[personal profile] borislvin
CHAPTER XLIII

My father took a single turn across the room, then sat down and finished the chapter.

The verbs auxiliary we are concerned in here, continued my father, are, am; was; have; had; do; did; make; made; suffer; shall; should; will; would; can; could; owe; ought; used; or is wont. - And these varied with tenses, present, past, future, and conjugated with the verb see, - or with these questions added to them, - Is it? Was it? Will it be? Would it be? May it be? Might it be? And these again put negatively, Is it not? Was it not? Ought it not? - Or affirmatively, - It is; It was; It ought to be. Or chronologically, - Has it been always? Lately? How long ago? - Or hypothetically, - If it was; If it was not? What would follow? - If the French should beat the English? If the Sun go out of the Zodiac?

Now, by the right use and application of these, continued my father, in which a child's memory should be exercised, there is no one idea can enter his brain how barren soever, but a magazine of conceptions and conclusions may be drawn forth from it. - Didst thou ever see a white bear? cried my father, turning his head round to Trim, who stood at the back of his chair : - No, an' please your honour, replied the corporal. - But thou could'st discourse about one, Trim, said my father, in case of need? - How is it possible, brother, quoth my uncle Toby, if the corporal never saw one? - 'Tis the fact I want; replied my father, - and the possibility of it, is as follows.

A WHITE BEAR! Very well. Have I ever seen one? Might I ever have seen one? Am I ever to see one? Ought I ever to have seen one? Or can I ever see one?

Would I had seen a white bear? (for how can I imagine it?)

If I should see a white bear, what should I say? If I should never see a white bear, what then?

If I never have, can, must or shall see a white bear alive; have I ever seen the skin of one? Did I ever see one painted? - described? Have I never dreamed of one?

Did my father, mother, uncle, aunt, brothers or sisters, ever see a white bear? What would they give? How would they behave? How would the white bear have behaved? Is he wild? Tame? Terrible? Rough? Smooth?

- Is the white bear worth seeing? -

- Is there no sin in it? -

Is it better than a BLACK ONE?

END of the FIFTH VOLUME
(will be screened)
(will be screened if not validated)
If you don't have an account you can create one now.
HTML doesn't work in the subject.
More info about formatting

If you are unable to use this captcha for any reason, please contact us by email at support@dreamwidth.org

Profile

borislvin

May 2025

S M T W T F S
    123
45678910
111213 14 151617
18192021222324
25262728293031

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated May. 25th, 2025 11:18 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios