Chapter LIV: Principal Parts of Verbs. Regular and Irregular Verbs

=210.= If we examine the conjugation of the verb _see_, we shall discover that most of the tenses are formed by the use of auxiliary verbs, and that only four forms of the verb _see_ itself are made use of; namely, _see_, _sees_, _saw_, _seen_. The form _sees_ occurs only once, but the other three forms occur often. These three forms—_see_, _saw_, _seen_—are called the =principal parts= of the verb _see_.

The principal parts of any verb are the present indicative, as, _go_, _take_; the past indicative, as, _went_, _took_; and another form, as, _gone_, _taken_, called the =past participle=.

=211.= The past participle is used in forming all the perfect tenses. It is plain, then, that we should say _I have gone_ (not _have went_), _I had taken_ (not _had took_); since _went_ and _took_ are past tense forms, not past participles.

The past participle is never used in the primary tenses. That is why we say _I saw_ (not _seen_), _I did_ (not _done_).

NOTE.—The very common word _ought_ is, as we use it to-day,
an old past tense form of the verb _owe_, and not a past
participle. Hence, we should say _ought to go_, or _ought not
to go_ (not _had ought to go_ or _hadn’t ought to go_).

=212.= Most verbs form their past tense and past participle by adding _d_ or _ed_ to the present tense. The past tense and the past participle of _move_ are _moved_ and _moved_; of _plow_ are _plowed_ and _plowed_; of _lift_ are _lifted_ and _lifted_. Such verbs are called =regular verbs=.

=213.= Many verbs in very common use form their past tense or past participle, not by the addition of a suffix, but by some change within the word, such as a change in the vowel. The past tense and past participle of _sing_ are _sang_ and _sung_ respectively; of _leave_ are _left_ and _left_; of _write_ are _wrote_ and _written_. These verbs are called =irregular verbs=.

=214.= Some verbs, like _put_ and _set_, have the same form for each of their principal parts. These also are irregular verbs.

=215.= The verb _be_ is very irregular. Its principal parts are: present tense _am_, past tense _was_, past participle _been_.

=216.= If we know the proper auxiliaries for the different tenses, we can conjugate any verb correctly by first ascertaining its principal parts. These can always be found in a dictionary.

=Summary.=—The =principal parts= of a verb are the present tense, the past tense, and the past participle.

A =regular verb= is one that forms its past tense and past participle by adding _d_ or _ed_ to the present tense.

An =irregular verb= is one whose past tense or past participle is formed in some other way than by adding _d_ or _ed_ to the present tense.

NOTE.—Webster’s New International Dictionary gives the present
tense form of every verb. If the verb is irregular, the
dictionary gives also the past tense form preceded by _pret._,
and the past participle preceded by _p.p._ The abbreviation
_pret._ stands for _preterit_, which means past tense. If the
verb is regular, the abbreviations are omitted, and the form
_d_ or _ed_ is printed but once.

=Exercise.=—Find in the dictionary the past tense and the past participle of each of the following verbs. Use the three forms of each verb correctly in sentences.

awake
bear
beat
begin
bid
bind
bite
bleed
blow
break
bring
build
buy
catch
choose
cling
come
cost
creep
cut
dare
dig
do
draw
drink
drive
eat
fall
feed
fight
find
flee
fling
fly
forget
freeze
get
give
go
grind
grow
hang
have
hide
hit
hold
hurt
keep
kneel
knit
know
lay
lead
lend
let
lie
lose
make
meet
pay
read
ride
ring
rise
run
say
seek
sell
shake
shed
shine
shoot
show
shrink
shut
sink
sit
slay
sleep
slide
sling
smite
speak
spend
spin
spread
spring
stand
steal
stick
sting
stride
strike
string
strive
swear
sweat
sweep
swim
swing
take
tell
think
throw
tread
wear
weave
weep
wet
win
wind
wring

=217.= Many errors are made in using the different forms of irregular verbs.

Certain verbs, the meaning and principal parts of which are somewhat alike, occasion a good deal of trouble to some persons. The most important of these are _lie_ and _lay_, _sit_ and _set_, and _rise_ and _raise_. The first word of each pair, _lie_, _sit_, and _rise_ is an intransitive verb. The second verb of each pair, _lay_, _set_, and _raise_, is a transitive verb.

