Verb forms |
Verb class
|
Notes
|
be (am, is, are) – was, were – been
|
Suppletive
|
See Indo-European copula
|
bear – bore – borne/born
- forbear – forbore/forbare – forborne/forborn
- overbear – overbore/overbare – overborne/overborn
- underbear – underbore/underbare – underborne/underborn
|
Strong, class 4
|
The spelling born is used in passive or adjectival contexts relating to birth.
|
beat – beat – beaten/beat
- browbeat – browbeat – browbeaten/browbeat
- overbeat – overbeat – overbeaten/overbeat
|
Strong, class 7
|
|
become – became – become
- misbecome – misbecame – misbecome
|
Strong, class 4
|
|
beget – begot/begat – begot/begotten
- misbeget – misbegot/misbegat – misbegotten/misbegot
|
Strong, class 5
|
|
begin – began – begun
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
bend – bent – bent
- overbend – overbent – overbent
- unbend – unbent – unbent
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals and devoiced ending
|
beseech – beseeched/besought – beseeched/besought
|
Regular
|
Originally weak, class 1, subclass (ii) with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
|
bet – bet/betted – bet/betted
- underbet – underbet/underbetted – underbet/underbetted
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals
|
beware – (no other forms)
|
Defective
|
Formed from be with predicate adjective, used as infinitive, imperative and subjunctive only. Inflected forms (bewares, bewared, bewaring) are considered obsolete.
|
bid [in auctions etc.] – bid – bid
- outbid – outbid – outbid
- overbid – overbid – overbid
- rebid – rebid – rebid
- underbid – underbid – underbid
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals
|
bid [meaning to request or say] – bid/bade – bid/bidden
|
Strong, class 5
|
|
bide – bided/bode – bided/bidden
|
Strong, class 1
|
|
bind – bound – bound
- unbind – unbound – unbound
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
bite – bit – bitten
|
Strong, class 1
|
|
bleed – bled – bled
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals and vowel shortening
|
blend – blent/blended – blent/blended
|
Weak
|
Regular or with devoiced ending
|
bless – blessed/blest – blessed/blest
|
Weak
|
Regular with alternative (archaic) spelling
|
blow – blew – blown
- overblow – overblew – overblown
|
Strong, class 7
|
|
break – broke – broken
- outbreak – outbroke – outbroken
- rebreak – rebroke – rebroken
|
Strong, class 4
|
|
breed – bred – bred
- inbreed – inbred – inbred
- interbreed – interbred – interbred
- overbreed – overbred – overbred
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals and vowel shortening
|
bring – brought – brought
|
Weak, class 1, subclass (i)
|
The past and past participle show the effects of the Germanic spirant law. The present form descends originally from a separate strong verb built on the same root.[1]
|
build – built – built
- overbuild – overbuilt – overbuilt
- rebuild – rebuilt – rebuilt
- underbuild – underbuilt – underbuilt
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals and devoiced ending
|
burn – burned/burnt – burned/burnt
- sunburn – sunburned/sunburnt – sunburned/sunburnt
|
Weak
|
Regular or with devoiced ending
|
burst – burst – burst
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
bust – busted/bust – busted/bust
|
Strong, class 3
|
Or regular
|
buy – bought – bought
- overbuy – overbought – overbought
- underbuy – underbought – underbought
|
Weak, class 1, subclass (ii)
|
With Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
|
can [auxiliary verb] – could – (none)
|
Preterite-present
|
Defective; see English modal verbs
|
cast – cast – cast
- broadcast – broadcast – broadcast
- downcast – downcast – downcast
- forecast – forecast – forecast
- miscast – miscast – miscast
- overcast – overcast – overcast
- podcast – podcast – podcast
- precast – precast – precast
- recast – recast – recast
- simulcast – simulcast – simulcast
- telecast – telecast – telecast
- typecast – typecast – typecast
- undercast – undercast – undercast
- upcast – upcast – upcast
- webcast – webcast – webcast
|
Weak
|
Old Norse loanword with coalescence of dentals. Many of the prefixed forms can also take -ed.
