Unit 3: Writing and Sentence Skills

Writing Style and Commonly Misused Words and Verbs

Principle Parts of Verbs

In writing and speaking correct English, it is necessary to know the principle parts of verbs thoroughly. The principle parts the PRESENT TENSE, PAST TENSE, and PAST PARTICIPLE. The tense of the verb expresses the time or existence of action, and depends on the meaning which the sentence is to convey.

Example :

Present tense :

Past tesne :

Past participle

Today I sing

Yesterday I sang.

Often in the past, I sung.

Verbs regular in form are easily learned and remembered. Most difficulty is encountered when deciding the correct tense of irregular verbs. These verbs which form the pat tense and past participle irregularly are stated completely in the dictionary. Some of the more difficult irregular verbs are given below. Study them so you can recognize them immediately.

	Irregular Verbs
present tense	past tense	past participle (has, have or had)
arise	arose	arisen
bear	bore	borne, born
become	became	become
befall	befell	befallen
begin	began	begun
bid	bid, bade	bid, bidden
bite	bit	bit, bitten
bleed	bled	bled
blow	blew	blown
break	brake	broken
breed	bred	bred
build	built	built
burn	burnt, burned	burnt, burned
burst	burst	burst
catch	caught	caught
cast	cast	cast
choose	chose	chosen
come	came	come
do	did	done
draw	drew	drawn
drink	drank	drunk
eat	ate	eaten

present tense	past tense	past participle (has, have or had)
fall	fell	fallen
fight	fought	fought
fly	flew	flown
forbid	forbade	forbidden
freeze	froze	frozen
get	got	got, gotten
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
hang	hung	hung
hang	hanged	hanged
know	knew	known
lay	laid	laid
lie	lay	lain
lend	lent	lent
pay	paid	paid
ride	rode	ridden
ring	rang	rung
rise	rose	risen
run	ran	run
say	said	said
see	saw	seen
set	set	set
shake	shook	shaken
shrink	shrank	shrunk
sing	sang	sung
sit	sat	sat
speak	spoke	spoken
steal	stole	stolen
swear	swore	sworn
swim	swam	swum
take	took	taken
tear	tore	torn
throw	threw	thrown
wake	wake, waked	waken
wear	wore	worn
weep	wept	wept