Here the writer expresses the inspiration and the supernatural powers of Jesus, not as properties or virtues which he really did possess, but which, though not possessing them, he might be supposed to possess. Now, as his intention was to ascribe these virtues to Jesus, as truly belonging to him, he should have employed the indicative form was, and not were, as in the following sentence: “though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor.” “Though he were rich,” would imply the non-existence of the attribute; in other words, “that he was not rich.”
A very little attention would serve to prevent these ambiguities and errors. If the attribute be conceived as unconditionally certain, the indicative form without ellipsis must be employed, as, “I teach,” “I had taught,” “I shall teach.” If futurity, hypothesis, or uncertainty, be intended, with the concessive term, the auxiliary may be either expressed or understood, as perspicuity may require, and the taste and judgment of the writer may dictate; thus, “if any man teach strange doctrines, he shall be severely rebuked.” In the former clause the auxiliary verb shall is unnecessary, and is therefore, without impropriety, omitted. “Then hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, that thou teach them the good way wherein they should walk.”—Bible. In this example the suppression of the auxiliary verb is somewhat unfavourable to perspicuity, and renders the clause stiff and awkward. It would be better, I think, “thou mayest teach them the good way.” Harshness, indeed, and the appearance of affectation, should be particularly avoided. Where there is no manifest danger of misconception, the use of the assertive for the dubitative form is far preferable to those starched and pedantic phraseologies which some writers are fond of exhibiting. For this reason, such expressions as the following appear to me highly offensive: “if thou have determined, we must submit;” “unless he have consented, the writing will be void;” “if this have been the seat of their original formation;” “unless thou shall speak, we cannot determine.” The last I consider as truly ungrammatical. In such cases, if the dubitative phraseology should appear to be preferable, the stiffness and affectation here reprehended may frequently be prevented by inserting the note of doubt or contingency.
I observe farther, that the substitution of as for if when the affirmation is unconditional, will often serve to prevent ambiguity[71]. Thus, when the ant in the fable says to the grasshopper who had trifled away the summer in singing, “if you sung in summer, dance in winter;” as the first clause, taken by itself, leaves the meaning somewhat ambiguous, “as you sung,” would be the better expression.
IRREGULAR VERBS.
The general rule for the formation of the preterite tense, and the perfect participle, is to add to the present the syllable ed, if the verb end with a consonant, or d, if it end with a vowel, as
Turn, Turned, Turned; Love, Loved, Loved.
Verbs, which depart from this rule, are called irregular, of which I believe the subsequent enumeration to be nearly complete[72].
| Present. | Preterite. | Perfect Participle. |
| Abide | Abode | Abode |
| Am | Was | Been |
| Arise | Arose | Arisen |
| Awake | Awoke R | Awaked |
| Bake | Baked | Baken R |
| Bear, to bring forth | Bore, or Bear | Born[73] |
| Bear, to carry | Bore, or Bear | Borne |
| Beat | Beat | Beaten |
| Begin | Began | Begun |
| Become | Became | Become |
| Behold | Beheld | Beheld, or Beholden[74] |
| Bend | Bent R | Bent R |
| Bereave | Bereft R | Bereft R |
| Beseech | Besought | Besought |
| Bid | Bade, or Bid | Bidden |
| Bind | Bound | Bound |
| Bite | Bit | Bitten, Bit[75] |
| Bleed | Bled | Bled |
| Blow | Blew | Blown |
| Break | Broke, or Brake | Broken[76] |
| Breed | Bred | Bred |
| Bring | Brought | Brought |
| Build | Built R | Built[77] R |
| Burst | Burst | Burst |
| Buy | Bought | Bought |
| Can | Could | |
| Cast | Cast | Cast |
| Catch | Caught R | Caught R |
| Chide | Chid[78] | Chidden |
| Choose | Chose | Chosen |
| Cleave, to stick or adhere | Clave R | Cleaved |
| Cleave, to split | Clove, or Clave, or Cleft | Cloven, or Cleft |
| Cling | Clung | Clung |
| Climb | Clomb[79] R | Climbed |
| Clothe | Clad[80] R | Clad R |
| Come | Came | Come |
| Cost | Cost | Cost |
| Crow | Crew R | Crowed |
| Creep | Crept | Crept |
| Cut | Cut | Cut |
