NUMBER, PERSON, AND VOICE OF THE VEKB. 223

An auxiliary verb is one which is employed in conjugat. ing other verbs. The auxiliaries arc, do, be, have, shall will, may, can, must.

Defective verbs are those in which some of the parts are wanting. They are, beware, quoth, ought, and all the auxliaries except do, be, and have. These, when used as principal verbs, have all their parts.

LESSON IX.

NUMBER, PERSON, AND VOICE OF THE VERB,

The number and person of the verb are properties which show its agreement with the subject. Like the subject, the verb has two numbers and three persons.

In the solemn style, the second person singular of the verb, in the present tense, is formed by adding st or est to the first; but in the common style, it ends like the second person plural; the third person singular is formed by adding s or es.

Voice is applied to the two forms of the transitive verb, and is either active or passive.

The active voice represents the subject as acting; as, "John struck William."

The passive voice represents the subject as being acted upon; as, "William was struck by John.'

The passive verb is formed by adding the passive participle of a transitive verb to the copula.

Any sentence containing a transitive verb may take two equiv alent forms, one in which the verb is in the active voice, and the other in which it is in the passive. When the verb is in the passive voice, the agent is in the objective case following by, as, "William was struck by John " Sometimes the agent is omit.