stood to belong to two tenses; the present and the perfect; like may, can, and must: as, "He need not go, he need not have gone; Thou need not go, Thou need not have gone;" or, in the solemn style, "Thou needst not go, Thou needst not have gone." If, on the contrary, we will have it to be always a principal verb, the distinction of time should belong to itself, and also the distinction of person and number, in the parts which require it: as, "He needs not go. He needed not go; Thou needst not go, Thou needed not go;" or, in the solemn style, "Thou needest not go, Thou neededst not go." Whether it can be right to say, "He needed not have gone," is at least questionable. From the observations of Murray, upon relative tenses, under his thirteenth rule of syntax, it seems fair to infer that he would have judged this phraseology erroneous. Again, "He needs not have gone," appears to be yet more objectionable, though for the same reason. And if, "He need not have gone," is a correct expression, need is clearly proved to be an auxiliary, and the three words taken together must form the potential perfect. And so of the plural; for the argument is from the connexion of the tenses, and not merely from the tendency of auxiliaries to reject inflection: as, "They need not have been under great concern about their public affairs."--Hutchinson's History, i, 194, From these examples, it may be seen that an auxiliary and a principal verb have some essential difference; though these who dislike the doctrine of compound tenses, pretend not to discern any. Take some further citations; a few of which are erroneous in respect to time. And observe also that the regular verb sometimes admits the preposition to after it: "' There is great dignity in being waited for,' said one who had the habit of tardiness, and who had not much else of which he need be vain."--Students Manual, p. 64. "But he needed not have gone so far for more instances."-- Johnson's Gram. Com., p. 143. "He need not have said, 'perhaps the virtue.'"--Sedgwick's Economy, p. 196. "I needed not to ask how she felt."--Abbott's Young Christian, p. 84. "It need not have been so."--Ib., p. 111. "The most unaccommodating politician need not absolutely want friends."--Hunts Feast of the Poets, p. iii. "Which therefore needs not be introduced with much precaution."--Campbell's Rhet., p. 326. "When an obscurer term needs to be explained by one that is clearer."--Ib., p. 367. "Though, if she had died younger, she need not have known it."--West's Letters, p. 120. "Nothing need be said, but that they were the most perfect barbarisms."--Blair's Rhet., p. 470. "He need not go."--Goodenow's Gram., p. 36. "He needed but use the word body."--LOCKE: in Joh. Dict. "He need not be required to use them."--Parker's Eng. Composition, p. 50. "The last consonant of appear need not be doubled."--Dr. Webster. "It needs the less to be inforced."--Brown's Estimate, ii, 158. "Of these pieces of his, we shall not need to give any particular account."--Seneca's Morals, p. vi "And therefore I shall need say the less of them."--Scougal, p. 1101. "This compounding of words need occasion no surprise."--Cardell's Essay on Language, p. 87.
"Therefore stay, thou needst not to be gone."--Shakspeare.
"Thou need na start awa sae hasty."--Burns, Poems, p. 15.
"Thou need na jouk behint the hallan."--Id., ib., p. 67.
OBS. 10.--The auxiliaries, except must, which is invariable, have severally two forms in respect to tense, or time; and when inflected in the second and third persons singular, are usually varied in the following manner:--
TO DO.
PRESENT TENSE; AND SIGN OF THE INDICATIVE PRESENT.
Sing. I do, thou dost, he does; Plur. We do, you do, they do.
IMPERFECT TENSE; AND SIGN of THE INDICATIVE IMPERFECT.
Sing. I did, thou didst, he did; Plur. We did, you did, they did.
TO BE.
PRESENT TENSE; AND SIGN OF THE INDICATIVE PRESENT.
Sing. I am, thou art, he is; Plur. We are, you are, they are.
IMPERFECT TENSE; AND SIGN OF THE INDICATIVE IMPERFECT.
Sing. I was, thou wast, he was; Plur. We were, you were; they were.
TO HAVE.
PRESENT TENSE; BUT SIGN OF THE INDICATIVE PERFECT.
Sing. I have, thou hast, he has; Plur. We have, you have, they have.
IMPERFECT TENSE; BUT SIGN OF THE INDICATIVE PLUPERFECT.
Sing. I had, thou hadst, he had; Plur. We had, you had, they had.
SHALL AND WILL.
These auxiliaries have distinct meanings, and, as signs of the future, they are interchanged thus:
PRESENT TENSE; BUT SIGNS OF THE INDICATIVE FIRST-FUTURE.
1. Simply to express a future action or event:--
Sing. I shall, thou wilt, he will; Plur. We shall, you will, they will.
2. To express a promise, command, or threat:--
Sing.: I will, thou shalt, he shall; Plur. We will, you shall, they shall.
