· News is an uncountable noun; e.g., The news is good for Mary.// e.g., ‘That is the best news I have heard for a long time’ ((^^) for the 2nd example)// e.g. This news has been well received by some residents who were beginning to lose faith in the council a few weeks ago.// e.g., In the life of a migrant, the big news event is not who came in first in the Bass Hill election.
· Staff is an uncountable noun; it is a singular noun and goes with singular or plural verb e.g., The staff are not very happy about the latest pay increase (^^)// e.g., A spokesman for the bank said all its staff are trained to spot fraud, and it was delighted at their vigilance.
· Police is an uncountable plural noun e.g. The police are investigating fraud allegations against him.// e.g., Police have launched an initiative to tackle rising crime. (^^)).// e.g., Police were alerted after two men drove away without paying.
· Hair is a countable or an uncountable noun. Example: I found a hair in my soup (^^^)./// When we talk about hair not of our head then it may go with plural verb e.g., ‘Cat hairs are/ cat hair is on the couch.’// It may be plural e.g., ‘He is starting to get a few gray hairs now’ (^^ for this example).
· Family is a countable or uncountable noun and goes with singular or plural verb e.g., A new family has/have moved in next door.// e.g., He is American, but his family (= here means his relatives in the past) come/comes from Ireland (^^).
· People is a countable noun e.g. ‘Customs similar to this one are found among many peoples of the world.’ // e.g., The peoples remain distinct and unassimilated (= not absorbed or integrated into a wider society or culture).// e.g., The Bakongo are a blend of peoples who assimilated the Kongo culture and language over time.// e.g., Insecure land tenure is a common problem faced by African pastoralists and by indigenous peoples more globally.// e.g., The French are known as a food-loving people (**) So we say ‘fewer people’ as it is a plural noun e.g., Fewer people showed interest in the concert this year.// ‘Not all young people own a smartphone, as some prefer older conventional mobile phones, and this comprises a significant number, but are surely fewer than people of older age who are unaccustomed to smartphone technology’ (my example).
· Fewer or less?
· We use fewer if we are referring to people or things in the plural (e.g., houses, newspapers, dogs, students, children).
· We use less when we are referring to something that can’t be counted (uncountable) or doesn’t have a plural (e.g., money, air, time, music, rain).
· Examples: ‘less money’ (it is uncountable); fewer euros/ dollars (countable – plural); fewer children (plural; we don’t say ‘less children’); little/ less/ much time (it is uncountable), fewer people (it is plural noun e.g., Fewer people showed interest in the concert this year); fewer (not ‘less’) words/ mistakes (countable nouns) e.g., I need to write fewer (not ‘less,’ as ‘word’ is a countable noun) words/ to have fewer mistakes (not ‘less,’ as ‘mistake’ is a countable noun) in my essay.
· Simple – simpler / simplest
· Rest (vs) Remaining
· Rest is a noun and means that which remains
· We use ‘The rest of (something) when we don’t know the quantity of something e.g., I have read 30 pages (of this book) today. I will read the rest of the pages at the weekend.
· Remaining is an adjective and means what has been left after something has been removed. It is an act or occurrence e.g., The remaining book.
· Choose – chose -chosen
· Verbs followed by gerunds are: avoid, dislike, forgive, postpone, celebrate, dread(= anticipate with great apprehension or fear), involve, prevent, consider, enjoy, keep, resent, entail (= involve something as a necessary or inevitable part or consequence), contemplate(= look thoughtfully for a long time at), loathe (=feel intense dislike or disgust for), resist, defer, escape, mind, risk, detest, finish, stop, pardon (pronounced ˈpɑː.dən; = forgive or excuse a person, error, or offense), delay, excuse, save, miss.
· Be/get used to + gerund/ noun e.g., I am used to playing.// e.g., I am getting used to working late (get used to = I am gradually used to)
· Ago goes with past simple e.g., ‘I holidayed in the UK 5 years ago, both for work and for leisure.’ // e.g., Three years ago her parents moved to a new house.
· For / since go with present perfect e.g., ‘I wish to travel again to the UK, but I have been (not ‘had been’) short of money since my last visit there.’// e.g., She paid tribute to her tutors at Footsteps where she has trained for seven years.
