IMPERFECT TENSE; BUT, AS SIGNS, AORIST, OR INDEFINITE.

1.  Used with reference to duty or expediency:—­

Sing. I should, thou shouldst, he should; Plur. We should, you should, they should.

2.  Used with reference to volition or desire:—­

Sing. I would, thou wouldst, he would; Plur. We would, you would, they would.

MAY.

PRESENT TENSE; AND SIGN OF THE POTENTIAL PRESENT.

Sing. I may, thou mayst, he may; Plur. We may, you may, they may.

IMPERFECT TENSE; AND SIGN OF THE POTENTIAL IMPERFECT.

Sing. I might, thou mightst, he might; Plur. We might, you might, they might.

CAN.

PRESENT TENSE; AND SIGN OF THE POTENTIAL PRESENT.

Sing. I can, thou canst, he can; Plur. We can, you can, they can.

IMPERFECT TENSE; AND SIGN OF THE POTENTIAL IMPERFECT.

Sing. I could, thou couldst, he could; Plur. We could, you could, they could.

MUST.

PRESENT TENSE; AND SIGN OF THE POTENTIAL PRESENT.

Sing. I must, thou must, he must; Plur. We must, you must, they must.

If must is ever used in the sense of the Imperfect tense, or Preterit, the form is the same as that of the Present:  this word is entirely invariable.

OBS. 11.—­Several of the auxiliaries are occasionally used as mere expletives, being quite unnecessary to the sense:  as, 1.  DO and DID:  “And it is night, wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.”—­Psalms, civ, 20.  “And ye, that on the sands with printless foot do chase the ebbing Neptune, and do fly him when he comes back.”—­Shak. “And if a man did need a poison now.”—­Id. This needless use of do and did is now avoided by good writers. 2.  SHALL, SHOULD, and COULD:  “’Men shall deal unadvisedly sometimes, which after-hours give leisure to repent of.’  I should advise you to proceed.  I should think it would succeed.  He, it should seem, thinks otherwise.”—­W.  Allen’s Gram., p. 65.  “I could wish you to go.”—­Ib., p. 71. 3.  WILL, &c.  The following are nearly of the same character, but not exactly:  “The isle is full of noises; sometimes a thousand twanging instruments will hum about mine ears.”—­Shak. “In their evening sports she would steal in amongst them.”—­Barbauld.

   “His listless length at noontide would he stretch.”—­Gray.