Wednesday, June 16, 2021

IRREGULAR VERBS

Irregular verbs! What are they? An irregular verb is one in which the past tense is not formed by add the usual "ed" ending. 
Why do we need them?
So....when you're reading your Bible you understand past tense, when the verb doesn't end in ed or d.

Alexander McCall Smith, Scottish author of my fave No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels, also wrote the Portuguese Irregular Verb series. Did you notice the irregular verb past tense in that sentence?
That series was humorous though sometimes I didn't quite catch the humor. Plus, there are so few Portuguese irregular verbs. (12) compared to irregular verbs in English. (200) I didn't really get the point.
Trying to stretch my mind linguistically (i.e. intellectually, per doctor's orders) I picked up the latest in the "Irregulrar Verb series, Your Inner Hedgehog
So far, the book has revealed that the library has multiple copies (22) of Portuguese Irregular Verbs.  "No longer,' said Unterholzer. 'In fact, as of two days ago there is only one......in a box marked probably valueless" (p.45)
Scripturally, I  went down a rabbit trail.

Basic/irregular verb----Why did Paul write Ephesians? 
    
Simple Past ---One of the reasons Paul wrote the book of Ephesians was to declare to the saints at Ephesus that the Gospel of Salvation is the true source of wisdom. (Paul writed---how incorrect is that! The very sound of it "grates" on my nerves!

Past participle----How much of the New Testament was written by Paul? 28% of NT was written, not writ/writted by Paul and includes letters to other churches; Galatians, Colossians and Philippians, to name a few.  

A few easy ones to whet your appetite for irregular verbs used in the Bible---often times the simple past and the past participle are the same word as in find, found, found.

Begin    Began     Begun
Blow     Blew       Blown
Choose  Chose     Chosen
Eat         Ate         Eaten
Give      Gave       Given
Go          Went     Gone 

Okay--I need to quit---yes, it's an infinitive to quit.....and if you read this tomorrow you could say I quitted, which is allowed, (archiac) but it grates on my nerves......and except for nerdy wordsmith's this "irregular" (adjective) entry probably grates on everyone's nerves.