Summary
What is a Strong Verb
A strong verb forms its past tense by changing the vowel of the present tense form, but adds no ending; as, run, ran; drive, drove.
TABLE OF STRONG VERBS.
NOTE. Some of these also have weak forms, which are in parentheses
| Present Tense | Past Tense | Past Participle |
| abide | abode | abode |
| arise | arose | arisen |
| awake | awoke (awaked) | awoke (awaked) |
| bear | bore | borne (active)born (passive) |
| begin | began | begun |
| behold | beheld | beheld |
| bid | bade, bid | bidden, bid |
| bind | bound | bound,[adj. bounden] |
| bite | bit | bitten, bit |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| chide | chid | chidden, chid |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| cleave | clove, clave (cleft) | cloven (cleft) |
| climb | [clomb] climbed | climbed |
| cling | clung | clung |
| come | came | come |
| crow | crew (crowed) | (crowed) |
| dig | dug | dug |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| drink | drank | drunk, drank[adj. drunken] |
| drive | drove | driven |
| eat | ate, eat | eaten, eat |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| fling | flung | flung |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forbear | forbore | forborne |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| forsake | forsook | forsaken |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | got [gotten] |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grind | ground | ground |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang | hung (hanged) | hung (hanged) |
| hold | held | held |
| know | knew | known |
| lie | lay | lain |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| run | ran | run |
| see | saw | seen |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| shear | shore (sheared) | shorn (sheared) |
| shine | shone | shone |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| shrink | shrank or shrunk | shrunk |
| shrive | shrove | shriven |
| sing | sang or sung | sung |
| sink | sank or sunk | sunk [adj. sunken] |
| sit | sat [sate] | sat |
| slay | slew | slain |
| slide | slid | slidden, slid |
| sling | slung | slung |
| slink | slunk | slunk |
| smite | smote | smitten |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| spin | spun | spun |
| spring | sprang, sprung | sprung |
| stand | stood | stood |
| stave | stove (staved) | (staved) |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| stick | stuck | stuck |
| sting | stung | stung |
| stink | stunk, stank | stunk |
| stride | strode | stridden |
| strike | struck | struck, stricken |
| string | strung | strung |
| strive | strove | striven |
| swear | swore | sworn |
| swim | swam or swum | swum |
| swing | swung | swung |
| take | took | taken |
| tear | tore | torn |
| thrive | throve (thrived) | thriven (thrived) |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| tread | trod | trodden, trod |
| wear | wore | worn |
| weave | wove | woven |
| win | won | won |
| wind | wound | wound |
| wring | wrung | wrung |
| write | wrote | written |
The Purpose of Strong Verbs
Strong verbs have the power to capture images in the writer’s and reader’s minds. Read the abstract of the poem (The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore) here and in your notebooks write the verbs. Think of the images the verbs conjure in your mind.
The Night Before Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
We would like to hear from you. Leave a comment below in a sentence or two about what you see in your mind.
Learn more about verbs: