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 recent post “Irregular Verbs Can Be a Regular Pain” (July 7). You can find this article in the “Grammar Blog” section of our website, GrammarBook.com.

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