before them, does not seem to represent any noun, but, in
connexion with the verb, merely to express a state of things. They are
however, in fact, neither impersonal nor defective. Some, or all of them,
may possibly take some other nominative, if not a different person; as,
"The _Lord rained_ upon Sodom, and upon Gomorrah, brimstone and
fire."--_Gen._, xix, 24. "The _God_ of glory _thundereth_."--_Psalms_,
xxix, 3. "_Canst thou thunder_ with a voice like him?"--_Job_, xl, 9. In
short, as Harris observes, "The doctrine of Impersonal Verbs has been
justly rejected by the best grammarians, both ancient and
modern."--_Hermes_, p. 175.

OBS. 8.--By some writers, words of this kind are called _Monopersonal
Verbs_; that is, verbs of _one person_. This name, though not very properly
compounded, is perhaps more fit than the other; but we have little occasion
to speak of these verbs as a distinct class in our language. Dr. Murray
says, "What is called an impersonal verb, is not so; for _lic-et, juv-at_,
and _oport-et_, have _Tha, that thing_, or _it_, in their
composition."--_History of European Languages_, Vol. ii, p. 146. _Ail,
irk_, and _behoove_, are regular verbs and transitive; but they are used
only in the third person singular: as, "What _ails_ you?"--"It _irks_
me."--"It _behooves_ you." The last two are obsolescent, or at least not in
very common use. In Latin, _passive_ verbs, or neuters of the passive form,
are often used impersonally, or without an obvious nominative; and this
elliptical construction is sometimes imitated in English, especially by the
poets: as,

"Meanwhile, ere thus _was sinn'd_ and _judg'd_ on earth,
Within the gates of Hell sat Sin and Death."
--_Milton, P. L._, B. x, l. 230.

"Forthwith on all sides to his aid _was run_
By angels many and strong, who interpos'd."
--_Id._, B. vi, l. 335.

LIST OF THE DEFECTIVE VERBS.

_Present. Preterit._
Beware, ------
Can, could.
May, might.
Methinks, methought.
Must, must.[298]
Ought, ought.[298]
Shall, should,
Will[299] would.
Quoth, quoth.
Wis, wist.[300]
Wit, wot.

EXAMPLES FOR PARSING.

PRAXIS VI--ETYMOLOGICAL.

_In the Sixth Praxis, it is required of the pupil--to distinguish and
define the different parts of speech, and the classes and modifications of
the_ ARTICLES, NOUNS, ADJECTIVES, PRONOUNS, _and_ VERBS.

_