On the other hand, a promise in the first person expressed in English by _will_, and a promise or command in the second and third, expressed by _shall_, seem, in these languages, to be communicated by other words or a circumlocution. In strictness of speech therefore, we have no future tense of the verb in English; but we use auxiliaries, which, in the present tense, express a prediction of an action, or a disposition of mind to produce an action. These auxiliaries, united with the verb or affirmation, answer the purposes of the future tenses of verbs in other languages; and no inconvenience can arise from calling such a combination a _tense_. MODE. Most languages are so constructed, that the verbs change their terminations for the purpose of expressing the _manner_ of being or action. In this particular, the English is singular; there being but one inflection of a single verb, which can be said to be peculiar to the conditional or subjunctive mode.[108] In all other respects, the verbs in the declaratory and conditional modes are the same; and the condition is known only by some other word prefixed to the verb. It is astonishing to see how long and how stupidly English grammarians have followed the Latin grammars in their divisions of time and mode; but in particular the latter. By this means, we often find _may_, _can_, _should_ and _must_ in a conditional mode, when they are positive declarations and belong to the indicative. All unconditional declarations, whether of an action, or of a _right_, _power_ or _necessity_ of doing an action, belong to the _indicative_; and the distinction between the _indicative_ and _potential_ is totally useless. _Should_ is commonly placed in the imperfect time of the subjunctive; yet is frequently used to express an unconditional obligation, as _he should go_; and belongs to the present time of the indicative, as much as _he ought_, or the French _il faut_ or _il doit_. _Would_ is sometimes employed in a declaratory sense to express a present volition, and then belongs to the indicative. In the past time, _should_, _would_, _might_, _could_, often express unconditional ideas, and belong to the indicative. In short, the usual arrangement of the English verbs and auxiliaries in our grammars is calculated to perplex and mislead a learner; and I have never found a foreigner who could use them with tolerable propriety. NUMBER _and_ PERSON.