· Present continuous is used with a future meaning with verbs that express moving somewhere (e.g., go, come, drive, fly, arrive, leave, start, have) for an action that is scheduled for the near future. Here we must refer to the time. Otherwise, the time is ‘now.’ For example, ''The mayor is having dinner at the hotel tomorrow night.'' Sense verbs such as ‘see.' ‘hear’ and ‘smell’ are non-continuous verbs and don’t go with present continuous, but we use the verb ‘can’ e.g. ‘I can’t see you!’// e.g., ‘I can hear you.’ But if the action is deliberate, then we use the words ‘watch’ or ‘look’(instead of ‘see) and ‘hear’ (instead of ‘listen’). For example: ‘Can’t you see I am watching TV?’// e.g., ‘I am listening to the news.’// e.g., I am looking, but I can’t see the plane!’
· ‘How long’ goes with present perfect simple e.g., ‘How long have you been (been is p.p. of ‘be’) in the UK?’ /// e.g., ‘How long have you been knowing each other? It can also be used with simple past, but referring to the past e.g., ‘How long did he work as a waiter?’ But ‘How long ago’ always goes with simple past e.g., ‘How long ago did you book your room?’
· Present perfect simple goes with the adverbs ‘yet’ and ‘already.' ‘Yet’ goes with a question and negative clause, while ‘already’ goes with a question and affirmative clause e.g., ‘Have you finished yet?’ (question) ‘No, I haven’t finished yet.’ (negative)// e.g., Have you studied already?’ (question) ‘Yes, I have already studied/ studied already.’ (affirmative)
· Break in = force entry to a building e.g., Somebody broke in last night and stole us.
· Chip in = help e.g., If everyone chips in, we can tidy our house by noon./// Contribute something as one's share of a joint activity, cost, etc. e.g., John chipped in with eight saves and four wins.// e.g., The council will chip in a further $40,000 a year./// (informal) Make an interjection; interject e.g., (with direct speech) ‘He's right,’ Helen chipped in.
· Come down with something = become sick e.g., I came down with flu.
· Cross something out = draw a line through e.g., I crossed out the student’s mistake.
· Cut back on something = consume less e.g., My doctor wants me to cut back on sweets because I am diabetic.
· Get back at somebody = retaliate, take revenge e.g., My ex-girlfriend got back at me for cheating her.
· Hang up = end a phone call e.g., ‘Thanks,’ she says, and hangs up.
· Hold somebody/ something up = rob e.g., Yesterday a thug held the bank up.
· Pass away (vs) Pass out
· Pass away = die e.g., My father passed away from cancer.
· Pass out = faint e.g., It was so hot I passed out.
· Break out of = escape e.g., A prisoner broke out of his cell.
· There isn't a word in the English vocabulary to describe her./// The use of morphological awareness in vocabulary acquisition.
· On is used for:
dates (e.g., on the 1st of January; on October 15th; on Tuesday, March 5th ; on July 11th; on August 9; on the 4th of June; on September 3rd); for days (e.g., on Monday); a surface (e.g., ‘on the table’); floor (e.g., ‘my apartment is on the 2nd floor’); side (on the left/right); public transport (on the bus, on the plane; but we say ‘in the car/taxi’); on this occasion; on the New Year Day; we spend/waste money on something.
· In is used for:
years (e.g., in 2018); for months (e.g., in March); seasons (e.g., in the winter); century (e.g., in the 19thcentury); city (e.g., in London); country (e.g., in the UK); continent (e.g., in Europe); time [in the morning; in the afternoon; in the evening (but we say ‘at noon’ and ‘at night’) places (e.g., in Oxford (as a place; but we say ‘at Oxford’ as a university e.g., ‘He is a professor at the Oxford university’)
· At is used for:
time (at night; at dawn; at noon; at midnight (but we say ‘in the morning’, ‘in the afternoon’, ‘in the evening’) at 12 pm; at 9.30 pm); events (at Xmas; at Easter (but we say ‘on Xmas Eve/Day’)); to refer to a point regardless its size as space (at the office; at home; at school; at work; at the church; at the airport; at the university (e.g., ‘He is a professor at the Oxford university’; but we say ‘in Oxford’ when we speak of the place) (we also say in for an enclosed space e.g., in hospital; in court; in prison; in the church)); at birth (but: in infancy/ childhood/ adulthood/ old age); at the beginning (e.g., She received a letter at the beginning of this week cancelling it); email (e.g., email me at xxxx@yahoo.com); at the weekend; ‘arrive at’ (e.g., ‘I arrived at work early in the morning’ (^^) – but for cities we write ‘arrive in’ e.g., ‘Armed forces arrived in London after the terror attack’ (^^).
