agreeable repetition; as, gelobet worden seyn, to have been praised, instead of gelobet geworden

seyn.

III. OF IRREGULAR VERBS.

It is a fact, that in the earliest formations of speech, most of the verbs were irregular, but have assumed a regular construction from the progressive improvement of language, as may be seen by comparing the original number with the Present. They do not now exceed 156; and even many of them, although the irregular inflexion be retained, may, without any offence, be conjugated in a regular manner. Many others, also have for many years past, been rejected as irregular, and are now used as regular.,

Happily, our modern writers have a propen. sity for reducing anomalies, whenever they can in→ troduce rule and system; which will ultimately tend to the improvement of the German language.

For the present I shall content myself with giving an alphabetical index, consisting of three different classes, viz.

1. Of those verbs, which have still the genuine irregular inflexion.

2. Others, which are sometimes used as irregular, but may be formed ad libitum.

3. Those which are quite expunged from the irregular list, and have been inserted among the regular verbs.

It may be observed, that many of the compound verbs are irregular, whereas their derivatives are quite regular, and vice versa; and that several Tenses, in the subsequent alphabetical list of irregular verbs deviate, in some measure, from the established custom, and may be inflected in two different ways; although either of them are the same, yet it will be proper to notice them here. The subsequent verbs make their Preterimperfect either way, viz.

The Imperative of the subsequent verbs is used in both ways, viz.

fechten, to fence; Imperat. ficht, or fechte. scheren, shear;

schier,

schere.

There are perhaps a few other anomalies in some of the annexed list of irregular verbs, but they need not be noticed, because they better follow the regular course.

Nota. Those Tenses, which are left blank in the following table, are a sign that they follow the regular course.