# The Sign Language/Chapter 3

AUXILIARY VERBS
To Be, to Exist.—Hold the forefinger of the right "G" hand pointing upward, against the mouth; move the whole hand, finger still held upright, forward straight out from the mouth; then bring the "A" hands together, the end of the right thumb resting on the nail of the left thumb, and move both hands this way forward. (Note: This is the present and acceptable way to make this sign though formerly there were other signs. These are not here given, as it seems unnecessary.) The usual way is to make simply the first part of the sign with the forefinger, and then finish with "now" or "past" to indicate tense, and "many" to indicate plural. I,1.
To Be, infinitive and imperative.—Hold the right "G" hand straight out in front from the side, the "G" up; crook the forefinger and move the hand toward the left side horizontally in front of the body. I, 2.
To Be, auxiliary of the passive voice.—Press the forefinger of the right "G" hand, pointing upward, against the mouth; then bring both open hands, palm toward palm, pointing upward, to the side of the face and throw each back over the corresponding shoulders, letting the thumbs strike against and come to rest on the shoulders.
Can, expressing possibility, power, etc.—Hold the "S" hands out in front, elbows against sides, and let the hands drop a little way with a jerk. I, 3.
Can't.—Holding the left "G" hand out in front, strike the end of it with the forefinger of the right "G" hand, as if cutting it off, and letting the right hand continue down. I, 4.
May, Maybe, Perhaps, indicating probability.—Hold out both open hands in front straight from the sides, palms up; balance the hands up and down alternately several times like the balances of a pair of scales. I, 5.
May, indicating permission.—Hold both open hands out in front straight from the sides, pointing downward; with a forward motion throw the hands out till they point forward. I,6.
​Should, Ought, indicating duty.—Press the crooked forefinger of the right "G" hand against the lips and then move toward side and downward as in "must" (see below). Or,
(2) Indicate by the signs "better" and "must." Better is signed as follows: Place the end of the right open hand pointing toward the left, palm against the mouth; draw away toward the side, assuming the position of "A" and lifting it to a level with the head. "Must," see below.
Must, Need, Have to.—Crook the forefinger of the right "G" hand, pointing it downward, and press the hand down some distance with more or less force. Sometimes the motion is repeated several times. I, 7.
Have, to Possess.—Cross the open hands in front, palms to self and then draw them up against the breast. I, 8.
Have, Finished, auxiliary of the complete tenses.—Hold the left "B" hand in front, palm to self and end pointing toward the right; upon its upper edge place the right "B" hand, pointing out, and the little finger edge resting on the forefinger near the knuckle; scrape along the edge of the left hand with the right, and when the end of the left hand is reached, let the right drop down directly with a "chopping off" motion. The usual way is to give only the right hand a downward "cut" across the end of the left.
Note: The colloquial and by far the most common method of rendering the sign for "finished" is to hold the right open or "5" hand out in front from the side and give it a flip toward the right, with a twist of the wrist so the palm is turned down. In indicating the complete tenses first sign "have" as for "possess," then give the sign for the verb, and last the sign for "have" or "finish" as above. I, 9.
Do.—Hold the bent hands out in front from the sides, fingers pointing downward; move the hands first to one side and then to the other, giving them a slight downward pressure as they start toward the side. The fingers may be slightly separated as in the bent "5" hands, as in playing the keys of a piano. I, 10.
Will and Shall, indicating future.—Hold the right open hand pointing straight out and elevated to a level with the shoulder, and push it straight forward the length of the arm. I, 11.
​Won't.—Holding the right "S" hand out in front from the side, jerk the hand back, doubling the elbow. I, 12.
The tense signs are as follows: For the present, same as "now," i. e., Hold the open or bent hands, in front, from the sides, palms up, and drop them both at the same time with a slight jerking motion. The past is indicated by throwing the right open hand back over the right shoulder, palm backward. The future is indicated by "will" (see above). In making the sign for any verb the tense sign is rarely given unless essential to make it specific. Usually the tense is understood by inference. I, 13, 14, 15.
Plate I.