Why Irregular Verbs Are Strong
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Why Irregular Verbs Are Strong
When the authorities labeled certain verbs “irregular,” it was never intended as a putdown. Quite the opposite: another term for irregular verbs is “strong verbs.”
In A Dictionary of Modern American Usage Bryan A. Garner explains: “Irregular verbs are sometimes called ‘strong’ verbs because they seem to form the past tense from their own resources, without calling an ending to their assistance. The regular verbs are sometimes called ‘weak’ verbs because they cannot form the past tense without the aid of the ending (most often –ed).”
For those of you still unclear on regular and irregular verbs, there is a concise overview in our
post Irregular Verbs Can Be a Regular Pain.
See how you do on the irregular-verb quiz that follows. The answers are directly below the test.
Irregular Verb Pop Quiz
1. Storm clouds ___ unnoticed over the distant mountains.
A) creeped
B) crept
C) A and B are both correct
2. You have really ___ a lot taller since last year.
A) grew
B) growed
C) grown
D) groan
3. Someone kept banging on the door as she ___ there trying to sleep.
A) lay
B) laid
C) lain
D) lied
4. Oliver ___ next to his younger brother’s bed.
A) kneeled
B) knelt
C) A and B are both correct
5. By the time we arrived, they had already ___ back east.
A) flied
B) flue
C) flew
D) flown
6. We ___ back to shore as the sun set.
A) swum
B) swam
C) swimmed
7. Alf had ___ down and couldn’t get up.
A) fell
B) fallen
C) falling
D) felled
8. Have you ever ___ off a high cliff?
A) dived
B) dove
C) A and B are both correct
9. She had long ago ___ away her high school yearbooks.
A) threw
B) through
C) throwed
D) thrown
10. Luckily, the guide found them and ___ them to safety.
A) led
B) lead
C) A and B are both correct
ANSWERS
1: B) crept
2: C) grown
3: A) lay
4: C) A and B are both correct
5: D) flown
6: B) swam
7: B) fallen
8: A) dived
9: D) thrown
10: A) led
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
The arrow points north (plural verb?)
The arrow does not point north (singular verb?)
What’s up here? Thanks for the time.
Both points and does point are singular verbs that must agree with the singular noun arrow. Your second example uses the auxiliary does. When an auxiliary or helping verb is used in conjunction with the main verb, you do not add the s.
8) Have you ever ___ off a high cliff?
A) dived
B) dove
C) A and B are both correct
I think the answer is C since dove can be used in the past tense and as a past participle.
Is your reasoning based on preference, or is it a typo?
Thank you.
Dove is relatively rare as a past participle in American English.