In the preceding list, some of the verbs will be found to be conjugated regularly, as well as irregularly; and those which admit of the regular form are marked with an R. There is a preference to be given to some of these, which custom and judgment must determine. Those preterits and participles which are first mentioned in the list, seem K

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to be the most eligible. The Compiler has not inserted such verbs as are irregular only in familiar writing or discourse, and which are improperly terminated by t, instead of ed; as, learnt, spelt, spilt, &c. These should be avoided in every sort of composition. It is, however, proper to observe, that some contractions of ed into t, are unexceptionable and others, the only established forms of expression as crept, dwelt, gilt, &c. and lost, felt, slept, &c. These allowable and necessary contractions must therefore be carefully distinguished by the learner, from those that are exceptionable. The words which are obsolete have also been omitted, that the learner might not be induced to mistake them for words in present use. Such are wreathen, drunken, holpen, molten, gotten, holden, bounden, &c. and swang, wrang, slank, strawed, gat,

brake, tare, ware, &c.

SECT. 11. Of Defective Verbs; and of the different ways in which verbs are conjugated.

DEFECTIVE VERBS are those which are used only in some of their moods and tenses.

The principal of them are these.

That the verbs must and ought have both a present and past signification, appears from the following sentences: "I must own that I am to blame;" "He must have been mistaken;""Speaking things which they ought not;" "These ought ye to have done."

In most languages there are some verbs which are defective with respect to persons. These are denominated impersonal verbs. They are used only in the third person, because they refer to a subject peculiarly appropriated to that person; as, "It rains, it snows, it hails, it light

ens, it thunders.” But as the word impersonal implies a total absence of persons, it is improperly applied to those verbs which have a person: and hence it is manifest, that there is no such thing in English, nor indeed, in any Ianguage, as a sort of verbs really impersonal.

The whole number of verbs in the English language, regular and irregular, simple and compounded, taken together, is about 4300. The number of irregular verbs, the defective included, is about 177.*

Some Grammarians have thought that the English verbs, as well as those of the Greek, Latin, French, and other languages, might be classed into several conjugations; and that the three different terminations of the participle might be the distinguishing characteristics. They have accordingly proprosed three conjugations; namely, the first to consist of verbs, the participles of which end in ed, or its contraction ; the second, of those ending in ght; and the third of those in en. But as the verbs of the first conjugation, would so greatly exceed in number those of both the others, as may be seen by the preceding account of them; and as those of the third conjugation are so various in their form, and incapable of being reduced to one plain rule; it seems better in practice, as Dr. Lowth justly observes, to consider the first in ed as the only regular form, and the other as deviations from it; after the example of the Saxon and German Grammarians.

Before we close the account of the verbs, it may afford instruction to the learners, to be informed, more particularly than they have been, that different nations have made use of different contrivances for marking the tenses and moods of their verbs. The Greeks and Latins distinguish them, as well as the cases of their nouns, adjectives, and participles, by varying the termination, or otherwise changing the form, of the word; retaining, however, those radical letters, which prove the inflection to be of the same kindred with its root. The modern tongues, particularly the English, abound in auxiliary words, which vary the meaning of the noun, or the verb, without requiring any considerable varieties of inflection. Thus, I

* The whole number of words, in the English language, is about thirty-five thousand.