The first form of the verb is the sign of the present tense; as, _love,
smile, hate, walk_.
_Ed_--the imperfect tense of regular verbs; as, _loved, smiled, hated,
walked_.
_Have_--the perfect; as, _have_ loved.
_Had_--the pluperfect; as, _had_ loved. _Shall_ or _will_--the first
future; as, _shall_ love, or _will_ love; _shall_ smile, _will_ smile.
_Shall_ or _will have_--the second future; as, _shall have_ loved, or
_will have_ loved.
NOTE. There are some exceptions to these signs, which you will
notice by referring to the conjugation in the potential mood.
Now, I hope you will so far consult your own ease and advantage, as to
commit, perfectly, the signs of the moods and tenses before you proceed
farther than to the subjunctive mood. If you do, the supposed Herculean
task of learning to conjugate verbs, will be transformed into a few
hours of pleasant pastime.
The Indicative Mood has _six_ tenses.
The Subjunctive has also _six_ tenses.
The Imperative has only _one_ tense.
The Potential has _four_ tenses.
The Infinitive has _two_ tenses.