Number. The Auxiliary must admits of no va riation.. The Paffive Verb is only the Participle Paffive, (which for the most part is the fame with the Indefinite Paft Time Active, and always the fame with the Perfect Participle,) joined to the Auxiliary Verb to be, through all its Variations: as, "I am loved; I was loved; I have been loved; I shall be loved" and so on, through all the Perfons, the Numbers, the Times, and the Modes. The Neuter Verb is varied like the Active ; but, having fomewhat of the Nature of the Paffive, admits in many inftances of the Paffive form, retaining ftill the Neuter fignification ;. chiefly in fuch Verbs, as fignify fome fort of motion, or change of place or condition: as, "I am come ; I was gone; I am grown; I was fallen [8]." The Verb am, was, in this cafe: [8] I doubt much of the propriety of the following examples: "The rules of our holy religion, from which we are infinitely, fwerved." Tillotson, Vol. I. Serm. 27. "The whole obligation of that law and covenant, which God made with the Jews, was alfo ceafed." Ib. Vol. II. Serm. 52. "Whofe number was now amounted to three hundred." Swift, Contefts and Diffenfions, Chap. 3. "This Marefchal, upon forme difcontent, was entered? into a conspiracy against his master." Addison, Freeholder, No. 31. "At the end of a Campaign, when half the men are deserted or killed." Addison, Tatler, No. 42. Neuter Verbs are sometimes employed very improperly as Actives: "Go, flee thee away into precisely precifely defines the Time of the action or event, but does not change the nature of of it; the Paffive form ftill expreffing, not properly a Peffion, but only a ftate or condition of Being ora alaswor I IRREGULAR VERB S. d N English both the Paft Time Active and the Participle Perfect, or Paffive, are formed by adding to the Verb ed; or d only, when the Verb ends in e: as, "turn, turned; love, loved!""" The Verbs that vary from this rule, în either or in both cafes, are esteemed Irregular. A The nature of our language, the Accent and Pronunciation of it, inclines us to contract even all our Regular Verbs: thus loved, turned, are commonly pronounced in one fyllable, lov'd, turn'd and the second Perfon, which was ori-`` "I think it by no means and erect the reputation of the land of Judah.” Amos, vii. 12. a fit and decent thing to vie Charities, one upon the ruins of another." Atterbury, Serm. I. 2. Sa many learned men, that have spent their whole time and pains to agree the Sacred with the Profane Chronology" Sir William. Temple, Works, Fol. Vol.I. p.295. "How would the Gods my, righteous toils fucceed &" ~" If Jove this arm fucceed.", Pope, Odyss. xiv. 447- And Active Verbs are as improperly made. Neuter: as, "I must premife with three circumftances." Swift, Q. Anne's Laft Minitry, Chap. 2. "Those that. think to ingratiate with him by, calumniating me." Bentley, Differt. on Phalaris, p. 519. ginally 4 ginally in three fyllables, lovedeft, turnede, is `become a diffyllable, lovedft, turnedft: for as we generally throw the accent as far back as possible towards the first part of the word, (in fome even to the fourth fyllable from the end,) the stress being laid on the first fyllables, the rest are pronounced in a lower tone, more rapidly and indistinctly; and fo are often either wholly dropped, or blended into one another. It fometimes happens alfo, that the word, which arifes from a regular change, does not found easily or agreeably; fometimes by the rai pidity of our pronunciation the vowels are fhortened or loft; and the confonants, which are thrown together, do not eafily coalefce with oneanother, and are therefore changed into others of the fame organ, or of a kindred fpecies. This occafions a further deviation from the regular form: thus loveth, turneth, are contracted into lov'th, turn'th, and thefe for easier pronunciation immediately become loves, turns. Verbs ending in ch, ck, p, x, ll, fs, in the Paft Time Active, and the Participle Perfect or Paffive, admit the change of ed into t; as, [9] fnatcht, checkt, fnapt, mixt, dropping alfo one of [9] Some of thefe Contractions are harsh and difagreeable: and it were better, if they were avoided and difused: but they prevail in common discourse, and are admitted into Poetry; which latter indeed cannot well do without them. the double letters, dwelt, past; for fnatched, checked, fnapped, mixed, dwelled, paffed: thofe that end in l, m, n, p, after a diphthong, more over shorten the diphthong, or change it into a fingle fhort vowel; as, dealt, dreamt, meant, felt, flept, &c: all for the fame reafon; from the quickness of the pronunciation, and because the dafter a fhort vowel will not easily coalefce with the preceding confonant. Thofe that end in ve change also v intoƒ; as bereave, bereft ; leave, left; because likewife v after a fhort vowel will not eafily coalefce with t. All thefe, of which I have hitherto given examples, are confidered not as Irregular, but as Contracted only: in moft of them the Intire as well as the Contracted form is used; and the Intire form is generally to be preferred to the Contracted. The formation of Verbs in English, both Regular and Irregular, is derived from the Saxon. The Irregular Verbs in English are all Monofyllables, unless compounded; and they are for the most part the fame words which are Irregular Verbs in the Saxon. As all our Regular Verbs are fubject to fome kind of Contraction; fo the first Class of Irregulars is of those, that become fo from the fame cause. Irregulars I.. Irregulars by Contraction. Some Verbs ending in d or i have the Prefent, the Paft Time, and the Participle Perfect and Paffive, all alike, without any variation: as, beat, burft [1], caft [2], coft, cut, heat * [3], hit, hurt, knit, let, lift*, light*, [4], put, quit*, read [5], rent, rid, fet, shed, shred, fhut, flit, fplit [6], fpread, thruft, wet. [1] These two have alfo beaten and burften in the Participle and in that form they belong to the Third Class of Irregulars. [2] Shakespear ufes the Participle in the Regular Form: "And when the mind is quicken'd, out of doubt The organs, tho' defunct and dead before, Hen. V. Break up their drowsie grave, and newly move With cafted flough, and fresh celerity." [3]"He commanded, that they fhould heat the furnace one feven times more than it was wont to be beat." Dan, iii. 19. The Verbs marked thus *, throughout the three Claffes of Irregulars, have the Regular as well as the Irregular Form in ufe. [4] This Verb in the Paft Time and Participle is pronounced fhort, light or lit: but the Regular Form is preferable, and prevails moft in writing. [5] This Verb in the Paft Time and Participle is pronounced short; read, red, red; like lead, led, led; and perhaps ought to be written in this manner: our antient writers spelt it redde, [6] Shakespear ufes the Participle in the Regular Form: "That felf hand, Which writ his honour in the acts it did, Hath, with the courage which the heart did lend it, Ant. and Cleop. Thefe |