Plain English Part 34

You should be with us in this fight.

They should never fear defeat.

+172.+ _Ought_ could be used in all these sentences and express practically the same meaning. _Should_ used in this way implies obligation.

Exercise 2

Study carefully the following sentences. Write in the blank s.p.a.ce preceding each sentence the number of the paragraph in the lesson which governs the use of the helping verb in that sentence.

1. ...... The workers should organize if they desire to control production.

2. ...... The proletariat would destroy this system if they understood their power.

3. ...... Every worker would join his fellows if he could but realize the cla.s.s struggle.

4. ...... We would all enjoy plenty if we produced for use instead of for profit.

5. ...... The ruling cla.s.s would not give up their privileges even though they knew that their cupidity endangers society.

6. ...... The injury of one should be the injury of all.

7. ...... The workers' International should stand for the international solidarity of the workers.

8. ...... You should never fear the ridicule of little minds.

9. ...... You would never fear ridicule if you were conscious of your own power.

10. ...... No man should fear to think for himself.

11. ...... No man would fear to think for himself if the world were truly free.

12. ...... Compromise now would mean defeat.

MAY AND MIGHT

+173.+ _May_ used as a helping verb means present permission in regard to an action or possession, as:

You may come with us.

He may have the money.

+174.+ It may also mean a possible action or possession. _You may come with us_, for example, might mean that some time in the future it is possible that you will come with us. _He may have the money_, might mean either _He is given permission to have the money_, or _It is possible that he has it_.

_May_, used with many verb forms, means _it is possible_. For example: _He may be hungry_, _He may have starved_. _He may have been starving_; that is, it is possible that _he is hungry_; that _he has starved_; that _he was starving_.

+175.+ _Might_ is the past form of _may_ and expresses past permission to do or to be and also possibility in the past. For example: _The officer said he might go_. That is, he gave him permission to go. _You might have helped your comrades_; that is, _you had the power to have helped_.

_Might_ is also used to express permission or the power to do in the present and future, on condition. For example:

He might find work if he were trained.

The workers might destroy this insane system if they would.

Exercise 3

Study carefully the following sentences. Write in the blank s.p.a.ce preceding each sentence the number of the paragraph in the lesson which governs the use of the helping verbs _may_ or _might_ in that sentence.

1. ...... The solidarity of the workers might have averted this war.

2. ...... "Of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these--'it might have been.'"

3. ...... You might join us.

4. ...... The people struggle that they may live.

5. ...... Try; you might succeed.

6. ...... The day may come when this day's deeds shall be remembered.

7. ...... Victory might be ours if we dared to face the issue.

8. ...... "Men may come and men may go; But I go on forever."

9. ...... It seemed possible that we might win.

10. ...... May we ever be loyal and true!

11. ...... It appeared for a time that we might be involved in war.

12. ...... Let come what may, we will not yield.

CAN AND COULD

+176.+ _Can_ is the present-time form and _could_ the past-time form, and both imply ability or power to do or to be. _You can go_ means _You are able to go_,--_You have the power to go_. _You may go_ means _You have permission to go_. _Can_ is often used when we should use _may_, when we mean to give permission. Habit plays a great part in our life and knowledge of the right way does not always suffice. It is only continued effort that will establish correct habits of speech. Good English would be easy of accomplishment if "to do were as easy as to know what it were good to do."

We are too often like the mother in the story. "Can I have a piece of pie?" asked the child. "May I?" the mother corrected. Then the child asked, "May I have a piece of pie?" and the mother answered, "Yes, you can." Knowledge said, _may_; habit said _can_, and the ready tongue obeyed the force of habit.

Say the correct word over and over aloud until it sounds right to your ear and flows readily to your tongue.

+177.+ _Could_ is sometimes used in the present sense to denote power to do, conditioned upon willingness, as:

He could if he would.

Exercise 4

Study carefully the following sentences. Write in the blank s.p.a.ce preceding each sentence the number of the paragraph in the lesson which governs the use of the helping verbs _can_ or _could_ in that sentence.

1. ...... I can say love when others say hate; I can say every man when others say one man; What can I do? I can give myself to life, When other men refuse themselves to life.

2. ...... No one can be free till all are free.

3. ...... They could win their freedom if they would prepare themselves to be free.

4. ...... What can I do, being alone?

5. ...... If all men could catch the vision of freedom, wars would cease.

6. ...... Could you find a better way to spend your time than in study?

7. ...... Men would rise in revolt if they could know the facts.

MUST AND OUGHT

+178.+ _Must_ and _ought_ imply obligation. _Must_ conveys the idea of being obliged to do an action from necessity or compulsion, as,

You must have known it.

He must go.

_Ought_ was originally the past time form of _owe_, hence means _to be indebted to_, _to owe_. It conveys the idea of a moral obligation, as,

You ought to help the cause.

You ought to understand.

+179+. _Ought_ is always used with the infinitive, and the same form is used to express both the present and the past time. The difference in time is expressed by a change in the infinitive instead of a change in the form of the helping verb. With _may_ and _might_ and _can_ and _could_, present and past time are expressed by a change in the form of the helping verb. With the helping verb _ought_, the difference in time is expressed in the infinitive. For example: