English Irregular Verbs
Practice and Reference
Practice and Reference
The verb say is unique in English in that the vowel is pronounced differently in the 3rd person of the present simple. Normally, the 'a' in say is pronounced just the same as the 'a' in 'day' but, in the 3rd person he says, it is pronounced like the e in get. The past and participle forms said also have the e (as in get) pronunciation.
Learners often mix up the verbs rise and raise. The former is an intransitive verb (it does not take an object) and means go up. The sun rises in the east. VAT has risen by 2%. This verb is irregular with past rose and participle risen.
The verb raise, on the other hand, is both transitive and regular and means make something go up. He raised his eyebrows. The government has raised VAT by 2%.
The verb cost in its usual sense 'have a price' is irregular, with past cost and participle cost. But it can also be used to mean 'estimate the price', in which case it is regular, with past and participle costed. The engineers costed the project at 6 million.
The verb fit follows a similar pattern. Used to mean 'be the right size', it is irregular, with past fit and participle fit. But when it means 'shape or equip', it has past fitted and participle fitted as in the expression fitted kitchen.
Many irregular verbs admit prefixes like a- (arise), for- (forsee), mis- (misread), over- (overdo), re- (rewind), without change in the meaning of the stem or in their past and participle forms. However, in rare cases, (become, forgive, mistake, understand etc) these verbs have acquired a sense which is quite independent of the meaning of the stem and so must be listed as verbs in their own right.
A number of Class 2 (weak) verbs like burn, burned or burnt, burned or burnt can take the alternative -t ending in past and participle, principally in UK usage.
There are no hard and fast rules, but in collocations where the participle is used attributively, the -t ending is common.
We say a spoilt child, a burnt out case and cry over spilt milk However, we say the learned doctor, notthe learnt doctor.
The verb cleave has a variety of meanings and forms. Opinions differ, but idiomatic evidence supports the following broad distinction.
Cleave (split) may be conjugated cleave, cleft, cleft as in The baby was born with a cleft palate. or cleave, clove, cloven The devil has a cloven hoof.
Cleave (adhere) is best conjugated as regular. She clung to him, she cleaved to his body. (The Rainbow, D H Lawrence)
The verb shine has regular and irregular cognates. When it is intransitive, ie used with no object, the past and participle is shone. The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. (Murphy, Samuel Beckett) However, used with an object, it is regular. He shined (polished) shoes outside the station.
A number of Class 5 (strong) verbs have both a regular and an irregular participle.
The strong form is often archaic but is still preferred in many collocations where the participle is used as an adjective.
We say The ice has melted. but (volcanoes produce) molten lava. We say I haven't shaved. but He was clean-shaven. Likewise, the poor are downtrodden, the oppressed are heavy-laden.
The past and participle forms of the verb bid may vary according to its meaning.
When it means to make an offer, as when someone bids at an auction, the past is bid and the participle bid.
Boeing bid for the contract but it went to Airbus.
The second use (ask or tell someone to do something) is somewhat archaic. The past may be bid or, more often, bade and the participle bid or bidden.
150000 mourners bade the President farewell in an emotional funeral.
The verb hang can be regular or irregular.
When it refers to a method of execution, the past and participle are regular.
The British hanged Robert Emmett in Dublin in 1803.
Otherwise, hang is irregular with past and participle hung.
He hung his jacket on the back of a chair.
The verbs lie (deceive), lie (recline) and lay are often confused.
The regular verb lie (say something which isn't true) has past and participle lied.
The (intransitive) verb lie (lie down or rest), is irregular, with past lay and participle lain.
The wreck has lain at the bottom of the ocean for hundreds of years.
On the other hand, the (transitive) verb lay (put or set), has past and participle laid.
He laid the map on the table.
Learners often mix up the verbs rise and raise. The former is an intransitive verb (it does not take an object) and means go up. The sun rises in the east. VAT has risen by 2%. This verb is irregular with past rose and participle risen.
The verb raise, on the other hand, is both transitive and regular and means make something go up. He raised his eyebrows. The government has raised VAT by 2%.
The verb cost in its usual sense 'have a price' is irregular, with past cost and participle cost. But it can also be used to mean 'estimate the price', in which case it is regular, with past and participle costed. The engineers costed the project at 6 million.
The verb fit follows a similar pattern. Used to mean 'be the right size', it is irregular, with past fit and participle fit. But when it means 'shape or equip', it has past fitted and participle fitted as in the expression fitted kitchen.
Many irregular verbs admit prefixes like a- (arise), for- (forsee), mis- (misread), over- (overdo), re- (rewind), without change in the meaning of the stem or in their past and participle forms. However, in rare cases, (become, forgive, mistake, understand etc) these verbs have acquired a sense which is quite independent of the meaning of the stem and so must be listed as verbs in their own right.
A number of Class 2 (weak) verbs like burn, burned or burnt, burned or burnt can take the alternative -t ending in past and participle, principally in UK usage.
There are no hard and fast rules, but in collocations where the participle is used attributively, the -t ending is common.
We say a spoilt child, a burnt out case and cry over spilt milk However, we say the learned doctor, not
The verb cleave has a variety of meanings and forms. Opinions differ, but idiomatic evidence supports the following broad distinction.
Cleave (split) may be conjugated cleave, cleft, cleft as in The baby was born with a cleft palate. or cleave, clove, cloven The devil has a cloven hoof.
Cleave (adhere) is best conjugated as regular. She clung to him, she cleaved to his body. (The Rainbow, D H Lawrence)
The verb shine has regular and irregular cognates. When it is intransitive, ie used with no object, the past and participle is shone. The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. (Murphy, Samuel Beckett) However, used with an object, it is regular. He shined (polished) shoes outside the station.
A number of Class 5 (strong) verbs have both a regular and an irregular participle.
The strong form is often archaic but is still preferred in many collocations where the participle is used as an adjective.
We say The ice has melted. but (volcanoes produce) molten lava. We say I haven't shaved. but He was clean-shaven. Likewise, the poor are downtrodden, the oppressed are heavy-laden.
The past and participle forms of the verb bid may vary according to its meaning.
When it means to make an offer, as when someone bids at an auction, the past is bid and the participle bid.
Boeing bid for the contract but it went to Airbus.
The second use (ask or tell someone to do something) is somewhat archaic. The past may be bid or, more often, bade and the participle bid or bidden.
150000 mourners bade the President farewell in an emotional funeral.
The verb hang can be regular or irregular.
When it refers to a method of execution, the past and participle are regular.
The British hanged Robert Emmett in Dublin in 1803.
Otherwise, hang is irregular with past and participle hung.
He hung his jacket on the back of a chair.
The verbs lie (deceive), lie (recline) and lay are often confused.
The regular verb lie (say something which isn't true) has past and participle lied.
The (intransitive) verb lie (lie down or rest), is irregular, with past lay and participle lain.
The wreck has lain at the bottom of the ocean for hundreds of years.
On the other hand, the (transitive) verb lay (put or set), has past and participle laid.
He laid the map on the table.
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