I’ve written a couple of posts about tricky irregular verbs such as lead and lie/lay. Today I ran across a recent post about irregular verbs at the Language Log blog that lists some of the more confusing verbs and their proper forms alongside verbs with similar present-tense forms whose past tense forms are created differently. I pulled this table straight out of the post.
PLAIN PRES | PRETERITE | PAST PART. | ||
hit | hit | hit | hit | |
sit | sit | sat | sat | |
right | right | righted | righted | |
light | light | lit | lit | |
fight | fight | fought | fought | |
lie | lie | lay | lain | |
lay | lay | laid | laid | |
get | get | got | gotten | (got in British English) |
let | let | let | let | |
make | make | made | made | |
take | take | took | taken | |
bring | bring | brought | brought | (brung in some non-standard dialects) |
ping | ping | pinged | pinged | |
sing | sing | sang | sung |
The “plain pres” column lists the present tense, the “preterite” lists basically the simple past tense, and the “past part” column lists the past participle, or the verb form you tend to use along with helping verbs like “had.” Note how the past tense forms of similar words like hit/sit, right/light/fight, get/let, and the other groupings differ. No wonder people have trouble keeping up with this stuff!
I found another relevant and interesting post here.
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I pity people who have to learn English as a second language. It’s hard enough when it’s your mother tongue!
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Try learning German as a second language. The irregular verbs drive me crazy. 🙂
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My mother tongue is Dutch, but I’m used to the irregular verbs now! I love English now I’m over the hard parts!
The German irregular verbs are easier for me to learn, because they are more the same as in my language.
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Good for you. 🙂
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Reblogged this on Cheryl Andrews and commented:
Very useful for some irregular verbs (present tense, past tense and past participle) I recommend checking out the “Language Log” blog as well.
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Interesting post! I teach EFL and it so difficult to get teenage learners to memorize irregular verbs. I don’t teach right righted righted but I just might start.
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The key is often to stop memorizing rules and to just get on and learn the exceptions – through repetition and use.
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I love your posts. They are always so informative. Thank you for taking the time to enlighten us.
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Reblogged this on Krazy Memoirs.
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Thanks for the tips. I still have trouble with with when to use ‘wake’ and ‘woke’, vs ‘awake’ and ‘awaken’.
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Thanks for the info, although I repeat my irregular verbs regularly, so I was glad to see that this was something I know.
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Reblogged this on haiyotamie and commented:
I am trying to manage my time of doing everyrhing i still can not handle them all reading this blog courage me and very interesting to follow thankyou so much to let me repost this
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No wonder learners of English get headaches…
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Try Japanese?
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useful 🙂
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Educational to say the least.
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hi!thanks for the info..i love it..it very heplful
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That is a good work done,bravo.
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Reblogged this on Colby is Mega and commented:
Same here! 😀
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English is my second language.How difficult it was to learn about it and we were screaming this irregular ones in one class to memorize, we were like idiots but have to admit it worked:)
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I’m guilty of using “brung” from time to time.
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