An English Grammar Part 46

_Past perfect definite._ " None.

Imperative Mood.

_Present tense._ (2d per.) Be chosen.

Also, in _affirmative sentences_, the indicative present and past tenses have emphatic forms made up of _do_ and _did_ with the infinitive or simple form; as, "He _does strike_," "He _did strike_."

[_Note to Teacher_.--This table is not to be learned now; if learned at all, it should be as practice work on strong and weak verb forms.

Exercises should be given, however, to bring up sentences containing such of these conjugation forms as the pupil will find readily in literature.]

VERBS CLa.s.sIFIED ACCORDING TO FORM.

[Sidenote: _Kinds._]

244. According to form, verbs are strong or weak.

[Sidenote: _Definition._]

A strong verb forms its past tense by changing the vowel of the present tense form, but adds no ending; as, _run_, _ran_; _drive_, _drove_.

A weak verb always adds an ending to the present to form the past tense, and _may_ or _may not_ change the vowel: as, _beg_, _begged_; _lay_, _laid_; _sleep_, _slept_; _catch_, _caught_.

245. TABLE OF STRONG VERBS.

NOTE. Some of these also have weak forms, which are in parentheses

_Present Tense._ _Past Tense._ _Past Participle._

abide abode abode arise arose arisen awake awoke (awaked) awoke (awaked) bear bore {borne (active) {born (pa.s.sive) begin began begun behold beheld beheld bid bade, bid bidden, bid bind bound {bound, {[_adj._ bounden]

bite bit bitten, bit blow blew blown break broke broken chide chid chidden, chid choose chose chosen cleave clove, clave (cleft) cloven (cleft) climb [clomb] climbed climbed cling clung clung come came come crow crew (crowed) (crowed) dig dug dug do did done draw drew drawn drink drank {drunk, drank {[_adj._ drunken]

drive drove driven eat ate, eat eaten, eat fall fell fallen fight fought fought find found found fling flung flung fly flew flown forbear forbore forborne forget forgot forgotten forsake forsook forsaken freeze froze frozen get got got [gotten]

give gave given go went gone grind ground ground grow grew grown hang hung (hanged) hung (hanged) hold held held know knew known lie lay lain ride rode ridden ring rang rung run ran run see saw seen shake shook shaken shear sh.o.r.e (sheared) shorn (sheared) s.h.i.+ne shone shone shoot shot shot shrink shrank or shrunk shrunk shrive shrove shriven sing sang or sung sung sink sank or sunk sunk _[adj._ sunken]

sit sat [sate] sat slay slew slain slide slid slidden, slid sling slung slung slink slunk slunk smite smote smitten speak spoke spoken spin spun spun spring sprang, sprung sprung stand stood stood stave stove (staved) (staved) steal stole stolen stick stuck stuck sting stung stung stink stunk, stank stunk stride strode stridden strike struck struck, stricken string strung strung strive strove striven swear swore sworn swim swam or swum swum swing swung swung take took taken tear tore torn thrive throve (thrived) thriven (thrived) throw threw thrown tread trod trodden, trod wear wore worn weave wove woven win won won wind wound wound wring wrung wrung write wrote written

Remarks on Certain Verb Forms.

246. Several of the perfect participles are seldom used except as adjectives: as, "his _bounden_ duty," "the _cloven_ hoof," "a _drunken_ wretch," "a _sunken_ snag." _Stricken_ is used mostly of diseases; as, "_stricken_ with paralysis."

The verb bear (to bring forth) is peculiar in having one participle (_borne_) for the active, and another (_born_) for the pa.s.sive. When it means _to carry_ or to _endure_, _borne_ is also a pa.s.sive.

The form clomb is not used in prose, but is much used in vulgar English, and sometimes occurs in poetry; as,--

Thou hast _clomb_ aloft.--WORDSWORTH

Or pine grove whither woodman never _clomb_.--COLERIDGE

The forms of cleave are really a mixture of two verbs,--one meaning _to adhere_ or _cling_; the other, _to split_. The former used to be _cleave_, _cleaved_, _cleaved_; and the latter, _cleave_, _clave_ or _clove_, _cloven_. But the latter took on the weak form _cleft_ in the past tense and past participle,--as (from Shakespeare), "O Hamlet!

thou hast _cleft_ my heart in twain,"--while _cleave_ (to cling) sometimes has _clove_, as (from Holmes), "The old Latin tutor _clove_ to Virgilius Maro." In this confusion of usage, only one set remains certain,--_cleave_, _cleft_, _cleft_ (to split).

Crew is seldom found in present-day English.

Not a c.o.c.k _crew_, nor a dog barked.--IRVING.

Our c.o.c.k, which always _crew_ at eleven, now told us it was time for repose.--GOLDSMITH.

Historically, drunk is the one correct past participle of the verb _drink_. But _drunk_ is very much used as an adjective, instead of _drunken_ (meaning intoxicated); and, probably to avoid confusion with this, drank is a good deal used as a past participle: thus,--

We had each _drank_ three times at the well.--B. TAYLOR.

This liquor _was_ generally _drank_ by Wood and Billings.

--THACKERAY.

Sometimes in literary English, especially in that of an earlier period, it is found that the verb eat has the past tense and past participle _eat_ (et), instead of _ate_ and _eaten_; as, for example,--

It ate the food it ne'er had _eat_.--COLERIDGE.

How fairy Mab the junkets _eat_.--MILTON.

The island princes overbold Have _eat_ our substance.--TENNYSON.

This is also very much used in spoken and vulgar English.

The form gotten is little used, _got_ being the preferred form of past participle as well as past tense. One example out of many is,--

We _had_ all _got_ safe on sh.o.r.e.--DE FOE.

Hung and hanged both are used as the past tense and past participle of _hang_; but _hanged_ is the preferred form when we speak of execution by hanging; as,

The butler _was hanged_.--_Bible._

The verb sat is sometimes spelled _sate_; for example,--

Might we have _sate_ and talked where gowans blow.--WORDSWORTH.

He _sate_ him down, and seized a pen.--BYRON.

"But I _sate_ still and finished my plaiting."--KINGSLEY.

Usually shear is a weak verb. _Shorn_ and _sh.o.r.e_ are not commonly used: indeed, _sh.o.r.e_ is rare, even in poetry.

This heard Geraint, and grasping at his sword, _Sh.o.r.e_ thro' the swarthy neck.--TENNYSON.