for all numbers and persons, and is very often used as a neut. noun, with the article, etc., yet retaining its construction as a verb.§ 44. The Subj. and Opt. are used in certain dependent relations, like the English subjunctive and potential; the former has a long union-vowel, (η or ω,) and the latter a diphthong, (οι, αι, or ει.) The former generally represents an act as contingent upon outward circumstances, and the latter upon a will.§ 45. The Tenses are nine, the Present, Imperfect, Perfect, Pluperfect, two Aorists, (1st and 2d, equivalent in sense,) and three Futures, (1st and 2d, equivalent to each other, and 3d, very rarely used;) they are distinguished by certain letters prefixed, inserted, or added to the stem or root of the verb. They represent time as compared with the present, and never date from that of a preceding verb.§ 46. The Pres., Perf., Pluperf., and Fut. answer very nearly to the same tenses in English.§ 47. The Imperf. denotes an act as going on, but incomplete or habitual at some time past: "was doing," etc.§ 48. The Aorists indicate a single act at a definite time, (past in the Indic., but undetermined in the others moods.)§ 49. All the tenses with respect to form may be classed thus:--

I. Primary, or Absolute. Present. Perfect. Futures.
II. Secondary, or Historical. Imperfect. Pluperfect. Aorists.

These classes usually have the following endings respectively:--

Active Form. Persons. Middle and Passive.
I. II. I. II.
Pres. and Fut. Perf. Opt. Sing.
ο -- ν μι 1st μαι μην
ις ς 2d σαι (σ)ο
ι -- 3d ται το
Plur.
μεν 1st μεϑα
τε 2d σϑε
(ντ) σι (ν) (σα)ν 3d νται ντο
[2d, τον, 3d, την. Dual. 1st, μεϑον, 2d, σϑον, 3d, σϑην.]

Notes on the Table of Verb Endings.§ 50. In the Pres. and Fut. the ο of the 1st sing. act. is contracted (with the union-vowel) into ω, and the σαι of the 2d sing. pass. into ῃ or ει.§ 51. Signification limits the primary terminations to the Indic. and Subj., and the secondary to the Indic. and Opt.: likewise the Imperf. and Pluperf. to the Indic., and the Imper. to the Pres., the Aorists and (rarely) the Perf.§ 52. The active terminations are assumed throughout by the Perf. and Pluperf. mid., and the Aorists pass.§ 53. The terminations of the Imper. are analogous to the secondary in the act., and in the mid. and pass. they are merely the same strengthened, thus: Sing. 2d,--[Aor. pass, ϑι, 1st Aor. act. (σ)ov] (pass. ο [1st Aor. mid. ι] or σο); 3d, τω (pass. σϑω,) Plur. 2d, τε (pass. σϑε); 3d, τωσαν [or contr. ντων] (pass, σϑωσαν. [Dual. 2d, τον (σϑον); 3d, των (σϑων,)]§ 54. The Infin. in the act. forms ends in εν, [contr., with union-vowel into ειν] (Pres., Fut., and 2d Aor.,) αι, (1st Aor.,) or ναι, (Perf. act. and mid. and both Aor. pass.;) elsewhere in σϑαι.§ 55. In the Participles the stem ends in ντ in the act. forms, (except the Perf. act. and mid., which have ότ;) the rest take μεν, (Perf. pass, μέν.) These latter are [masc. and neut.] of the second declension, the others of the third.§ 56. Verbs in μι insert σ before the final ι of the 3d pers. sing. Pres. Indic. act., and vary in a few other terminations, chiefly by contraction.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

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