The conjugation of a passive verb is nothing more than the repetition of that of the auxiliary To Be, the perfect participle being added.
And now, having cut the regular verbs (as Alexander did the Gordian knot) instead of conjugating them, let us proceed to consider the
IRREGULAR VERBS.
SECTION VII.
Irregular Verbs are those of which the imperfect tense and the perfect participle are not formed by adding d or ed to the verb: as,
| PRESENT. | IMPERFECT. | PERFECT PART. | ||
| I blow. | I blew. | blown. |
To say I am blown, is, under certain circumstances, such as windy and tempestuous weather, proper enough; but I am blowed, it will at once be perceived, is not only an ungrammatical, but also a vulgar expression.
Great liberties are taken with the Irregular Verbs, insomuch that in the mouths of some persons, divers of them become doubly irregular in the formation of their participles. Among such Irregular Verbs we may enumerate the following:—
| PRESENT. | IMPERFECT. | PERF. OR PASS. PART. | ||
| Am | wur | bin. | ||
| Beat | bet or bate | bate. | ||
| Burst | bust | busted. | ||
| Catch | cotch | cotched | ||
| Come | kim | comed. | ||
| Creep | crup | crup. | ||
| Drive | druv | driv. | ||
| Freeze | friz | froze. | ||
| Give | guv | giv. | ||
| Go | goed | went. | ||
| Rise | riz | rose. | ||
| See | sid | sin, &c. |
Some verbs which in this country are held to be regular, are treated as irregular verbs in America: as,