Weak Verbs
What Are Weak Verbs? (with Examples)
A weak verb is one that has a –d or –t ending for its simple past tense and past participle. For example:Weak Verb | Simple Past Tense | Past Participle | Comment |
---|---|---|---|
love | loved | has loved | regular verb |
play | played | has played | regular verb |
creep | crept | has crept | irregular verb |
shoot | shot | has shot | irregular verb |
put | put | has put | irregular verb |
Note: The terms weak verb and regular verb do not mean the same thing. Weak verb incorporates all regular verbs but also a lot of irregular verbs.
Types of Weak Verbs
There are four types of weak verbs:Past form adds -d, -ed, or –t without a change of vowel sound. For example:
Weak Verb | Simple Past Tense | Past Participle | Comment |
---|---|---|---|
love | loved | has loved | regular verb |
hate | hated | has hated | regular verb |
move | moved | has moved | regular verb |
Past form adds -d, or –t with a change of vowel sound. For example:
Weak Verb | Simple Past Tense | Past Participle | Comment |
---|---|---|---|
tell | told | has told | irregular verb |
keep | kept | has kept | irregular verb |
Past form retains the -d, or –t ending and shortens the vowel sound. For example:
Weak Verb | Simple Past Tense | Past Participle | Comment |
---|---|---|---|
meet | met | has met | irregular verb |
bleed | bled | has bled | irregular verb |
Past form is the same as the base form. For example:
Weak Verb | Simple Past Tense | Past Participle | Comment |
---|---|---|---|
put | put | has put | irregular verb |
set | set | has set | irregular verb |
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