In English both the Past Time Active and the Participle Perfect, or
Passive, are formed by adding to the Verb _ed_; or _d_ only when the Verb
ends in _e_: as, _turn_, _turned_; _love_, _loved_. The Verbs that vary
from this rule, in either or in both cases, are esteemed Irregular.
The nature of our language, the Accent and Pronunciation of it, inclines
us to contract even all our Regular Verbs: thus _loved_, _turned_, are
commonly pronounced in one syllable, _lov’d_, _turn’d_; and the second
Person which was originally in three syllables, _lovedest_, _turnedest_,
is become a dissyllable, _lovedst_, _turnedst_: for as we generally throw
the accent as far back as possible towards the first part of the word,
(in some even to the fourth syllable from the end,) the stress being
laid on the first syllables, the rest are pronounced in a lower tone,
more rapidly and indistinctly; and so are often either wholly dropt, or
blended into one another.
It sometimes happens also, that the word which arises from a regular
change does not sound easily or agreeably; sometimes by the rapidity of
our pronunciation the vowels are shortened or lost; and the consonants
which are thrown together do not easily coalesce with one another, and
are therefore changed into others of the same organ, or of a kindred
species: this occasions a further deviation from the regular form: thus,
_loveth_, _turneth_, are contracted into _lov’th_, _turn’th_, and these
for easier pronunciation immediately become _loves_, _turns_.
Verbs ending in _ch_, _ck_, _p_, _x_, _ll_, _ss_, in the Past Time Active
and the Participle Perfect or Passive admit the change of _ed_ into
_t_; as, _snatcht_, _checkt_, _snapt_, _mixt_, dropping also one of the
double letters, _dwelt_, _past_; for _snatched_, _checked_, _snapped_,
_mixed_, _dwelled_, _passed_: those that end in _l_, _m_, _n_, _p_,
after a diphthong, moreover shorten the diphthong, or change it into a
single short vowel; as, _dealt_, _dreamt_, _meant_, _felt_, _slept_, &c:
all for the same reason; from the quickness of the pronunciation, and
because the _d_ after a short vowel will not easily coalesce with the
preceding consonant. Those that end in _ve_ change also _v_ into _f_; as,
_bereave_, _bereft_; _leave_, _left_; because likewise _v_ after a short
vowel will not easily coalesce with _t_.
All these, of which we have hitherto given examples, are considered not
as Irregular, but as Contracted only; and in all of them the Intire as
well as the Contracted form is used.
The formation of Verbs in English, both Regular and Irregular, is derived
from the Saxon.
The Irregular Verbs in English are all Monosyllables, unless Compounded;
and they are for the most part the same words which are Irregular Verbs
in the Saxon.
As all our Regular Verbs are subject to some kind of Contraction, so the
first Class of Irregulars is of those that become so from the same cause.