Both Uses of
conjugate
in
The Mill on the Floss
- At present, in relation to this demand that he should learn Latin declensions and conjugations, Tom was in a state of as blank unimaginativeness concerning the cause and tendency of his sufferings, as if he had been an innocent shrewmouse imprisoned in the split trunk of an ash-tree in order to cure lameness in cattle.†
Chpt 2.1 *
- But one day, when he had broken down, for the fifth time, in the supines of the third conjugation, and Mr. Stelling, convinced that this must be carelessness, since it transcended the bounds of possible stupidity, had lectured him very seriously, pointing out that if he failed to seize the present golden opportunity of learning supines, he would have to regret it when he became a man,—Tom, more miserable than usual, determined to try his sole resource; and that evening, after his usual…†
Chpt 2.1
Definition:
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(conjugate as in: conjugate the verb) grammatical changes of verb forms to agree with other words in a sentence for tense, number, person, and other things
English tense example:
She writes.
She is writing.
She will write tomorrow.
She has written in the past.
English number example:
Jane is...
Jane and Susan are...editor's notes: Most verbs are conjugated by changing their suffix and sometimes adding a helping verb. Most verbs follow the same pattern in English. Those that follow a different pattern are called irregular verbs.
Here is an example of English conjugation of the present and past tenses for a regular, irregular, and the most irregular verb:Present tense regular irregular most irregular 1st person singular I talk drink am 2nd person singular you talk drink are 3rd person singular he, she, it talks drinks is plural 1st-3rd person we, you, they talk drink are Past tense 1st person singular I talked drank was 2nd person singular you talked drank were 3rd person singular he, she, it talked drank was plural 1st-3rd person we, you, they talked drank were