Chapter 21

+The _Past Perfect Participle_ denotes action or being as completed at a time previous to that indicated by the predicate+.

+_Tense_ is that modification of the verb which expresses the time of the action or being+.

+The _Present Tense_ expresses action or being as present+.

+The _Past Tense_ expresses action or being as past+.

+The _Future Tense_ expresses action or being as yet to come+.

+The _Present Perfect Tense_ expresses action or being as completed at the present time+.

+The _Past Perfect Tense_ expresses action or being as completed at some past time+.

+The _Future Perfect Tense _expresses action or being to be completed at some future time+.

+_Number _and _Person _of a verb are those modifications that show its agreement with the number and person of its subject+.

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LESSON 132.

FORMS OF THE VERB.

CONJUGATION.

+DEFINITIONS+.

+_Conjugation_ is the regular arrangement of all the forms of the verb+.

+_Synopsis _is the regular arrangement of the forms of one number and person in all the modes and tenses+.

+_Auxiliary Verbs _are those that help in the conjugation of other verbs.+

The auxiliaries are _do, did, have, had, shall, should, will, would, may, might, can, could, must,_ and _be_ (with all its variations, see Lesson 135).

+The _Principal Parts_ of a verb, or those from which the other parts are derived, are the present indicative or the present infinitive, the past indicative, and the past participle.+

List of Irregular Verbs. [Footnote: Grammarians have classed verbs on the basis of their form or history as Strong (or Old) and Weak (or New).

Strong verbs form their past tense by changing the vowel of the present without adding anything; weak verbs form their past tense by adding _ed, d,_ or _t._ Some weak verbs change the vowel of the present; as, _tell, told; teach, taught._ These are weak because they add _d_ or _t._

Some weak verbs shorten the vowel of the present without adding anything; as, _feed, fed; lead, led;_ and some have the present and the past alike; as, _set, set; rid, rid._ They have dropped the past tense ending.

The past participle of all strong verbs once ended in _en_ or _n,_ but in many verbs this ending is now lost.

Since most verbs form their past tense and past participle by adding _ed,_ we call such Regular, and all others Irregular. Our irregular verbs include all strong verbs and those that may be called "irregular weak" verbs.

Of the _ed_ added to form the past tense of regular verbs, _d_ is what remains of _did;_ _we did love,_ for instance, being written _love-did-we._ This derivation of _d_ in _ed_ is questioned. The _d_ of the participle is not from _did_ but is from an old participle suffix. The _e_ in the _ea_ of both these forms is the old connecting vowel.]

TO THE TEACHER.--It would be well to require the pupils, in studying and in reciting these lists of irregular verbs, to frame short sentences illustrating the proper use of the past tense and the past participle, _e.g._ I _began_ yesterday; He has _begun_ to do better. In this way the pupils will be saved the mechanical labor of memorizing forms which they already know how to use, and they will be led to correct what has been faulty in their use of other forms.

+Remarks.+--Verbs that have both a regular and an irregular form are called +Redundant.+

Verbs that are wanting in any of their parts, as _can_ and _may,_ are called +Defective.+

The present participle is not here given as a principal part. It may always be formed from the present tense by adding _ing._

In adding _ing_ and other terminations, the Rules for Spelling (see Lesson 127) should be observed.

The forms below in Italics are regular; and those in smaller type are obsolete, and need not be committed to memory.