· When we use the verbs go, come, arrive and travel for public means, we use ‘by’ without the article: by car, by bus, by plane, by train (e.g., ‘John came by bus’). But we say, ‘on foot’ and ‘on horseback’ (e.g., ‘She goes to work on foot’).
· Go/come to e.g., Go to work.// To goes with movements from one place to another with the verbs ‘drive’, ‘walk’, ‘go’, ‘hike’, ‘fly’, ‘sail’ (e.g., ‘We are flying to New York’; however, we always use ‘at’ for ‘arrive’ e.g., ‘I arrived at work early in the morning.’ We say, ‘I go to work,’ not ‘go to job’; as we ‘have/ seek/find a job.’ For work we may also use ‘for,’ e.g., ‘She works for a group of judges’. Also, we don’t say I ‘go at work’; but we can say ‘go to work’ or ‘I am at work now’ or ‘I am in the office.’
· ‘In’ or ‘at’ the office?
· ‘At’ the office' is a more general term, whereas ‘in the office’ usually refers to a specific physical location (my comment: means inside an office). Someone is ‘at’ the office if he/she is at a place of work, but not emphasizing a specific room e.g., ‘Where is Anna?’, asked George. ‘She is at the office,’ I replied.// e.g., ‘Darling, I’m at the office right now, but I will come home to see you soon.’ On the other hand, ‘in the office’ is used to emphasize a room where someone works e.g., ‘I need to have a desktop in the office.’ // e.g.. ‘Where is your purse.’ ‘I left it in my office.’
· For the word 'street,' we may use the preposition 'in,' e.g., The number of coffee shops in our city streets has multiplied in the last few years.’ // e.g., 'In Oxford Street.’ However, in US English we may also use the preposition 'on' when we refer to the name of a street e.g., ‘Diana's house is in Cherry Street.’ (UK English) – in US English it would be ‘‘Diana’s house is on Cherry Street’ (^^)). We may also use ‘at’ referring to the number of the street e.g., ‘The Prime Minister lives at 10 Downing Street (^^).
· For the word 'square,' it seems that 'in' is the best option, e.g., ‘There is a statue of Nelson in the main square in Bridgetown that pre-dates the one in Trafalgar Square.’
· For the word ‘corner,’ we use 'in' when the corner has the meaning of 'the area within a room or other space near the place where two walls or other surfaces meet' e.g., ‘The TV set is in the corner of the room.’ However, we use 'on' when we refer to 'a place where two or more streets meet e.g. ‘And there is the building on the corner of Coney Street that is being built now.’ On the corner means "occupying the surface, e.g. ‘A person is standing on the corner’ (the person is occupying a space). ‘At’ the corner means near or adjacent to a corner. For example, you can say ‘Let's meet at the corner of my street.’
· At my desk e.g., ‘Students sitting at (not ‘on!’) their desk.’ The preposition ‘on’ is used when we refer to something being in contact with the surface of an object. That often means ‘on top of a surface,’ such as a desk. ‘At’ is used to specify a location as a point in space and here it means ‘where your desk is e.g., ‘You should be at your desk during office hours’// e.g., ‘She sat at her desk writing letters’ (^^). ‘At my desk’ doesn’t mean ‘on top of my desk,’ like ‘on my desk’ would usually mean e.g. ‘He had a pile of papers on his desk.’ (^^)// An example in which we can notice the difference is: e.g., ‘He found the paper at his desk. I don’t know if he found it on, under or beside his desk, but it is on his desk now.’
· For war we say: be at war/peace (e.g. The Greeks and Trojans have been at war for many years); but we say in war (period) e.g., ‘Canada's role in the Second World War.’
