age 43.)--Repeat some
of the arguments in favor of, and against, the principle which regards
all verbs as _active_.--In what moods are verbs used in their
_noun-state?_ (page 48.)--Give examples.--What is said of the
terminations _est, eth, s,_ and _en_, and of the words _to_ and _do?_

REMARKS ON VERBS AND NOUNS.

You have already been informed, that verbs are the most important part
of speech in our language; and to convince you of their importance, I
now tell you, that you cannot express a _thought_, or communicate an
_idea_, without making use of a verb, either expressed or implied. Verbs
express, not only _the state_ or _manner of being_, but, likewise, all
the different _actions_ and _movements_ of all creatures and things,
whether animate or inanimate. As yet I have given you only a partial
description of this sort of words; but when you are better prepared to
comprehend the subject, I will explain all their properties, and show
you the proper manner of using them.

A word that is generally a _noun_, sometimes becomes a _verb_; and a
verb is frequently used as a _noun_. These changes depend on the sense
which the word conveys; or, rather, on the office it performs in the
sentence; that is the _manner_ in which it is applied to things. For
instance, _glory_ is generally a noun; as "The _glory_ of God's throne."
But if I say, I _glory_ in religion; or, He _glories_ in wickedness, the
word _glory_ becomes a verb. The _love_ of man is inconstant. In this
sentence, _love_ is a _noun_; in the next, it is a _verb_: They _love_
virtue. He _walks_ swiftly; Scavengers _sweep_ the streets; The ship
_sails_ well. In these phrases, the words _walks, sweep_, and _sails_,
are verbs; in the following they are nouns: Those are pleasant _walks_;
He takes a broad _sweep_; The ship lowered her _sails_.

Thus you see, it is impossible for you to become a grammarian without
exercising your judgment. If you have sufficient resolution to do this,
you will, in a short time, perfectly understand the nature and office of
the different parts of speech, their various properties and relations,
and the rules of syntax that apply to them; and, in a few weeks, be able
to speak and write accurately. But you must not take things for granted,
without examining their propriety and correctness. No. You are not a
mere _automaton_, or _boy-machine_; but a rational being. You ought,
therefore, to _think_ methodically, to _reason_ soundly, and to
_in