|
catch – caught – caught
|
Weak
|
French loanword conjugated perhaps by analogy with teach–taught; regular forms are now dialectal
|
chide – chode/chid/chided – chidden/chid/chided
|
Strong, class 1
|
Or regular
|
choose – chose – chosen
- mischoose – mischose – mischosen
|
Strong, class 2
|
|
clad – clad – clad
|
|
Developed from clad, the past form of clothe (see below)
|
cleave [meaning to split] – cleft/clove/cleaved – cleft/cloven/cleaved
|
Strong, class 2
|
Or weak with vowel shortening; regular when meaning "adhere"
|
cling – clung – clung
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
clothe – clad/clothed – clad/clothed
- overclothe – overclad/overclothed – overclad/overclothed
- unclothe – unclad/unclothed – unclad/unclothed
- underclothe – underclad/underclothed – underclad/underclothed
|
Weak
|
The regular clothed is from OE claþian, while clad (weak with coalescence of dentals) is from OE clæþan (both OE verbs having similar meaning)[2]
|
comb – combed – combed/kempt
|
|
|
come – came – come
- forthcome – forthcame – forthcome
- overcome – overcame – overcome
- (see also under become)
|
Strong, class 4
|
|
cost [intransitive sense] – cost/costed – cost/costed
|
Weak
|
French loanword with coalescence of dentals; regular when meaning "calculate the cost of"
|
creep – crept/creeped – crept/creeped
|
Weak
|
With vowel shortening (or regular); originally strong, class 2
|
cut – cut – cut
- clearcut – clearcut – clearcut
- crosscut – crosscut – crosscut
- intercut – intercut – intercut
- recut – recut – recut
- undercut – undercut – undercut
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals
|
dare (dares/dare) – dared/durst/dare – dared/durst
|
Preterite-present
|
Now most often regular except in the use of dare in place of dares in some contexts; see English modal verbs
|
deal – dealt – dealt
- misdeal – misdealt – misdealt
- redeal – redealt – redealt
|
Weak, class 1
|
With vowel shortening and devoiced ending
|
dig – dug – dug
- underdig – underdug – underdug
|
|
Past form dug developed by analogy with stick–stuck;[3] originally weak
|
dive – dived/dove – dived/dove
|
Weak
|
The alternative dove (found mainly in American usage) arose by analogy with strong verbs
|
do (does /dʌz/) – did – done
- bedo (bedoes) – bedid – bedone
- misdo (misdoes) – misdid – misdone
- outdo (outdoes) – outdid – outdone
- overdo (overdoes) – overdid – overdone
- redo (redoes) – redid – redone
- underdo (underdoes) – underdid – underdone
- undo (undoes) – undid – undone
|
Irregular since Proto-Germanic
|
Past tense formed by reduplication; past participle from Old English gedon; related to deed
|
dow – dowed/dought – dowed/dought
|
|
Related to doughty
|
draw – drew – drawn
- bedraw – bedrew – bedrawn
- downdraw – downdrew – downdrawn
- outdraw – outdrew – outdrawn
- overdraw – overdrew – overdrawn
- redraw – redrew – redrawn
- underdraw – underdrew – underdrawn
- updraw – updrew – updrawn
- withdraw – withdrew – withdrawn
|
Strong, class 6
|
Related to draft/draught
|
dream – dreamed/dreamt – dreamed/dreamt
- bedream – bedreamed/bedreamt – bedreamed/bedreamt
|
Weak
|
With vowel shortening and devoiced ending (or regular)
|
dress – dressed/drest – dressed/drest
|
Weak
|
With alternative (archaic) spelling
|
drink – drank – drunk
|
Strong, class 3
|
Related to drench
|
drive – drove – driven
- bedrive – bedrove – bedriven
- overdrive – overdrove – overdriven
- test-drive – test-drove – test-driven
- underdrive – underdrove – underdriven
|
Strong, class 1
|
Related to drift
|
dwell – dwelt/dwelled – dwelt/dwelled
- bedwell – bedwelt/bedwelled – bedwelt/bedwelled
- outdwell – outdwelt/outdwelled – outdwelt/outdwelled
|
Weak
|
With devoiced ending (or regular)
|
earn – earned/earnt – earned/earnt
|
Weak, class 2
|
With devoiced ending (or regular)
|
eat – ate – eaten
- forfret – forfretted – forfretted/forfretten
- fret – fretted/frate – fretted/fretten
