The FIRST FUTURE TENSE denotes a future action or event; as “I will finish; I shall finish my letter.”

The SECOND FUTURE TENSE represents a future action that will be fully accomplished, at or before the time of another future action or event; as, “I shall have finished my letter when my brother arrives.”

This example clearly shows you the meaning and the proper use of the second future tense.  The verb “shall have finished” implies a future action that will be completely finished, at or before the time of the other future event denoted by the phrase, “when my brother arrives.”

NOTE.  What is sometimes called the Inceptive future, is expressed thus, “I am going to write;” “I am about to write.”  Future time is also indicated by placing the infinitive present immediately after the indicative present of the verb to be; thus, “I am to write;” “Harrison is to be, or ought to be, commander in chief;” “Harrison is to command the army.”

You may now read what is said respecting the moods and tenses several times over, and then you may learn to conjugate a verb.  But, before you proceed to the conjugation of verbs, you will please to commit the following paragraph on the Auxiliary verbs and, also, the signs of the moods and tenses; and, in conjugating, you must pay particular attention to the manner in which these signs are applied.

OF THE AUXILIARY VERBS.

AUXILIARY or HELPING VERBS are those by the help of which the English verbs are principally conjugated. May, can, must, might, could, would, should, and shall, are always auxiliaries; do, be, have, and will, are sometimes auxiliaries, and sometimes principal verbs.

The use of the auxiliaries is shown in the following conjugation.

SIGNS OF THE MOODS.

The Indicative Mood is known by the sense, or by its having no sign, except in asking a question; as, “Who loves you?”

The conjunctions if, though, unless, except, whether, and lest, are generally signs of the Subjunctive; as, “If I love; unless I love,” &c.

A verb is generally known to be in, the Imperative Mood by its agreeing with thou, or ye or you, understood; as, "Love virtue, and follow her steps;” that is, love thou, or love ye or you; follow thou, &c.

May, can, and must, might, could, would, and should, are signs of the Potential Mood; as, “I may love; I must love; I should love,” &c.

To is the sign of the Infinitive; as, “To love, to smile, to hate, to walk.”

SIGNS OF THE TENSES.

The first form of the verb is the sign of the present tense; as, love, smile, hate, walk.