Strong and Weak Verbs

Verbs are also divided into two classes according to the manner in which they form the Past Tense from the Present. These two classes are:

1. Strong Verbs
2. Weak Verbs

The Strong Verbs

If a Verb forms its past tense by merely changing the inside vowel of the present tense without having "-ed" "-d" or "-t" added to its present tense, it is called a Strong Verb.

Examples:

1. Come __ Came
2. Get __ Got
3. Sit __ Sat

Some strong verbs form their past tense by changing the inner vowel and adding "-n" or "-en" in the past participle form.

Examples:

1. Go __ Went __ Gone
2. Write __ Wrote __ Written

The following is a list of some very common Strong Verbs:

Present Tense (1st Form)	Past Tense (2nd Form)	Past Participle (3rd Form)
abide	abode	abode
arise	arose	arisen
bear	bore	born
beat	beat	beaten
become	became	become
beget	begot	begotten
begin	began	begun
behold	beheld	beheld
bid	bade, bid	bidden, bid
bind	bound	bound
bite	bit	bit, bitten
blow	blew	blown
break	broke	broken
chide	chid	chid, chidden
choose	chose	chosen
cleave	clove, clave, cleft	clove, cleaved, cleft
cling	clung	clung
come	came	come
dig	dug	dug
do	did	done
draw	drew	drawn
drink	drank	drunk
drive	drove	driven
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
fight	fought	fought
find	found	found
fling	flung	flung
fly	flew	flown
forbear	forbore	forborne
forbid	forbade	forbidden
forget	forgot	forgotten
forsake	forsook	forsaken
freeze	froze	frozen
get	got	got
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
grind	ground	ground
grow	grew	grown
hide	hid	hidden
hold	held	held
know	knew	known
lie	lay	lain
ride	rode	ridden
ring	rang	rung
rise	rose	risen
run	ran	run
see	saw	seen
shake	shook	shaken
shine	shone	shone
shrink	shrank	shrunk
sing	sang	sung
sink	sank	sunk
sit	sat	sat
slay	slew	slain
slide	slid	slid
sling	slung	slung
smite	smote	smitten
speak	spoke	spoken
spin	spun	spun
spring	sprang	sprung
stand	stood	stood
steal	stole	stolen
stick	stuck	stuck
sting	stung	stung
stride	strode	stridden
strike	struck	stricken
string	strung	strung
strive	strove	striven
swear	swore	sworn
swim	swam	swum
swing	swung	swung
take	took	taken
tear	tore	torn
throw	threw	thrown
wear	wore	worn
weave	wove	woven
win	won	won
wind	wound	wound
wring	wrung	wrung
write	wrote	written

The Weak Verbs

If a Verb forms its Past Tense by the addition of –d or –ed or –t, it is called a Weak Verb.

Examples:

1. Believe __ Believed (addition of "d")
2. Divide __ Divided

1. Call __ Called (addition of "ed")
2. Ask __ Asked

Some weak Verbs form their Past Tense with some change of the inside Vowels.

Examples:

1. Bleed __ Bled
2. Kneel __ Knelt
3. Catch __ Caught
4. Pay __ Paid

The following is a list of some very common Weak Verbs:

Present Tense (1st Form)	Past Tense (2nd Form)	Past Participle (3rd Form)
bereave	bereaved or bereft	bereaved or bereft
beseech	besought	besought
bleed	bled	bled
breed	bred	bred
bring	brought	brought
build	built	built
burn	burnt	burnt
buy	bought	bought
catch	caught	caught
clothes	clad, clothed	clad, clothed
creep	crept	crept
Curse	Cursed	Cursed
Dare	Dared	Dared
Deal	Dealt	Dealt
Dream	Dreamed	Dreamt
Dwell	Dwelt	Dwelt
Feed	Fed	Fed
Feel	Felt	Felt
Fell	Felled	Felled
Flee	Fled	Fled
Gird	Girded, girt	Girded, girt
Hang	Hanged, hung	Hanged, hung
Has (have)	Had	Had
Hear	Heard	Heard
Hew	Hewed	Hewed, hewn
Keep	Kept	Kept
Kneel	Knelt	Knelt
Lay	Laid	Laid
Lead	Led	Led
Leap	Leapt	Leapt
Learn	Learnt	Learnt
Leave	Left	Left
Lend	Lent	Lent
Lie	Lied	Lied
Light	Lighted, lit	Lighted, lit
Load	Loaded	Loaded, laden
Lose	Lost	Lost
Make	Made	Made
Mean	Meant	Meant
Meet	Met	Met
Melt	Melted	Melted, molten
Mow	Mowed	Mown
Pay	Paid	Paid
Prove	Proved	Proved
Praise	Praised	Praised
Rend	Rent	Rent
Saw	Sawed	Sawn
Say	Said	Said
Seek	Sought	Sought
Sell	Sold	Sold
Send	Sent	Sent
Sew	Sewed	Sewn
Shave	Shaved	Shaven
Shoe	Shod	Shod
Show	Showed	Shown
Sleep	Slept	Slept
Smell	Smelt	Smelt
Sow	Sowed	Sown
Speed	Sped	Sped
Spell	Spelt	Spelt
Spend	Spent	Spent
Spill	Spilt	Spilt
Strew	Strewed	Strewn
Sweep	Swept	Swept
Swell	Swelled	Swollen
Teach	Taught	Taught
Tell	Told	Told
Think	Thought	Thought
Weep	Wept	Wept
Work	Worked, wrought	Worked, wrought

The following Weak Verbs require "-d" or "-ed" to form their past or past participle:

add	allow	ask
belong	blame	call
change	cheat	climb
cover	die	doubt
drown	duard	guide
hate	hope	insult
join	joke	judge
jump	kill	laugh
load	love	manage
melt	milk	murder
narrate	offer	open
order	pardon	pass
praise	pray	prove
pull	push	quarrel
rub	ruin	seal
search	stay	sign
smile	vanish	start
state	wash	talk
touch	wound	walk
want		waste
welcome		wish
work		yield

The following verbs have all the three forms exactly alike. All these verbs are weak:

Present Tense (1st Form)	Past Tense (2nd Form)	Past Participle (3rd Form)
Bet	Bet	Bet
Burst	Burst	Burst
Cast	Cast	Cast
Cost	Cost	Cost
Cut	Cut	Cut
Hit	Hit	Hit
Hurt	Hurt	Hurt
Let	Let	Let
Put	Put	Put
Set	Set	Set
Shed	Shed	Shed
Shut	Shut	Shut
Spread	Spread	Spread
Sweat	Sweat	Sweat
Thrust	Thrust	Thrust