- outeat – outate – outeaten
- overeat – overate – overeaten
- undereat – underate – undereaten
|
Strong, class 5
|
Past tense usually /eɪt/ though sometimes /ɛt/ in British English
|
fall – fell – fallen
- befall – befell – befallen
|
Strong, class 7
|
|
feed – fed – fed
- bottle-feed – bottle-fed – bottle-fed
- breastfeed – breastfed – breastfed
- force-feed – force-fed – force-fed
- hand-feed – hand-fed – hand-fed
- misfeed – misfed – misfed
- overfeed – overfed – overfed
- self-feed – self-fed – self-fed
- spoon-feed – spoon-fed – spoon-fed
- underfeed – underfed – underfed
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals and vowel shortening
|
feel – felt – felt
- forefeel – forefelt – forefelt
|
Weak, class 1
|
With devoiced ending and vowel shortening
|
fight – fought – fought
- befight – befought – befought
- outfight – outfought – outfought
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
find – found – found
- refind – refound – refound
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
fit – fitted/fit – fitted/fit
- misfit – misfitted/misfit – misfitted/misfit
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals
|
flee – fled – fled
|
Weak
|
With vowel shortening; originally strong, class 2
|
fling – flung – flung
|
Strong, class 3
|
By analogy
|
fly – flew – flown
- outfly – outflew – outflown
- overfly – overflew – overflown
- test-fly – test-flew – test-flown
|
Strong, class 2
|
Regular when meaning "hitting a fly ball in baseball"
|
forbid – forbid/forbade/forbad – forbidden
|
Strong, class 5
|
|
forget – forgot – forgotten
|
Strong, class 5
|
|
forsake – forsook – forsaken
|
Strong, class 6
|
|
freeze – froze – frozen
- quick-freeze – quick-froze – quick-frozen
- refreeze – refroze – refrozen
- unfreeze – unfroze – unfrozen
|
Strong, class 2
|
|
get – got – got/gotten
- beget – begot/begat – begot/begotten
- forget – forgot – forgotten
|
Strong, class 5
|
Past participle is got in British usage (except in fossilized phrases such as "ill-gotten"), and gotten in American (but see have got)
|
gild – gilded/gilt – gilded/gilt
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals and devoiced ending (or regular)
|
gird - girded/girt - girded/girt
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals and devoiced ending (or regular)
|
give – gave – given
- forgive – forgave – forgiven
- misgive – misgave – misgiven
- overgive – overgave – overgiven
|
Strong, class 5
|
|
glide – glided/glid – glided/glid/glidden
|
Regular
|
Originally strong, class 1
|
go – went – gone
- forego – forewent – foregone
- forgo – forwent – forgone
- undergo – underwent – undergone
|
Suppletive
|
See go
|
grind – ground – ground
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
grow – grew – grown
- outgrow – outgrew – outgrown
- overgrow – overgrew – overgrown
- regrow – regrew – regrown
|
Strong, class 7
|
|
hang – hung/hanged – hung/hanged
- overhang – overhung – overhung
|
Strong, class 7
|
Regularized alternative hanged was influenced by OE causative hangian, and is used chiefly for hanging as a means of execution
|
have (has) – had – had
|
Weak
|
Had results from contraction, from OE hæfde; third person present has also results from contraction
|
hear – heard – heard
- behear – beheard – beheard
- forehear – foreheard – foreheard
- mishear – misheard – misheard
- outhear – outheard – outheard
- overhear – overheard – overheard
- rehear – reheard – reheard
- unhear – unheard – unheard
|
Weak, class 1
|
Originally with vowel shortening (the modern pronunciation of heard in RP has the long vowel /ɜː/)
|
help – helped/holp – helped/holpen
|
Regular
|
Originally strong, class 3
|
hew – hewed – hewed/hewn
|
Strong, class 7
|
Or regular
|
hide – hid – hidden
|
Weak
|
With vowel shortening and coalescence of dentals; influenced by strong verbs
|
hit – hit – hit
- mishit – mishit – mishit
- overhit – overhit – overhit
- underhit – underhit – underhit
