I will call you shall call (thou shalt call) we will call you shall call they shall call As we see here, to express volition on the speaker's part, we reverse the order of the auxiliaries, using will in the first person, shall in the second and third.* (2) Obligation or previous arrangement; as, I am to call, you are to call, he is to call, etc. (3) Intention or purpose; as, I am going to call, you are going to call, he is going to call, etc. (4) Early accomplishment; as, I am about to call, I am on the point of calling, etc. EXERCISE 133 (1) Point out the forms of the verb denoting mere futurity, also the forms denoting an idea not expressed by the simple future tense, and tell what the idea is: 1. I shall stay here a week. 2. You shall stay here a week. 5. You will help them all you can. 6. Next week we begin to study algebra. 7. I am to let him know as soon as I decide. 8. The enemy is on the point of surrendering. 9. I hope that the boys will make a good record. 10. I am going to work at home until school opens. (2) Supply the word or words needed to express the idea suggested in connection with each sentence: *Shall and will are treated here primarily as tense auxiliaries. Their use as modal auxiliaries will be discussed later (202). 185. Past Future Tense. yielding. (Early Accom By using should, the past tense of shall, and would, the past tense of will, we may form a future tense from some past time; as, Edward promised that he would help us. Here the action of helping is represented as being future not from the present, but from the time when Edward made his promise, which was in the past. His words at that time were "I will help you." As this form of a verb denotes future time from a past time, it is called the past future tense. The order of the auxiliaries in the past future tense is the same as in the future tense; thus, I should call you would call (thou wouldst call) we should call you would call they would call By reversing the order of the auxiliaries, we form a past future tense expressing volition on the speaker's part; as, I would call, you should call, etc.* The past future tense is simply the future tense transferred to the past, shall becoming should and will becoming would. We use * Should and would are treated here primarily as tense auxiliaries. Their use as modal auxiliaries will be discussed later (203). this tense in expressing indirectly the words or thoughts of some one from a past standpoint; thus, He promised that he would try. (His promise was "I will try.") He said that he should be sorry to go. (His words were "I shall be sorry to go.") EXERCISE 134 (1) In each sentence change the present tense in the principal clause to the past tense and change the future tense in the subordinate clause to the past future tense: Model: (1) I believe that I shall be satisfied. 1. I hope that you will go. 2. He asks that you shall assist. 3. She asks if you will go along. 4. I am afraid that we shall fail. 5. He declares that no one shall stop him. (2) In each sentence change the direct statement or question to the indirect form, then point out the past future tense: 4. They asked us, "Shall you be sorry?" 5. They answered, "We shall have no time." 6. He inquired of John, "When shall you be back?" 7. The teacher asked us, "How many of you will come early?" 8. He went off, saying to us, "You shall never see me again." (3) Supply should or would and give a reason for your choice: (4) How many of the world's great men of the past can you name? Have you ever thought how much we owe to these men? How can we pay them? Which of the two, Washington or Columbus, has done the more for us? Debate this question and be careful to use correct tense-forms. 186. Formation of the Present Perfect Tense. The present perfect tense is formed by combining the auxiliary have with the past participle; thus, I have called you have called (thou hast called) we have called you have called they have called A few intransitive verbs occasionally use be instead of have in forming the present perfect tense: as, He is come; They are gone. |