OBS. 15.—­Some verbs may be used in either an active or a neuter sense.  In the sentence, “Here I rest,” rest is a neuter verb; but in the sentence, “Here I rest my hopes,” rest is an active-transitive verb, and governs hopes.  And a few that are always active in a grammatical sense, as necessarily requiring an object after them, do not always indicate such an exertion of force as we commonly call action.  Such perhaps are the verbs to have, to possess, to owe, to cost; as, “They have no wine.”—­“The house has a portico.”—­“The man possesses no real estate.”—­“A son owes help and honour to his father.”—­Holyday.  “The picture cost a crown.”—­Wright, p. 181.  Yet possibly even these may be sometimes rather active-intransitive; as, “I can bear my part; ’tis my occupation:  have at it with you.”—­Shakspeare.  “Kings have to deal with their neighbours.”—­Bacon.  “She will let her instructions enter where folly now possesses.”—­Shakspeare.

   “Thou hast deserv’d more love than I can show;
    But ’tis thy fate to give, and mine to owe.”—­Dryden.

OBS. 16.—­An active-intransitive verb, followed by a preposition and its object, will sometimes admit of being put into the passive form:  the object of the preposition being assumed for the nominative, and the preposition itself being retained with the verb, as an adverb:  as, (Active,) “They laughed at him.”—­(Passive,) “He was laughed at.”  “For some time the nonconformists were connived at.”—­Robertson’s America, Vol. ii, p. 414.  “Every man shall be dealt equitably with.”—­Butler’s Analogy, p. 212.  “If a church would be looked up to, it must stand high.”—­Parker’s Idea, p. 15.

OBS. 17.—­In some instances, what is commonly considered the active form of the verb, is used in a passive sense; and, still oftener, as we have no other passive form that so well denotes continuance, we employ the participle in ing in that sense also:  as, “I’ll teach you all what’s owing to your Queen.”—­Dryden.  That is—­what is due, or owed.  “The books continue selling; i.e. upon the sale, or to be sold.”—­Priestley’s Gram., p. 111.  “So we say the brass is forging; i.e. at the forging, or in [being forged."]—­Ib. “They are to blame; i.e. to be blamed.”—­Ib. Hence some grammarians seem to think, that in our language the distinction between active and passive verbs is of little consequence:  “Mr. Grant, however, observes, p. 65, ’The component parts of the English verb, or name of action, are few, simple, and natural; they, consist of three words, as plough, ploughing, ploughed.  Now these words, and their inflections, may be employed either actively