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals
|
hoist – hoisted/hoist – hoisted/hoist
|
Weak
|
Hoist was originally the past form of the now archaic verb hoise
|
hold – held – held
- behold – beheld – beheld
- uphold – upheld – upheld
- withhold – withheld – withheld
|
Strong, class 7
|
|
hurt – hurt – hurt
|
Weak
|
French loanword with coalescence of dentals
|
keep – kept – kept
- miskeep – miskept – miskept
- overkeep – overkept – overkept
- underkeep – underkept – underkept
|
Weak, class 1
|
With vowel shortening
|
ken – kenned/kent – kenned/kent
- beken – bekenned/bekent – bekenned/bekent
- foreken – forekenned/forekent – forekenned/forekent
- misken – miskenned/miskent – miskenned/miskent
- outken – outkenned/outkent – outkenned/outkent
|
Weak
|
With devoiced ending (or regular); Northern England English and Scottish dialect word
|
kneel – knelt/kneeled – knelt/kneeled
|
Weak
|
With vowel shortening and devoiced ending (or regular)
|
knit – knit/knitted – knit/knitted
- beknit – beknit/beknitted – beknit/beknitted
- hand-knit – hand-knit/hand-knitted – hand-knit/hand-knitted
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals (or regular); related to knot
|
know – knew – known
|
Strong, class 7
|
|
lade – laded – laden/laded
- overlade – overladed – overladen/overladed
|
Strong, class 6
|
Or regular; past participle laden is common adjectivally
|
lay – laid – laid
- belay – belaid – belaid
- inlay – inlaid – inlaid
- mislay – mislaid – mislaid
- overlay – overlaid – overlaid
- waylay – waylaid – waylaid
|
Weak
|
Irregular in spelling only
|
lead – led – led
- mislead – misled – misled
- offlead – offled – offled
- onlead – onled – onled
- outlead – outled – outled
- overlead – overled – overled
- underlead – underled – underled
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals and vowel shortening
|
lean – leaned/leant – leaned/leant
|
Weak
|
With devoiced ending and vowel shortening (or regular)
|
leap – leaped/leapt – leaped/leapt
|
Weak
|
With vowel shortening (or regular); originally strong, class 7
|
learn – learned/learnt – learned/learnt
- mislearn – mislearned/mislearnt – mislearned/mislearnt
- overlearn – overlearned/overlearnt – overlearned/overlearnt
- relearn – relearned/relearnt – relearned/relearnt
- unlearn – unlearned/unlearnt – unlearned/unlearnt
|
Weak, class 2
|
With devoiced ending (or regular)
|
leave – left – left
|
Weak, class 1
|
With devoiced ending and vowel shortening
|
lend – lent – lent
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals and devoiced ending
|
let – let – let
- sublet – sublet – sublet
- underlet – underlet – underlet
|
Strong, class 7
|
|
lie – lay – lain
- overlie – overlay – overlain
- underlie – underlay – underlain
|
Strong, class 5
|
Regular when meaning "tell an untruth"
|
light – lit/lighted – lit/lighted
- alight – alit/alighted – alit/alighted
- backlight – backlit/backlighted – backlit/backlighted
- green-light – green-lit/green-lighted – green-lit/green-lighted
- relight – relit/relighted – relit/relighted
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals and vowel shortening (or regular)
|
lose – lost – lost
|
Weak
|
With devoiced ending and vowel shortening; originally strong, class 2
|
make – made – made
- remake – remade – remade
- unmake – unmade – unmade
|
Weak
|
Made formed by contraction from "maked"
|
may – might – (none)
|
Preterite-present
|
Defective; see English modal verbs
|
mean – meant – meant
|
Weak, class 1
|
With devoiced ending and vowel shortening
|
meet – met – met
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals and vowel shortening
|
melt – melted – melted/molten
|
Strong, class 3
|
Regular, but molten survives in adjectival use
|
mix – mixed/mixt – mixed/mixt
|
Weak
|
Regular with alternative (mostly archaic) spelling
|
mow – mowed – mowed/mown
|
Strong, class 7
|
Regular in past tense and sometimes in past participle.
