Conjugation of Verbs:
(1) A Verb has three principal forms, namely, (a) The Present Tense, (b) The Past Tense and (c) The Past Participle, as, work, worked, worked; go, went, gone.
(2) To Conjugate a Verb means to give its three forms. For purposes of Conjugation, Verbs are divided into two main kinds- Strong Verbs and Weak Verbs.
Strong Verbs are those which form their Past Tense or Past Participle by changing an internal vowel without adding d, ed, or t or by changing the vowels and adding n or ne in the Past Participle; as, become, became, become; drink, drank, drunk.
Weak Verbs are those which form their Past Tense or Past Participle by adding d, ed, or t, whether or not they also change the vowels; as, burn, burnt, burnt.
(3) Conjugation of Some of the Strong Verbs is as follows:
| Present | Past | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| Awake | Awoke | Awoke |
| Arise | Arose | Arisen |
| Become | Became | Become |
| Begin | Began | Begun |
| Be (is, am, are) | Was, Were | Been |
| Bear | Bore | Born, Borne |
| Beat | Beat | Beaten |
| Bid | Bade | Bidden |
| Bind | Bound | Bound |
| Bite | Bit | Bitten, Bit |
| Blow | Blew | Blown |
| Break | Broke | Broken |
| Choose | Chose | Chosen |
| Cling | Clung | Clung |
| Dig | Dug | Dug |
| Do | Did | Done |
| Draw | Drew | Drawn |
| Drive | Drove | Driven |
| Eat | Ate | Eaten |
| Fall | Fell | Fallen |
| Fight | Fought | Fought |
| Find | Found | Found |
| Fly | Flew | Flown |
| Forbid | Forbade | Forbidden |
| Forgive | Forgave | Forgiven |
| Forget | Forgot | Forgotten |
| Freeze | Froze | Frozen |
| Get | Got | Gotten, Got |
| Give | Gave | Given |
| Go | Went | Gone |
| Grind | Ground | Ground |
| Grow | Grew | Grown |
| Hang | Hung | Hung |
| Hang | Hanged | Hanged (A weak verb) |
| Hide | Hid | Hidden, Hid |
| Hold | Held | Held |
| Know | Knew | Known |
| Lead | Led | Led |
| Lay | Laid | Laid |
| Lie | Lay | Lain |
| Meet | Met | Met |
| Mistake | Mistook | Mistaken |
| Overcome | Overcame | Overcome |
| Ride | Rode | Ridden |
| Ring | Rang | Rung |
| Rise | Rose | Risen |
| Run | Ran | Run |
| See | Saw | Seen |
| Sew | Sewed | Sewn |
| Shake | Shook | Shaken |
| Shine | Shone | Shone |
| Sink | Sank | Sunk, Sunken |
| Show | Showed | Shown |
| Shrink | Shrank | Shrunk |
| Sing | Sang | Sung |
| Sit | Sat | Sat |
| Sow | Sowed | Sown |
| Speak | Spoke | Spoken |
| Spin | Span | Spun |
| Spring | Sprang | Sprung |
| Stand | Stood | Stood |
| Steal | Stole | Stolen |
| Stick | Stuck | Stuck |
| Sting | Stung | Stung |
| Strike | Struck | Struck, Stricken |
| Swear | Swore | Sworn |
| Swell | Swelled | Swollen, Swelled |
| Swim | Swam | Swum |
| Take | Took | Taken |
| Tear | Tore | Torn |
| Throw | Threw | Thrown |
| Wake | Woke, Waked | Woke, Waked |
| Wear | Wore | Worn |
| Weave | Wove | Woven |
| Win | Won | Won |
| Wind | Wound | Wound |
| Withdraw | Withdrew | Withdrawn |
| Withhold | Withheld | Withheld |
| Wring | Wrung | Wrung |
| Write | Write | Written |
(4) Conjugation of Some of the Weak Verbs is as follows:
| Present | Past | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| Bend | Bent | Bent |
| Bleed | Bled | Bled |
| Bless | Blessed, Blest | Blesses, Blest |
| Breed | Bred | Bred |
| Bring | Brought | Brought |
| Build | Built | Built |
| Burn | Burnt, Burned | Burnt, Burned |
| Buy | Bought | Bought |
| Can | Could | Could |
| Care | Cared | Cared |
| Catch | Caught | Caught |
| Clothe | Clothed, Clad | Clothed, Clad |
| Creep | Crept | Crept |
| Crow | Crew, Crowed | Crowed |
| Dare | Dared, Durst | Dared, Durst |
| Deal | Dealt | Dealt |
| Dream | Dreamt | Dreamt |
| Feed | Fed | Fed |
| Feel | Felt | Felt |
| Fell | Felled | Felled |
| Flee | Fled | Fled |
| Flow | Flowed | Flowed |
| Have | Had | Had |
| Hear | Heard | Heard |
| Keep | Kept | Kept |
| Kneel | Knelt | Knelt |
| Lay | Laid | Laid |
| Lean | Leaned, Leant | Leant |
| Leap | Leapt, Leaped | Leapt, Leaped |
| Learn | Learnt, Learned | Learnt, Learned |
| Leave | Left | Left |
| Lend | Lent | Lent |
| Lie | Lied | Lied |
| Light | Lighted, Lit | Lighted, Lit |
| Load | Loaded | Laded, Laden |
| Lose | Lost | Lost |
| Make | Made | Made |
| May | Might | Might |
| Mean | Meant | Meant |
| Melt | Melted | Melted, Molten |
| Owe | Owed | Owed |
| Pay | Paid | Paid |
| Prove | Proved | Proved |
| Saw | Sawed | Sawed, Sawn |
| Say | Said | Said |
| Seek | Sought | Sought |
| Sell | Sold | Sold |
| Send | Sent | Sent |
| Shave | Shaved | Shaved, Shaven |
| Shoe | Shod | Shod |
| Sleep | Slept | Slept |
| Smell | Smelt | Smelt |
| Spell | Spelled, Spelt | Spelled, Spelt |
| Spend | Spent | Spent |
| Spill | Spilled, Spilt | Spilled, Spilt |
| Spoil | Spoiled, Spoilt | Spoiled, Spoilt |
| Sweep | Swept | Swept |
| Stay | Stayed | Stayed |
| Teach | Taught | Taught |
| Tell | Told | Told |
| Think | Thought | Thought |
| Wash | Washed | Washed |
| Wed | Wed, Wedded | Wed, Wedded |
| Weep | Wept | Wept |
| Wish | Wished | Wished |
| Work | Worked, Wrought | Worked, Wrought |
(5) Some Verbs have the three Forms alike; as,
| Present | Past | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| Bet | Bet | Bet |
| Broadcast | Broadcast | Broadcast |
| 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 |
| Spit | Spit (Spat) | Spit |
| Spread | Spread | Spread |
(5) Some Important Distinctions:
(a) Lie, Lay- Their conjugation is- Lie, Lay, Lain; Lay, Laid, Laid; as,
- As you are tired, you should lie on the bed.
- Please lay the baby on the bed.
(b) Arise, Rise- Their conjugation is- Arise, Arose, Arisen; Rise, Rose, Risen; as,
- The sun rises in the east.
- The question arises whether you are correct or not.
(c) Fell, Felled- Their conjugation is- Fall, Fell, Fallen; Fell, Felled, Felled; as,
- He fell down from the horse.
- He felled a tree with an axe.
(d) Fly, Flee- Their conjugation is Fly, Flow, Flown; Flee, Fleed, Fled; as,
- Birds fly in the air.
- The thief tried to flee as soon as he saw some policemen.
(e) Found, Founded- The conjugation is- Find, Found, Found; Found, Founded, Founded; as,
- He found a pen on the roadside.
- Lord Clive founded the Britsh Empire in India.