_Present. Past. Past Par._ Abide, abode, abode. Awake, awoke, _awaked. awaked._ Be _or_ am, was, been. Bear, bore, born, (_bring forth_) bare, borne. Bear, bore, borne. (_carry_) bare, Beat, beat, beaten, beat. Begin, began, begun. Bend, bent, bent, _bended, bended._ Bereave, bereft, bereft, _bereaved, bereaved._ Beseech, besought, besought. Bet, bet, bet, _betted, betted._ Bid, bade, bid, bidden, bid. Bind, bound, bound. Bite, bit, bitten, bit. Bleed, bled, bled. Blend, blent, blent, _blended, blended._ Bless, blest, blest, blessed, blessed. Blow, blew, blown. Break, broke, broken. brake, Breed, bred, bred. Bring, brought, brought. Build, built, built. Burn burnt, burnt, burned, burned. Burst, burst, burst. Buy, bought, bought. Can,[1] could, -----. Cast, cast, cast. Catch, caught, caught. Chide, chid, chidden, chid. Choose, chose, chosen. Cleave, _cleaved, cleaved._ (_adhere_) clave, Cleave cleft, cleft, (_split_) clove, cloven, clave, _cleaved._ Cling, clung, clung. Clothe, clad, clad, _clothed clothed._ (Be)Come, came, come. Cost, cost, cost. Creep, crept, crept. Crow crew, _crowed._ _crowed_, Cut, cut, cut. Dare, durst, _dared_. (_venture_) _dared_, Deal, dealt, dealt. Dig, dug, dug, _digged_, _digged._ Do, did, done. Draw, drew, drawn. Dream, dreamt, dreamt, _dreamed, dreamed._ Dress drest, drest, _dressed, dressed._ Drink, drank, drunk. Drive, drove, driven. Dwell dwelt, dwelt, _dwelled, dwelled._ Eat, ate, eaten. (Be) Fall, fell, fallen. Feed, fed, fed. Feel, felt, felt. Fight, fought, fought. Find, found, found. Flee, fled, fled. Fling, flung, flung. Fly, flew, flown. Forsake, forsook, forsaken. Forbear, forbore, forborne. Freeze, froze, frozen. (For)Get, got, got, gotten.[2] Gild, gilt, gilt, _gilded, gilded._ Gird, girt, girt, _girded, girded._ (For)Give, gave, given. Go, went,[3] gone. (En)Grave _graved, graved,_ graven. Grind, ground, ground. Grow, grew, grown. Hang, hung, hung, _hanged, hanged_.[4] Have, had, had. Hear, heard heard. Heave hove, hove,[5] _heaved, heaved._ Hew, _hewed, hewed,_ hewn. Hide, hid, hidden, hid. Hit, hit, hit. (Be)Hold, held, held, holden. Hurt, hurt, hurt. Keep, kept, kept. Kneel knelt, knelt, _kneeled, kneeled._ Knit knit, knit, _knitted, knitted._ Know, knew, known. Lade, _laded, laded,_ (load) laden. Lay, laid, laid. Lead, led, led.

[Footnote 1: Can, may, shall, will, must, and ought were originally past forms. This accounts for their having no change in the third person.]

[Footnote 2: Gotten is obsolescent except in forgotten.]

[Footnote 3: _Went_ is the past of _wend,_ to _go_.]

[Footnote 4: _Hang,_ to execute by hanging, is regular.]

[Footnote 5: _Hove_ is used in sea language.]

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LESSON 133.

LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS--CONTINUED.

_Present. Past. Past Par._

Lean, leant, leant, _leaned, leaned_. Leap, leapt, leapt, _leaped, leaped_. Learn, learnt, learnt, _learned, learned_. Leave, left, left. Lend, lent, lent. Let, let, let. Lie, lay, lain. (_recline_) Light, _lighted, lighted_, lit, lit.[1] Lose, lost, lost. Make, made, made. May, might, ----. Mean, meant, meant. Meet, met, met. Mow, _mowed, mowed_, mown. Must, ----, ----. Ought, ----, ----. Pay, paid, paid. Pen, pent, pent, (_inclose_) _penned, penned_. Put, put, put. Quit, quit, quit, _quitted, quitted_. ----, quoth,[2] ----. Rap, rapt, rapt, _rapped, rapped_. Read, read, read. Rend, rent, rent. Rid, rid, rid. Ride, rode, ridden. Ring, rang, rung, _rung_, (A)Rise, rose, risen. Rive, _rived_, riven, _rived_. Run, ran, run. Saw, _sawed, sawed_, sawn. Say, said, said. See, saw, seen. Seek, sought, sought. Seethe, _seethed, seethed_, sod, sodden. Sell, sold, sold. Send, sent, sent. (Be)Set, set, set. Shake, shook, shaken. Shall, should, ------. Shape, _shaped, shaped_, shapen Shave, _shaved, shaved_, shaven. Shear, _sheared, sheared_, shore, shorn. Shed, shed, shed. Shine, shone, shone. Shoe, shod, shod. Shoot, shot, shot. Show, _showed_, shown, _showed_. Shred, shred, shred. Shrink, shrank, shrunk, shrunk, shrunken. Shut, shut, shut. Sing, sang, sung. sung, Sink, sank, sunk, sunk, sunken. Sit, sat, sat. Slay, slew, slain. Sleep, slept, slept. Slide, slid, slidden, slid. Sling, slung, slung. slang Slink, slunk, slunk. Slit, slit, slit, _slitted, slitted_. Smell, smelt, smelt, _smelled, smelled_. Smite, smote, smitten, smit. Sow, _sowed_, sown, _sowed_. Speak, spoke, spoken. spake, Speed, sped, sped. Spell, spelt, spelt, _spelled, spelled_. Spend, spent, spent. Spill, spilt, spilt, _spilled, spilled_. Spin, spun, spun. span, Spit, spit, spit, spat, spitten. Split, split, split. Spoil, spoilt, spoilt, _spoiled, spoiled_. Spread, spread, spread. Spring, sprang, sprung. sprung, Stand, stood, stood. Stave, stove, stove, _staved, staved_. Stay, staid, staid, _stayed, stayed_. Steal, stole, stolen. Stick, stuck, stuck. Sting, stung, stung. Stink, stunk, stunk. stank, Strew, _strewed_, strewn, _strewed_. Stride, strode, stridden. Strike, struck, struck, stricken. String, strung, strung, Strive, strove, striven. Strow, _strowed_, strown, _strowed_. Swear, swore, sworn sware, Sweat, sweat, sweat, _sweated, sweated_. Sweep, swept, swept. Swell, _swelled_, _swelled_, swollen. Swim, swam, swum. swum, Swing, swung, swung. Take, took, taken, Teach, taught, taught. Tear, tore, torn. tare, Tell, told, told. Think, thought, thought. Thrive, throve, thriven, _thrived_, _thrived_. Throw, threw, thrown. Thrust, thrust, thrust. Tread, trod, trodden, trod. Wake, _waked_, _waked_, woke, woke. Wax, _waxed_, _waxed_, waxen. Wear, wore, worn. Weave, wove, woven. Weep, wept, wept. Wet, wet, wet. Will, would, ----. Win, won, won. Wind, wound, wound. Work, wrought, wrought, _worked_, _worked_. (to)wit, wot, wist, ----. Wring, wrung, wrung. Write, wrote, written.