|
must – (no other forms)
|
Defective
|
Originally a preterite; see English modal verbs
|
need (needs/need) – needed – needed
|
Weak
|
Regular except in the use of need in place of needs in some contexts, by analogy with can, must, etc;[4] see English modal verbs
|
ought – (no other forms)
|
Defective
|
Originally a preterite; see English modal verbs
|
pay – paid – paid
- overpay – overpaid – overpaid
- prepay – prepaid – prepaid
- repay – repaid – repaid
- underpay – underpaid – underpaid
|
Weak
|
Irregular in spelling only.
|
pen – penned/pent – penned/pent
|
Weak
|
With devoiced ending, but usually regular; pent is sometimes used when the verb has the meaning "to enclose", and mainly adjectivally
|
plead – pled/pleaded – pled/pleaded
|
Weak
|
French loanword with coalescence of dentals and vowel shortening.
|
prove – proved – proved/proven
- reprove – reproved – reproved/reproven
|
Weak
|
French loanword with the alternative past participle proven by analogy with some strong verbs
|
put – put – put
- input – input – input
- output – output – output
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals
|
bequeath – bequeathed/bequethed/bequoth/bequod – bequeathed/bequethed/bequoth/bequethen
|
Strong, class 5
|
Past tense quoth is literary or archaic; other parts of that verb are obsolete; bequeath is normally regularized in -ed
|
quit – quit/quitted – quit/quitted
|
Weak
|
French loanword with coalescence of dentals (or regular)
|
read /riːd/ – read /rɛd/ – read /rɛd/
- lipread – lipread – lipread
- misread – misread – misread
- proofread – proofread – proofread
- reread – reread – reread
- sight-read – sight-read – sight-read
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals and vowel shortening
|
reave – reaved/reft – reaved/reft
- bereave – bereaved/bereft – bereaved/bereft
|
Weak, class 2
|
With devoiced ending and vowel shortening; the verb bereave is usually regular, but bereft survives as past participle, with distinct meanings
|
rend – rent – rent
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals and devoiced ending
|
rid – rid/ridded – rid/ridden/ridded
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals, or regular; ridden by analogy with strong verbs
|
ride – rode – ridden
- outride – outrode – outridden
- override – overrode – overridden
|
Strong, class 1
|
|
ring – rang – rung
|
Strong, class 3
|
By analogy; regular when meaning "surround", etc.
