Tried a form of abuse (6)
I believe the answer is:
tirade
'abuse' is the definition.
(verbal abuse)
'tried a form' is the wordplay.
'form' is an anagram indicator (another form of the letters).
'tried'+'a'='trieda'
'trieda' anagrammed gives 'TIRADE'.
'of' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for tirade that I've seen before include "Loud harangue" , "A prolonged outburst of abuse" , "A tongue-lashing" , "Furious denunciation" , "lecture" .)