OBS. 12.—­If we admit the class of active-intransitive verbs, that of verbs neuter will unquestionably be very small.  And this refutes Murray’s objection, that the learner will “often” be puzzled to know which is which.  Nor can it be of any consequence, if he happen in some instances to decide wrong.  To be, to exist, to remain, to seem, to lie, to sleep, to rest, to belong, to appertain, and perhaps a few more, may best be called neuter; though some grammarians, as may be inferred from what is said above, deny that there are any neuter verbs in any language.  “Verba Neutra, ait Sanctius, nullo pacto esse possunt; quia, teste Aristotele, omnis motus, actio, vel passio, nihil medium est.”—­Prat’s Latin Gram., p. 117.  John Grant, in his Institutes of Latin Grammar, recognizes in the verbs of that language the distinction which Murray supposes to be so “very difficult” in those of our own; and, without falling into the error of Sanctius, or of Lily,[228] respecting neuter verbs, judiciously confines the term to such as are neuter in reality.

OBS. 13.—­Active-transitive verbs, in English, generally require, that the agent or doer of the action be expressed before them in the nominative case, and the object or receiver of the action, after them in the objective; as, “Caesar conquered Pompey.”  Passive verbs, which are never primitives, but always derived from active-transitive verbs, (in order to form sentences of like import from natural opposites in voice and sense,) reverse this order, change the cases of the nouns, and denote that the subject, named before them, is affected by the action; while the agent follows, being introduced by the preposition by:  as, “Pompey was conquered by Caesar.”  But, as our passive verb always consists of two or more separable parts, this order is liable to be varied, especially in poetry; as,

   “How many things by season seasoned are
    To their right praise and true perfection!”—­Shakspeare.

    “Experience is by industry achieved,
    And perfected by the swift course of time.”—­Id.

OBS. 14.—­Most active verbs may be used either transitively or intransitively.  Active verbs are transitive whenever there is any person or thing expressed or clearly implied on which the action terminates; as, “I knew him well, and every truant knew.”—­Goldsmith.  When they do not govern such an object, they are intransitive, whatever may be their power on other occasions; as, “The grand elementary principles of pleasure, by which he knows, and feels, and lives, and moves.”—­Wordsworth’s Pref., p. xxiii.  “The Father originates and elects.  The Son mediates and atones.  The Holy Spirit regenerates and sanctifies.”—­Gurney’s Portable Evidences, p. 66.  “Spectators remark, judges decide, parties watch.”—­Blair’s Rhet., p. 271.  “In a sermon, a preacher may explain, demonstrate, infer, exhort, admonish, comfort.”—­Alexander’s E. Gram., p. 91.