|
rise – rose – risen
- arise – arose – arisen
- uprise – uprose – uprisen
|
Strong, class 1
|
|
rive – rived/rove – rived/riven
|
Strong class 1
|
From Old Norse; later regularized;[5] now rarely used
|
run – ran – run
- outrun – outran – outrun
- overrun – overran – overrun
- rerun – reran – rerun
- speedrun – speedran – speedrun
- underrun – underran – underrun
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
saw – sawed – sawed/sawn
|
Weak
|
Sawn by analogy with strong verbs[6]
|
say (says /sɛz/) – said – said
- missay – missaid – missaid
- soothsay – soothsaid – soothsaid
|
Weak
|
With vowel shortening in said /sɛd/ and in the third person present says /sɛz/
|
see – saw – seen
- foresee – foresaw – foreseen
- missee – missaw – misseen
- oversee – oversaw – overseen
- sightsee – sightsaw – sightseen
- undersee – undersaw – underseen
|
Strong, class 5
|
|
seek – sought – sought
- beseek – besought – besought
|
Weak, class 1, subclass (ii)
|
With Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
|
sell – sold – sold
- outsell – outsold – outsold
- oversell – oversold – oversold
- resell – resold – resold
- undersell – undersold – undersold
- upsell – upsold – upsold
|
Weak, class 1, subclass (ii)
|
With Rückumlaut; related to sale
|
send – sent – sent
- missend – missent – missent
- resend – resent – resent
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals
|
set – set – set
- beset – beset – beset
- offset – offset – offset
- preset – preset – preset
- reset – reset – reset
- upset – upset – upset
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals
|
sew – sewed – sewn/sewed
- handsew – handsewed – handsewn/handsewed
- oversew – oversewed – oversewn/oversewed
|
Weak
|
Sewn by analogy with strong verbs
|
shake – shook – shaken
- overshake – overshook – overshaken
|
Strong, class 6
|
|
shall – should – (none)
|
Preterite-present
|
Defective; see English modal verbs, and shall and will
|
shave – shaved – shaved/shaven
|
Strong, class 6
|
Now often regularized in past tense and sometimes in past participle
|
shear – sheared/shore – shorn/sheared
|
Strong, class 4
|
Or regular
|
shed – shed – shed
|
Strong, class 7
|
|
shine – shone/shined – shone/shined
|
Strong, class 1
|
|
shit – shit/shitted/shat – shit/shitted/shat
- shite – shited/shit – shited/shit
|
Strong, class 1
|
The form shite is chiefly Scottish and Irish.
|
shoe – shod/shoed – shodden/shod/shoed
- reshoe – reshod/reshoed – reshodden/reshod/reshoed
|
Weak
|
With vowel shortening (or regular); shodden by analogy with strong verbs
|
shoot – shot – shot
- misshoot – misshot – misshot
- overshoot – overshot – overshot
- reshoot – reshot – reshot
- undershoot – undershot – undershot
|
Strong, class 2
|
|
show – showed – shown/showed
- reshow – reshowed – reshown
|
Weak
|
With participle shown perhaps by analogy with sown (from sow)
|
shrink – shrank/shrunk – shrunk/shrunken
- overshrink – overshrank/overshrunk – overshrunk/overshrunken
|
Strong, class 3
|
Shrunken is mostly used adjectivally
|
shut – shut – shut
- reshut – reshut – reshut
|
Weak, class 1
|
With coalescence of dentals
|
sing – sang – sung
- resing – resang – resung
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
sink – sank/sunk – sunk/sunken
|
Strong, class 3
|
The form sunken appears in some adjectival uses
|
sit – sat – sat
- babysit – babysat – babysat
- housesit – housesat – housesat
- resit – resat – resat
|
Strong, class 5
|
|
slay – slew/slayed – slain/slayed
|
Strong, class 6
|
Or regular
|
sleep – slept – slept
- oversleep – overslept – overslept
- undersleep – underslept – underslept
|
Weak
|
With vowel shortening; originally strong, class 7
|
slide – slid – slid/slidden
- backslide – backslid – backslid/backslidden
- overslide – overslid – overslid/overslidden
|
Strong, class 1
|
|
sling – slung – slung
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
slink – slunk/slinked/slank – slunk/slinked/slank
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
slit – slit – slit/slitten
|
Strong, class 1
|
|
smell – smelled/smelt – smelled/smelt
|
Weak
|
