William Ashmore

“ Its effect may be compared to that of a flat or a sharp in music, which flats or sharps all the notes on that space or line. It will convert a past into a future tense, or a future into a past tense.
For example, uá khṳ̀ Suàn-thâu bói-mue̍h, bói-hó--liáu tńg--lâi chiũ pa lói-chia̍h, chia̍h-liáu khṳ̀-gu̍t. Here are a half dozen verbs, but there is nothing in any of them to determine clearly whether they are past tense or future tense, whether the speaker is telling of something he did yesterday, or something he is going to do to-morrow. ”

“ Uân-in lṳ́ bô-lâi—kù-chhṳ́ uá bô-tán, may become, lṳ́ bô-lâi—uá bô-tán, you not come — I not wait. Uân-in bô-hiēn-chîn—uá khṳ̀-chhia, may be, bô-hiēn-chîn—chhia, no cash — buy on credit. Uân-in bô-ngṳ̂n—uá chiũ m̄-kán-àin, may be, bô-ngṳ̂n—m̄-ká-àin, no money — dare not wish for. Uân-in hù-m̄-tie̍h chûn—kù-chhṳ́ uá kiân-lōu lâi, may be, hù m̄-tie̍h-chûn—kiân-lōu, did not hit the boat — walked the road. Thin-sî sui-sĩ lo̍h-hõu—i huân-liáu kán-khṳ̀, may be, thin-sî lo̍h-hõu—huân-kán-khṳ̀, it rains — still he dares to go. ”

“ V. There is another class of particles having in themselves no auxiliary force, but which render service in showing a tense relationship between different verbs, the action of one following that of the other, both being in the past or both in the future. These coupling expressions may consist of one word only, as, ãu,, afterwards, or of several, as, chí-kâi-sṳ̄ ãu, after this matter was past. They may be complete standing alone, as, sûi-sî, thereupon, or they may involve a correlative, as, kàu chièn-sen liáu—jiên-ãu, when this was so,—then, &c. ”