Should has also a special use in the subjunctive (in all persons) to express a condition; and would has a special use (in all persons) to express a wish, or customary action.
- If it should rain, I shall not go.
- If I should remain, it would probably clear off.
- Would that I could swim!
- He [I, We, You, They] would often sit there by the hour.
Exercise:
- I (shall, will) probably do as he says. I'm determined; I (shall, will) go! We (shall, will) see what tomorrow (shall, will) bring forth.
- The train (shall, will) whistle at this crossing, I suppose. When the log is nearly severed, it (shall, will) begin to pinch the saw. The weather (shall, will) be warmer tomorrow.
- Johnny, you (shall, will) not go near those strawberries! He (shall, will) not leave us in this predicament. I repeat it, he (shall, will) not! We (shall, will) never sell this good old horse.
- (Shall, will) this calico fade? (Shall, will) you give the organ grinder some money? (Shall, will) I raise the window? (Should, would) I ask his permission?
- If you (should, would) visit his laboratory, you (should, would) learn how a starfish preserved in alcohol smells. You (shall, will) all die some day, my friends. (Shall, will) I ever forget this? Time (shall, will) tell.
[Principal Parts]
54. Use the correct form of the past tense and past participle. Avoid come, done, bursted, knowed, says for the past tense; and [had] eat, [had] froze, [have] ran, [has] went, [has] wrote, [are] suppose for the past participle. Memorize the principal parts of difficult verbs. The principal parts are the present tense, the past tense, and the past participle. A good way to recall these is to repeat the formula: Today I sing; yesterday I sang; often in the past I have sung. The principal parts of sing are sing, sang, sung. A list of difficult verbs is given below.
| bear | bore | borne born |
| begin | began | begun |
| bend | bent | bent |
| bid | bid bade | bid bidden |
| bite | bit | bit bitten |
| bleed | bled | bled |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| burn | burnt burned | burnt burned |
| burst | burst | burst |
| catch | caught | caught |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| come | came | come |
| deal | dealt | dealt |
| dive | dived | dived |
| do | did | done |
| drag | dragged | dragged |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| dream | dreamt dreamed | dreamt dreamed |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
| drown | drowned | drowned |
| dwell | dwelt dwelled | dwelt dwelled |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| fight | fought | fought |
| flee | fled | fled |
| fly | flew | flown |
| flow | flowed | flowed |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | got |
| go | went | gone |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang | hung | hung |
| hang | hanged | hanged |
| hold | held | held |
| kneel | knelt | knelt |
| know | knew | known |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| lend | lent | lent |
| lie | lay | lain |
| lie | lied | lied |
| loose | loosed | loosed |
| lose | lost | lost |
| mean | meant | meant |
| pay | paid | paid |
| prove | proved | proved |
| read | read | read |
| rid | rid | rid |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| set | set | set |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| shine | shone | shone |
| show | showed | shown |
| shrink | shrank | shrunk |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sit | sat | sat |
| slink | slunk | slunk |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| spend | spent | spent |
| spit | spit spat | spit spat |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| swear | swore | sworn |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| swim | swam | swum |
| take | took | taken |
| tear | tore | torn |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| thrust | thrust | thrust |
| tread | trod | trod trodden |
| wake | woke waked | waked |
| wear | wore | worn |
| weave | wove | woven |
| weep | wept | wept |
| write | wrote | written |
Exercise:
- Adams —— (past tense of draw) another glass of cider and —— (past tense of drink) it. When those squashes once —— (past tense of begin), they —— (past tense of grow) like mad.
- The thermometer had —— (past participle of fall) twenty degrees, and three water pipes had —— (past participle of freeze). Afterward one —— (past tense of burst).
- Annie had —— (past participle of speak) a piece, and Nancy had —— (past participle of write) a poem, and Isabel had nearly —— (past participle of burst) with envy.
- He —— (past tense of do) a brave deed; he —— (past tense of swim) straight for the whirlpool. I had —— (past participle of know) him before, and had —— (past participle of shake) hands with him.
- He —— (past tense of come) home late, and has —— (past participle of eat) his dinner. Now he has —— (past participle of go) down town. He has —— (past participle of ride) before. I —— (past tense of see) him. He —— (past tense of run) swiftly.