· care about
· complain about
· regard as
· excel at
· laugh at
· good/ bad at
· hide from/ in/ away
· expressed by
· subsidized by (= to be paid part of the cost of something)
· characterized by
· attend by (when it means ‘to provide service to someone, especially as part of your job’ e.g., ‘The Queen was attended by her ladies-in-waiting.’// But it is ‘attend to’ when it means ‘notice’ e.g. ‘I am afraid I wasn’t attending to what was being said’)
· absorbed by/ into
· supported on/ by
· disappointed by (often we use ‘by’) (e.g., He was disappointed by the treatment of asylum seekers in Britain) [Note: disappointed (as an adjective) may go ‘with’ e.g., I am bitterly disappointed not just with the result but our overall performance].
· apologize for
· blame for
· opt for
· care for
· criticized for
· apply for
· demand for
· demand for
· account for (something) = (give a satisfactory record of something, typically money, that one is responsible for e.g., I had to account for every penny I spent./// Provide or serve as a satisfactory explanation for e.g., He was brought before the Board to account for his behavior./// Supply or make up a specified amount or proportion e.g., Social security accounts for 1/3 of total public spending.// Succeed in killing, destroying, or defeating e.g., A mishit (= hitting or kicking a ball badly or in the wrong direction) drive accounted for Smith, who had scored 30).
· arrested for
· reproach (someone) for/ with (reproach for = address someone in such a way as to express disapproval or disappointment e.g., Critics of the administration reproached the president for his failure to tackle the deficiency) (reproach with = accuse someone of e.g., ‘His wife reproached him with cowardice’)
· suffer from
· refrain from
· apart from
· prohibited from
· deter from (e.g., Only a health problem would deter him from seeking re-election)
·discourage someone from doing something (but ‘encourage someone to do something’)
· distract from (e.g., ‘The internet distracts me from my homework/ studies’)
· originates from
· believe in
· engage in (an activity)
· interested in
· give in
· participate in/ take part in
· specialize in
· result in
· succeed in
· assist in/ with
· help with/ to
· indulge in (= allow oneself to enjoy the pleasure of e.g., We indulged in ice cream)
· absorbed by/ into
· accuse of (e.g., He was accused of murdering his wife's lover)
· approve of
· dream of
· in charge of
· take care of
· think of
· as a matter of (e.g., ‘As a matter of debate/discussion/fact’)
· consider of
· at the expense of
· capable of (but ‘able to’)
· in spite of
· fond of
· consist of
· regardless of
· convicted of
· composed of
· agree on
· concentrate on
· congratulate on
· continue on
· keen on someone/ something (we are ‘keen on someone/ something e.g. ‘I am keen on playing tennis’ or ‘He is keen on a girl in his school’ (^^), but we may use ‘keen to do something’ e.g., ‘Young people are keen to question things’ (^^))
· expert on [e.g., ‘I am expert on viruses’.// e.g., ‘I am expert on American history.’ // We've asked to interview an expert on foreign policy.’/// In some occasions we may use ‘expert in’ that makes the emphasis slightly heavier on the person who has an expertise, while on places some emphasis on the subject in which expertise is shown e.g., ‘My brother is an expert in foreign policy.’// e.g., Economist is an expert in economics.// e.g., He was widely regarded by colleagues as one of the leading experts in his field.// e.g., Experts in child development./// Expert may also go with ‘at’ e.g., My mother is an expert at dress-making (^^^ for this example)].
· depend on
· on no account
· insist on
· based on
· plan on
· rely on
· focus on
· agree on/ with/ to
· speculate on
· declare war on
· spend money on
· supported on/ by
· hooked on (= addicted e.g., A girl who got hooked on cocaine)
· prefer to
· adapt to
· adjust to
· devote to
· Accustom (yourself) to (something) (= To make yourself familiar with new conditions e.g., ‘It’ll take time for me to accustom myself to the changes (^^).// e.g., ‘I was accustomed to being lapped (= swathed) in luxury).
