stituting the t for ed, when the verb ends in a sharp consonant; for, when the pronunciation cannot be mistaken, it is folly to alter the orthography: thus the Distressed Mother, the title of a tragedy, needs not to be written Distrest Mother, as we generally find it, because, though we write it in the former manner, it must necessarily be pronounced in the latter.
361. By this rule, too, we may see the impropriety of writing blest for blessed, when a participle.
"Blest in thy genius, in thy love too blest."—Pope.
But when the word blessed is an adjective, it ought always to be pronounced, even in the most familiar conversation, in two syllables, as this is a blessed day, the blessed thistle, etc.
362. This word, with learned, cursed, and winged, are the only participial adjectives which are constantly pronounced in in two syllables, where the participles are pronounced in one: thus a learned man, a cursed thing, a winged horse, preserve the ed in a distinct syllable; while the same words, when verbs, as he learned to write, he cursed the day, they winged their flight, are heard in one syllable, as if written learnd, curst, and wingd; the d in cursed changing to t, from its following the sharp consonant s. (358)
363. Poetry, however, (which has been one great cause of improper orthography) assumes the privilege of using these words, when adjectives, either as monosyllables or dissyllables; but correct prose rigidly exacts the pronunciation of ed in these words, when adjectives, as a distinct syllable. The ed in aged and winged, always make a distinct syllable, as an aged man; the winged courser: but when this word is compounded with another, the ed does not form a syllable, as a full-ag'd horse, a sheath-wing'd fowl.
364. It is, perhaps, worthy of notice, that when adjectives are changed into adverbs by the addition of the termination ly, we often find the participial termination ed, preserved long and distinct, even in those very words where it was contracted when used adjectively: thns though we always hear confess'd, profess'd, design'd, etc. we as constantly hear con-fess-ed-ly, pro_fess-ed-ly, de-sign-ed-ly, etc. The same may be observed of the following list of words, which, by the assistance of the Rhyming Dictionary, I am enabled to give, as, perhaps, the only words in the language in which the ed is pronounced as a distinct syllable in the adverb, where it is contracted in the participial adjective: Forcedly, enforcedly, unveiledly, deformedly , feignedly, unfeignedly, discernedly, resignedly, refinedly, restrainedly, concernedly, unconcernedly, discernedly, undiscernedly, preparedly, assuredly, advisedly, dispersedly, diffusedly, confusedly, unperceivedly, resolvedly, deservedly, undeservedly, reservedly, unreservedly, avowedly, perplexedly, fixedly, amazedly.
365. To this catalogue may be added several abstract substantive formed from participles in ed: which ed makes a distinct syllable in the former, though not in the latter: thus numbedness, blearedness, preparedness, assuredness, diseasedness, advisedness, reposedness, composedness, indisposedness, diffusedness, confusedness, distressedness, resolvedness, reservedness, perplexedness, fixedness, amazedness, have ed pronounced distinctly.
366. The adjectives naked, wicked, picked, (pointed) hooked, crooked, forked, tusked, tressed, and wretched, are not derived from verbs, and are therefore pronounced in two syllables. The same may be observed of scabbed, crabbed, chubbed, stubbed, shagged, snagged, ragged, scrubbed, dogged, rugged, scragged, hawked, jagged; to which we may add, the solemn pronunciation of stiffnecked; and these, when formed into nouns by the addition of ness, preserve the ed in a distinct syllable, as wickedness, scabbedness, raggedness, etc.
367. Passed, in the sense of beyond, becomes a preposition, and may allowably be written past, as past twelve o'clock; but when an adjective, though it is pronounced in one syllable, it ought to be written with two, as passed pleasures are present pain: this I know is contrary to usage; but usage is, in this case, contrary to good sense, and the settled analogy of the language.
368. It needs scarcely be observed, that when the verb ends in t or d, the ed in the past time and participle has the d pronounced with its own sound, and always forms an additional syllable, as landed, matted, etc, otherwise the final d could not be pronounced at all.
369. And here, perhaps, it may not be useless to take notice of the very imperfect and confused idea that is given in Lowth's grammar, of what are called contracted verbs, such as snatcht, checkt, snapt, mixt, dwelt, and past, for snatched, checked, snapped, mixed, dwelled, and passed. To these are added, those that end in l, m, and n, or p, after a diphthong; which either shorten the diphthong, or change it into a single vowel; and instead of ed, take t only for the preterit, as dealt, dreamt, meant, felt, slept, crept; and these are said to be considered not as irregular, but contracted only. Now nothing can be clearer than that verbs of a very different kind are here huddled together as of the same. Snatched, checked, snapped, mixed, and passed, are not irregular at all ; if they are ever written snatcht, checkt, snapt, mixt, and past, it is from pure ignorance of analogy, and not considering that if they were written with ed, unless we were to pronounce it as a distinct syllable, contrary to the most settled usage of the language, the pronunciation, from the very nature of the letters, must be same. It is very different with dwelled; here, as a liquid, and not a sharp mute, ends the verb, d might be pronounced without going into t, just as well as in fell'd, the participle of to fell (to cut down trees). Here then, we find custom has determined an irregularity, which cannot be altered, without violence to the language; dwell