=Exercise 1.=—Supply the correct form of _lie_ or _lay_ in each of these sentences, and give your reason in each case.

_Lie_ means to be at rest in a reclining position.

_Lay_ means to place a thing down in a reclining position.

1. —— down, Phiz, and be a good dog.

2. Phiz —— at the foot of my couch and gazed out of the nearest
window.

3. After he had —— there an hour or more, he whined to go out
on the street.

4. Phiz brought in a notebook and —— it at my feet.

5. Go and —— it on your master’s chair, Phiz.

6. Did the soldiers —— on the damp ground?

7. This land —— too low for grain fields.

8. How long has my fan been —— on the window sill?

9. Grant —— in bed dictating his Memoirs.

10. The tools have —— here in the wet and are rusted.

=Exercise 2.=—Supply the correct form of _sit_ or _set_ in each of these sentences, and give your reason in each case.

_Sit_ means to be in a sitting position.

_Set_ means to place a thing down in a position of rest.

1. By and by we looked in, and there —— Miss Eugene.

2. Have you —— here long, or did you just come?

3. I will —— my suit case here, and then —— in your seat.

4. Why did you —— there so long without speaking?

5. Father —— the white hen to-day, so she will be —— for about
three weeks.

6. The little bird —— and sings at his door in the sun.

7. Who has been —— in my chair?

=Exercise 3.=—Supply the correct form of _rise_ and _raise_ in each of these sentences, and give your reason in each case.

_Rise_ means to move from a lower to a higher position.

_Raise_ means to cause to rise.

1. The bread —— very slowly that cold day.

2. Bread —— because of the yeast in it.

3. After the bread had ——, we set the pans in the oven.

4. They —— the old house so as to put a furnace in the cellar.

5. The Black River —— sixteen inches yesterday.

6. If the river continues to ——, the dam will go out.

7. Shall we —— the flag at sunrise?

The present tense form of some verbs is misused for the past tense. We should say, “The tailor _came_ (not _come_) last night,” “I _ran_ (not _run_) a mile yesterday,” “And then he _said_ (not _says_), ‘Hurry up.’” The verbs oftenest misused in this way are _come_, _give_, _run_, _say_, and _see_.

Study the following correct sentences:—

He _came_ last night.

She _came_ to meet me.

It _came_ without warning.

I _ran_ a mile yesterday.

He _ran_ in front of me.

She _ran_ out of sugar.

At last he _said_, “I will go.”

John _said_, “The schoolhouse is on fire.”

I _said_, “Ring the bells.”

He _gave_ me a dollar.

I _gave_ the child a penny.

She _gave_ it to me.

They _ran_ up a bill.

The dog _ran_ behind.

The baby _ran_ to his mother.

I _saw_ the parade yesterday.

He _saw_ me go out.

She _saw_ them at the window.

I _came_, I _saw_, I _conquered_.

Some persons make a wrong past tense for certain verbs, and use such forms as _blowed_ and _drawed_, when they should use _blew_ and _drew_.

=Exercise 4.=—Supply the correct form for the past tense in each of these sentences:—

1. _Blow._ The wind soon —— the smoke away.

2. _Draw._ The boat —— four feet of water.

3. _Grow._ Lucy —— too fast to be strong.

4. _Know._ Nobody —— the right date but me.

5. _Throw._ Who —— the ball last?

Some persons use the past participle of _see_ and _do_ for the past tense. We should say, “I _saw_ (not _seen_) my duty, and I _did_ (not done) it.”

Study these correct sentences:—

I _saw_ the boat go down.

Who _saw_ the star first?

We _saw_ the elephant dance.

He _did_ his own work.

She _did_ it too fast.

Everybody _did_ what he could.

Another common error is the use of the past tense of a verb for the past participle, as in the expressions _is broke_ and _had froze_.

=Exercise 5.=—Supply the correct form in each of these sentences:—

1. _Begin._ First we must finish what we have ——.

2. _Break._ Dear me! I have —— the bird’s seed dish.

3. _Drink._ Have you —— all the milk?

4. _Freeze._ If the lagoon is ——, we can go skating.

5. _Steal._ Why do you think that the purse was ——?

6. _Swim._ Have you ever —— out to the island?