With devoiced ending (or regular)
|
smite – smote/smit – smitten/smitted
|
Strong, class 1
|
Largely archaic; smitten is quite commonly used adjectivally
|
sneak – sneaked/snuck – sneaked/snuck
|
Weak
|
Alternative form snuck (chiefly American) by analogy with strong verbs
|
sow – sowed – sown/sowed
|
Strong, class 7
|
With weak past tense sowed
|
speak – spoke – spoken
- bespeak – bespoke – bespoken
- *forespeak – forespoke – forespoken
- *forspeak – forspoke – forspoken
- misspeak – misspoke – misspoken
|
Strong, class 5
|
|
speed – sped/speeded – sped/speeded
|
Weak, class 1
|
With vowel shortening and coalescence of dentals (or regular)
|
spell – spelled/spelt – spelled/spelt
- misspell – misspelled/misspelt – misspelled/misspelt
|
Weak
|
With devoiced ending (or regular)
|
spend – spent – spent
- misspend – misspent – misspent
- outspend – outspent – outspent
- overspend – overspent – overspent
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals
|
spill – spilled/spilt – spilled/spilt
- overspill – overspilled/overspilt – overspilled/overspilt
|
Weak
|
With devoiced ending (or regular)
|
spin – spun – spun
- outspin – outspun – outspun
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
spit – spat/spit – spat/spit
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals (for past form spit, which is common in America), or spat by analogy with strong verbs; regular when meaning "of roast on a spit"
|
split – split – split
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals
|
spoil – spoiled/spoilt – spoiled/spoilt
|
Weak
|
French loanword with devoiced ending (or regular)
|
spread – spread – spread
- outspread – outspread – outspread
- overspread – overspread – overspread
- underspread – underspread – underspread
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals
|
spring – sprang/sprung – sprung/*sprang
- handspring – handsprang/handsprung – handsprung/*handsprang
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
stand – stood – stood
- forstand – forstood – forstood
- misunderstand – misunderstood – misunderstood
- overstand – overstood – overstood
- understand – understood – understood
- upstand – upstood – upstood
- withstand – withstood – withstood
|
Strong, class 6
|
|
stave – stove/staved – stove/staved/stoven
|
Weak
|
Irregular forms developed by analogy with strong verbs[7]
|
steal – stole – stolen
|
Strong, class 4
|
|
stick – stuck – stuck
|
Weak
|
Irregular forms developed by analogy with strong, class 3
|
sting – stang/stung – stung
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
stink – stank/stunk – stunk
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
strew – strewed – strewn/strewed
- bestrew – bestrewed – bestrewn/bestrewed
- overstrew – overstrewed – overstrewn/overstrewed
|
Weak
|
Irregular forms developed by analogy with strong verbs
|
stride – strode – stridden
- bestride – bestrode – bestridden
- outstride – outstrode – outstridden
- overstride – overstrode – overstridden
|
Strong, class 1
|
|
strike – struck – struck/stricken
- overstrike – overstruck – overstruck/overstricken
|
Strong, class 1
|
The form stricken is limited to certain adjectival and specialist uses
|
string – strung/*stringed – strung/*stringed
- hamstring – hamstrung/*hamstringed – hamstrung/*hamstringed
- overstring – overstrung/*overstringed – overstrung/*overstringed
|
Weak
|
Irregular forms developed by analogy with strong verbs
|
strip – stripped – stripped
|
|
|
strive – strove/strived – striven/strived
- outstrive – outstrove – outstriven
- overstrive – overstrove – overstriven
|
Strong, class 1
|
Or regularized
|
swear – swore – sworn
- forswear – forswore – forsworn
- outswear – outswore – outsworn
|
Strong, class 6
|
|
sweat – sweated/sweat – sweated/sweat
|
Weak
|
Usually regular; possible past form sweat with coalescence of dentals
|
sweep – swept – swept
- upsweep – upswept – upswept
|
Weak
|
With vowel shortening; replaced OE strong class 7 verb swápan, with the same meaning, but the form is not a regular development from it
|
swell – swelled/swole – swollen/swelled
|