| Dare, to venture | Durst R | Dared |
| Dare, to challenge, is regular. | ||
| Deal | Dealt R | Dealt R |
| Dig | Dug R | Dug R |
| Do | Did | Done |
| Draw | Drew | Drawn |
| Drive | Drove | Driven |
| Drink | Drank | Drunk |
| Dwell | Dwelt R | Dwelt R |
| Eat | Ate | Eaten |
| Fall | Fell | Fallen |
| Feed | Fed | Fed |
| Feel | Felt | Felt |
| Fight | Fought | Fought |
| Find | Found | Found |
| Flee | Fled | Fled |
| Fly | Flew | Flown |
| Fling | Flung | Flung |
| Forget | Forgot | Forgotten |
| Forgo[81] | Forgone | |
| Forsake | Forsook | Forsaken |
| Freeze | Froze | Frozen |
| Freight | Freighted | Freighted, or Fraught[82] |
| Get | Gat, or Got | Gotten, or Got |
| Gild | Gild R | Gilt R |
| Gird | Girt R | Girt R |
| Give | Gave | Given |
| Go | Went | Gone |
| Grave | Graved | Graven R |
| Grind | Ground | Ground |
| Grow | Grew | Grown |
| Have | Had | Had |
| Hang[83] | Hung R | Hung R |
| Hear | Heard | Heard |
| Heave | Hove[84] R | Hoven R |
| Help | Helped | Holpen[85] R |
| Hew | Hewed | Hewn R |
| Hide | Hid | Hidden[86], or Hid |
| Hit | Hit | Hit |
| Hold | Held | Holden[87], or Held |
| Hurt | Hurt | Hurt |
| Keep | Kept | Kept |
| Kneel | Knelt | Knelt |
| Knit | Knit, or Knitted | Knit, or Knitted |
| Know | Knew | Known |
| Lade | Laded | Laden[88] |
| Lay | Laid | Laid[89] |
| Lead | Led | Led |
| Leave | Left | Left |
| Lend | Lent | Lent |
| Let | Let | Let |
| Lie, to lie down | Lay | Lien, or Lain[90] |
| Lift | Lifted, or Lift | Lifted, or Lift |
| Light | Lighted, or Lit[91] | Lighted, or Lit |
| Load | Loaded | Loaden, or Loaded |
| Lose | Lost | Lost |
| Make | Made | Made |
| May | Might | |
| Mean | Meant R | Meant R |
| Meet | Met | Met |
| Mow | Mowed | Mown[92] R |
| Must | ||
| Pay | Paid | Paid |
| Put | Put | Put |
| Quit | Quit, or Quitted[93] | Quit |
| Read | Read | Read |
| Rend | Rent | Rent |
| Ride | Rode, or Rid | Rid[94], or Ridden |
| Rid | Rid | Rid |
| Ring | Rang, or Rung | Rung |
| Rise | Rose | Risen |
| Rive | Rived | Riven |
| Roast | Roasted | Roasted, or Roast[95] |
| Rot | Rotted | Rotten R |
| Run | Ran | Run |
| Saw | Sawed | Sawn R |
| Say | Said | Said |
| See | Saw | Seen |
| Seek | Sought | Sought |
| Seethe | Seethed, or Sod | Sodden |
| Sell | Sold | Sold |
| Send | Sent | Sent |
| Set | Set | Set |
| Shake | Shook | Shaken[96] |
| Shall | Should | |
| Shape | Shaped | Shapen R |
| Shave | Shaved | Shaven R |
| Shear | Shore | Shorn |
| Shed | Shed | Shed |
| Shine | Shone R | Shone R |
| Shew | Shewed | Shewn |
| Show | Showed | Shown |
| Shoe | Shod | Shod |
| Shoot | Shot | Shot |
| Shrink | Shrank[97], or Shrunk | Shrunk |
| Shred | Shred | Shred |
| Shut | Shut | Shut |
| Sing | Sang[98], or Sung | Sung |
| Sink | Sank, or Sunk | Sunk |
| Sit | Sat | Sitten[99], or Sat |
| Slay | Slew | Slain |
| Sleep | Slept | Slept |
| Slide | Slid | Slidden |
| Sling | Slang, or Slung | Slung |
| Slink | Slank, or Slunk | Slunk |
| Slit | Slit R | Slit, or Slitted |
| Smite | Smote | Smitten |
| Sow | Sowed | Sown R |
| Speak | Spoke, or Spake | Spoken |
| Speed | Sped | Sped |
| Spend | Spent | Spent |
| Spill | Spilt R | Spilt R |
| Spin | Spun, or Span | Spun |
| Spit | Spat, or Spit | Spitten, or Spit |
| Split | Split, or Splitted | Split, Splitted |
| Spread | Spread | Spread |
| Spring | Sprang, or Sprung | Sprung |
| Stand | Stood | Stood |
| Steal | Stole | Stolen |
| Stick | Stuck | Stuck |
| Sting | Stung | Stung |
| Stink | Stank, or Stunk | Stunk |
| Stride | Strode, or Strove | Stridden |
| Strike | Struck | Struck, or Stricken |
| String | Strung | Strung |
| Strive | Strove | Striven |
| Strew, or Strow | Strewed, or Strowed | Strown |
| Swear | Swore, or Sware | Sworn |
| Sweat | Sweat | Sweat |
| Sweep | Swept | Swept |
| Swell | Swelled | Swelled, or Swollen |
| Swim | Swam, or Swum | Swum |
| Swing | Swang | Swung |
| Take | Took | Taken |
| Teach | Taught | Taught |
| Tear | Tore, or Tare | Torn |
| Tell | Told | Told |
| Think | Thought | Thought |
| Thrive | Throve[100] | Thriven |
| Throw | Through | Thrown |
| Thrust | Thrust | Thrust |
| Tread | Trod | Trodden |
| Wax | Waxed | Waxen R |
| Wash | Washed | Washed[101] |
| Wear | Wore | Worn |
| Weave | Wove | Woven |
| Weep | Wept | Wept |
| Will | Would | |
| Win | Won | Won |
| Wind | Wound[102] R | Wound |
| Work | Wrought R | Wrought R |
| Wring | Wrung R | Wrung |
| Write | Wrote | Written[103] |
| Writhe | Writhed | Writhen. |