[Footnote 1: _Lighted_ Is preferred to _lit_.]

[Footnote 2: _Quoth_, now nearly obsolete, is used only in the first and the third person of the past tense. _Quoth_ I = _said_ I. Other forms nearly obsolete are sometimes met in literature; as, "_Methinks_ I scent the morning air"; "Woe _worth_ the day." _Methinks_ (A. S. _thincan_, to seem, not _thencan_, to think) = _seems to me_. In the sentence above, _I scent the morning air_ is the subject, _thinks_ is the predicate, and _me_ is a "dative," or a pronoun used adverbially. Woe _worth_ (A. S. _weorthan_, to _be_ or _become_) the day = Woe _be_ to the day, or _Let_ woe _be_ to the day, or _May_ woe _be_ to the day.]

NOTE.--Professor Lounsbury says, "Modern English has lost not a single one [irregular, or strong, verb] since the reign of Queen Elizabeth"; and adds, "The present disposition of the language is not only to hold firmly to the strong verbs it already possesses but ... even to extend their number whenever possible." And he instances a few which since 1600 have deserted from the regular conjugation to the irregular.

But it should be said that new English verbs, from whatever source derived, form their past tense and participle in _ed_. So that while the regular verbs are not increasing by desertions from the irregular, the regular verbs are slowly gaining in number.

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LESSON 134.

FORMS OF THE VERB--CONTINUED.

CONJUGATION [Footnote: We give the conjugation of the verb in the simplest form consistent with what is now demanded of a text-book. Much of this scheme might well be omitted.

Those who wish to reject the Potential Mode, and who prefer a more elaborate and technical classification of the mode and tense forms, are referred to pages 373, 374. ]--SIMPLEST FORM.

REMARK.--English verbs have few inflections compared with those of other languages. Some irregular verbs have seven forms--+see+, +saw+, +seeing+, +seen+, +sees+, +seest+, +sawest+; regular verbs have six--+walk+, +walked+, +walking+, +walks+, +walkest+, +walkedst+. As a substitute for other inflections we prefix auxiliary verbs, and make what are called _compound_, or _periphrastic_, forms.

+Direction+.--_Fill out the following forms, using the principal parts of the verb walk--present +walk+; past +walked+; past participle +walked+:_--

INDICATIVE MODE.

PRESENT TENSE.

Singular. Plural. 1. (I) /Pres./, 1. (We) /Pres./, 2. (You) /Pres./, 2. (You) /Pres./, (Thou) /Pres./+est,[1], 3. (He) /Pres./+s;[1] 3. (They) /Pres./.

PAST TENSE.

1. (I) /Past/, 1. (We) /Past/, 2. (You) /Past/, 2. (You) /Past/, (Thou) /Past/+st+, 3. (He) /Past/; 3. (They) /Past/.

FUTURE TENSE.

1. (I) shall /Pres./, 1. (We) shall /Pres./, 2. (You) will /Pres./, 2. (You) will /Pres./, (Thou) wil-+t+ /Pres./, 3. (He) will /Pres./; 3. (They) will /Pres./.

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE.

1. (I) have /Past Par./, 1. (We) have /Past Par./, 2. (You) have /Past Par./, 2. (You) have /Past Par./, (Thou) ha-+st+ /Past Par./, 3. (He) ha-+s+ /Past Par./; 3. (They) have /Past Par./.

PAST PERFECT TENSE.