Strong, class 3
|
With regularized forms
|
swim – swam/*swum – swum
- outswim – outswam/*outswum – outswum
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
swing – swang/swung – swung
- overswing – overswang/overswung – overswung
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
take – took – taken
- betake – betook – betaken
- mistake – mistook – mistaken
- overtake – overtook – overtaken
- partake – partook – partaken
- retake – retook – retaken
- undertake – undertook – undertaken
- *uptake – uptook – uptaken
- *withtake – withtook – withtaken
|
Strong, class 6
|
|
teach – taught – taught
|
Weak, class 1, subclass (ii)
|
With Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
|
tear – tore – torn
- uptear – uptore – uptorn
|
Strong, class 4
|
|
tell – told – told
- foretell – foretold – foretold
- forthtell – forthtold – forthtold
- mistell – mistold – mistold
|
Weak, class 1, subclass (ii)
|
With Rückumlaut; related to tale
|
think – thought – thought
- outthink – outthought – outthought
- rethink – rethought – rethought
|
Weak, class 1, subclass (ii)
|
With Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
|
thrive – throve/thrived/*thrave – thriven/thrived
|
Strong class 1
|
Of Old Norse origin (now archaic) or weak (regular) pattern[8]
|
throw – threw – thrown
- outthrow – outthrew – outthrown
- overthrow – overthrew – overthrown
- underthrow – underthrew – underthrown
- upthrow – upthrew – upthrown
|
Strong, class 7
|
|
thrust – thrust/*thrusted – thrust/*thrusted
- outthrust – outthrust – outthrust
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals (or regular)
|
tread – trod – trodden/trod
- retread – retrod/*retread/*retreaded/*retrodden – retrodden/retrod/*retread/*retreaded
|
Strong, class 5
|
Or regular
|
vex – vexed/vext – vexed/vext
|
Regular
|
With alternative (archaic) spelling
|
wake – woke/waked – woken/waked
- awake – awoke – awoken
|
Strong, class 6
|
|
wear – weared/wore – weared/worn
- outwear – outweared/outwore – outweared/outworn
- overwear – overweared/overwore – overweared/overworn
|
Weak
|
Fell into a strong pattern by analogy with bear
|
weave – wove – woven
- interweave – interwove – interwoven
|
Strong, class 7
|
|
wed – wed/wedded – wed/wedded
- miswed – miswed/miswedded – miswed/miswedded
- rewed – rewed/rewedded – rewed/rewedded
|
Weak, class 2
|
With coalescence of dentals (or regular)
|
weep – wept/weeped – wept/weeped
|
Weak
|
With vowel shortening (or regular); originally strong, class 7
|
wend – wended/went – wended/went
|
Weak, class 1
|
Originally with coalescence of dentals and devoiced ending, but now regular; went is used as the past of go
|
wet – wet/wetted – wet/wetted
- overwet – overwet/overwetted – overwet/overwetted
|
Weak
|
With coalescence of dentals (or regular)
|
will – would – (none)
|
Preterite-present
|
Defective; see English modal verbs, and shall and will; in non-auxiliary uses the verb is regular
|
win – won – won
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
wind /waɪnd/ – wound – wound
- rewind – rewound – rewound
- unwind – unwound – unwound
|
Strong, class 3
|
The identically spelt verb wind /wɪnd/, with meanings connected with air flow and breathlessness, is regular
|
work – worked/wrought – worked/wrought
|
Weak
|
Now regular, formerly with Rückumlaut and metathesis of r and o
|
wreak – wreaked/wrought – wreaked/wrought
|
Weak
|
Usually regular; wrought (which is in fact from work) has come sometimes to be identified with this verb (perhaps by analogy with seek–sought).
|
wring – wrang/wrung – wrung
|
Strong, class 3
|
|
write – wrote – written
- cowrite – cowrote – cowritten
- ghostwrite – ghostwrote – ghostwritten
- handwrite – handwrote – handwritten
- miswrite – miswrote – miswritten
- overwrite – overwrote – overwritten
- rewrite – rewrote – rewritten
- underwrite – underwrote – underwritten
|
Strong, class 1
|
|
writhe – writhed/wrothe – writhed/writhen
|
Regular
|
Originally Strong, class 1
|
zinc – zinced/zinked/zincked – zinced/zinked/zincked
|
Regular
|
With spelling complications because of the final letter C
|