4. Mixed Bag (28)

English Irregular Verbs

The verbs in this group are a mixed bag. Some are in transition between regular and irregular, so -ed forms exist side by side with the irregular forms. Either form has the same meaning.

Some of the pairs offer stylistic choices. For example, stricken and struck. Use struck when the sense has to do with hitting something:Has the batter struck the ball? No, he has struck out.The word stricken carries a negative connotation. as of affliction or infamy. Use stricken when the context is negative or tragic. Let the coward’s name be stricken from the roll of valiant soldiers. Lou Gehrig was stricken with a degenerative disease. The unfortunate child has been stricken with measles. As the examples indicate, stricken usually requires a form of the verb to be.

burn burnt [has/have/had] burnt

burn burned [has/have/had] burned

dream  dreamt [has/have/had] dreamt

dream  dreamed [has/have/had] dreamed

kneel knelt [has/have/had] knelt

kneel kneeled [has/have/had] kneeled

lean leant [has/have/had] leant

lean leaned [has/have/had] leaned

learn  learnt [has/have/had] learnt

learn  learned [has/have/had] learned

light lit [has/have/had] lit

light lighted [has/have/had] lighted

mow mowed [has/have/had] mown

mow mowed [has/have/had] mowed

sew sewed [has/have/had] sewn

sew sewed [has/have/had] sewed

spell spelt [has/have/had] spelt

spell spelled [has/have/had] spelled

spill spilt [has/have/had] spilt

spill spilled [has/have/had] spilled

spoil spoilt [has/have/had] spoilt

spoil spoiled [has/have/had] spoiled

strike struck [has/have/had] stricken

strike struck [has/have/had] struck

wake woke [has/have/had] woken

wake waked [has/have/had] waked

wed wed [has/have/had] wed

wed wedded [has/have/had] wedded

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