1. (I) had /Past Par./, 1. (We) had /Past Par./ 2. (You) had /Past Par./, 2. (You) had /Past Par./ (Thou) had-+st+ /Past Par./, 3. (He) had /Past Par./; 3. (They) had /Past Par./

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE.

1. (I) shall have /Past Par./, 1. (We) shall have /Past Par./, 2. (You) will have /Past Par./, 2. (You) will have /Past Par./, (Thou) wil-+t+ have /Past Par./,

3. (He)...will have..../Past Par./; 3. (They) will have /Past Par./.

[Footnote 1: In the indicative present, second, singular, old style, _st_ is sometimes added in stead of _est_; and in the third person, common style, _es_ is added when _s_ will not unite. In the third person, old style, _eth_ is added.]

POTENTIAL MODE.[2]

PRESENT TENSE.

Singular. Plural.

1. (I) may /Pres./, 1. (We) may /Pres./, 2. (You) may /Pres./, 2. (You) may /Pres./, (Thou) may-+st+ /Pres./, 3. (He) may /Pres./; 3. (They) may /Pres./.

PAST TENSE.

1. (I) might /Pres./, 1. (We) might /Pres./, 2. (You) might /Pres./, 2. (You) might /Pres./, (Thou) might-+st+ /Pres./, 3. (He) might /Pres./; 3. (They) might /Pres./.

PRESENT PERFECT TENSE.

1. (I) may have /Past Par./, 1. (We) may have /Past Par./, 2. (You) may have /Past Par./, 2. (You) may have /Past Par./, (Thou) may-+st+ have /Past Par./, 3. (He) may have /Past Par./. 3. (They) may have /Past Par./.

PAST PERFECT TENSE.

1. (I) might have /Past Par./, 1. (We) might have /Past Par./, 2. (You) might have /Past Par./, 2. (You) might have /Past Par./, (Thou) might-+st+ have /Past Par./, 3. (He) might have /Past Par./. 3. (They) might have /Past Par./.

Singular.

[Footnote 2: Those who do not wish to recognize a Potential Mode, but prefer the unsatisfactory task of determining when _may, can, must, might, could, would, and should_ are independent verbs in the indicative, and when auxiliaries in the subjunctive, are referred to pages 370-374.]

SUBJUNCTIVE MODE.[3]

PRESENT TENSE.

Singular.

2. (If thou) /Pres./ 3. (If he) /Pres./

[Footnote 3: The subjunctive as a form of the verb is fading out of the language. The only distinctive forms remaining (except for the verb _be_) are the second and the third person singular of the present, and even these ate giving way to the indicative. Such forms as If he _have loved_, etc. are exceptional. It is true that other forms, as, If he _had known, Had_ he _been_, _Should_ he _fall_, may be used in a true subjunctive sense, to assert what is a mere conception of the mind, i. e., what is merely thought of, without regard to its being or becoming a fact; but in these cases it is not the form of the verb but the connective or something in the construction of the sentence that determines the manner of assertion. In parsing, the verbs in such constructions may be treated as indicative or potential, with a subjunctive meaning.

The offices of the different mode and tense forms are constantly interchanging; a classification based strictly on meaning would be very difficult, and would confuse the learner.]

IMPERATIVE MODE.[4]

PRESENT TENSE.

Singular. Plural.

2. /Pres./ (you or thou); 2. /Pres./ (you or ye).

[Footnote 4: From such forms as _Let us sing, Let them talk_, some grammarians make a first and a third person imperative. But _us_ is not the subject of the verb-phrase _let-sing_, and _let_ is not of the first person. _Us_ is the object complement of _let_, and the infinitive _sing_ is the objective complement, having us for its assumed subject.

Some would find a first and a third person imperative in such sentences as "Now tread _we_ a measure"; "_Perish_ the _thought_." But these verbs express strong wish or desire and by some grammarians are called "optative subjunctives." "Perish the thought" = "May the thought perish," or "I desire that the thought may perish," or "Let the thought perish."]

INFINITIVES.

PRESENT TENSE. PRESENT PERFECT TENSE.

(To)[5] /Pres./ (To) have /Past Par./

[Footnote 5: _To_, as indicated by the (), is not treated as a part of the verb. Writers on language are generally agreed that when _to_ introduces an infinitive phrase used as an adjective or an adverb, it performs its proper function as a preposition, meaning _toward_, _for_, etc.; as, I am inclined _to_ believe; I came _to_ hear. When the infinitive phrase is used as a noun, the _to_ expresses no relation; it seems merely to introduce the phrase. When a word loses its proper function without taking on the function of some other part of speech, we do not see why it should change its name. In the expressions, _For_ me to do this would be wrong; _Over_ the fence is out of danger, few grammarians would hesitate to call _for_ and _over_ prepositions, though they have no antecedent term of relation.