In the preceding list, some of the verbs will be found to be conjugated regularly, as well as irregularly; and those which admit of the regular form are marked with an R. There is a preference to be given to some of these, which custom and judgment must determine. Those preterits and participles which are first mentioned in the list, seem to be most eligible. The Compiler has not inserted such verbs as are irregular only in familiar writing or discourse, and which are improperly terminated by t, instead of ed: as, learnt, spelt, spilt, &c. These should be avoided in every sort of composition. It is, however, proper to observe, that some contractions of ed into t, are unexceptionable and others, the only established forms. of expression as crept, guilt, &c, and lost, felt, slept, &c. These allowable and necessary contractions must therefore be carefully distinguished by the learner, from those that are exceptionable. The words which are obsolete have also been omitted, that the learner might not be induced to mistake them for words in present use. Such are, wreathen, drunken, holpen, molten, gotten, holden, bounden, &c. and swang, wrang, slank, strawed, gat, break, tare, ware, &c. : SECTION 11. Of Defective Verbs; and of the different ways in which verbs are conjugated. DEFECTIVE VERBS are those which are used only in some of their moods and tenses. The principal of them are these. Imperfect. Perf. or Pass. Part. Present. Can, could, quoth, That the verbs must and ought have both a present and past signification, appears from the following sentences : "I must own that I am to blame ;""He must have been mistaken;""Speaking things which they ought not;" "These ought ye to have done." In most languages there are some verbs which are defective with respect to persons. These are denominated impersonal verbs. They are used only in the third person, because they refer to a subject peculiarly appropriated to that person; as, "It rains, it snows, it hails, it lightens, it thunders." But as the word impersonal implies a total absence of persons, it is improperly applied to those verbs which have a person and hence it is manifest, that there is no such thing in English, nor indeed, in any language, as a sort of verbs really impersonal. The whole number of verbs in the English language, regular and irregular, simple and compounded, taken together, is about 4300. The number of irregular verbs, the defective included, is about 177.* Some Grammarians have thought that the English verbs, as well as those of the Greek, Latin, French, and other languages, might be classed into several conjugations ; and that the three different terminations of the participle might be the distinguishing characteristics. They have accordingly proposed three conjugations; namely, the * The whole number of words, in the English language, is about thir ty-five thousand. |