· object to
· travel to
· point to
· incline/ decline to
· detrimental to
· able to (but ‘capable of’)
· prefer to
· rise by (= amount of increase e.g., ‘Inflation rose by 8%’)
· rise to/ of (point reached; e.g., Sales rose to 3%) (‘rise of’ with 'rise' as a noun) (point reached) e.g., (A rise (as a noun) in sales of 4%)
· relate to
· addicted to
· prone to
· according to
· appear to
· compare to
· intend to
· encourage someone to do something (but ‘discourage someone from doing something’)
· entitled to
· be apt to
· assent to (= express approval or agreement, typically officially e.g. The US president assented to the agreement)
· conform to/ with something
· listen/ speak to
· be deemed to (= regard or consider in a specified way e.g., The event was deemed a great success)
· belong to
· (something is) familiar to (us)
· add to
· ascribe something to/ be ascribed to (= attribute something to a cause e.g., He ascribed Helen's short temper to her upset stomach)
· amount to
· increase/ decreased to (point reached e.g., Sales decreased to 3%))
· help to/ with
· predicted to (we also say: ‘has predicted that’/ ‘can predict when’)
· expected to/ that
· plummeted to/ down
· account to (somebody) for (something)(= explain the reason or the cause of something)
· apply to
· alert to (alert as a verb goes with or without ‘to’) e.g., I alert people to the dangers of smoking)
· charge with
· mess with
· provide with
· cope with
· in accordance with (but ‘according to’)
· occupied with/ preoccupied with
· disappointed (as an adjective) may go ‘with’ (but as a verb often goes with ‘by’) e.g., I am bitterly disappointed not just with the result but our overall performance.
· content (oneself) with (= accept as adequate despite wanting more or better e.g., ‘We contented ourselves with a few small purchases’)
· reproach (someone) for/ with (reproach with = accuse someone of e.g., ‘His wife reproached him with cowardice’)
· deal with (e.g., The government had been unable to deal with the economic crisis)
· familiar with something
· conform to/ with something
· assist with/ in
· satisfied/ dissatisfied with
· Verbs that are NOT followed by a preposition: Contact (e.g., ‘I contacted him about a serious matter’); regarding (e.g., ‘Regarding unemployment, it seems that it has recently increased’); lack (e.g., ‘I lack confidence’); attend (e.g., ‘I attended the tutorial lesson’) (We don’t say attend to/at’); resist (it goes without preposition e.g., One important measure in resisting infection is to quit smoking.// e.g., He insisted that the people were determined to resist intimidation and vote buying).
· Suggest goes with or without ‘that’ e.g., ‘Are you suggesting (that) I look fat in these trousers?”// e.g., All the evidence suggests (that) he is not guilty (^^).
· Exaggerate (pronounced ɪɡˈzædʒ.ə.reɪt) as a verb is usually not accompanied by a preposition e.g., I think I rather exaggerate the time (not ‘in the time’) I spend working out at the gym (my own example).
· Irregular verbs - (a) (a)
· sit – sat – sat
· spit – spat – spat
· Irregular verbs – (a) – (u)
· ring – rang – rung
· drink – drank – drunk
· spring (= move or jump suddenly or rapidly upward or forward e.g., ‘I sprang out of bed’) – sprang – sprung
· begin – began – begun
· sing – sang – sung
· sink – sank – sunk
· swim – swam – swum
· run – ran – run
· Irregular verbs – (u) – (u)
· hang – hung – hung (= stay, fix at top, bend down)(for hang with the meaning to kill: hang – hanged or hung – hanged or hung)
· stick – stuck – stuck
· dig – dug – dug
· strike – struck – struck
· cling (= (of a person or animal) hold on tightly to) – clung – clung
· swing (= move or cause to move back and forth or from side to side while suspended, or on an axis e.g., Her long black skirt swung about her legs) – swung – swung
· sling (= suspend or arrange something, especially with a strap or straps, so that it hangs loosely in a particular position e.g., A hammock was slung between two trees./// Throw; fling – often used to express the speaker's casual attitude e.g., ‘Sling a few things into your knapsack’) – slung – slung
· Irregular verbs - The same
· split – split – split
· cut – cut – cut
· hit – hit – hit
· spread – spread – spread
· shut – shut – shut
· cost –cost – cost
· bet – bet – bet
· burst – burst – burst
· bid – bid – bid
· quit – quit (preferred) (or quitted) – quit (preferred) (or quitted)
· rid – rid – rid
· shed (= of a tree or other plant e.g., Both varieties shed leaves in winter) allow leaves or fruit to fall to the ground) – shed – shed
· slit (= make a long, narrow cut in (something e.g., ‘Give me the truth or I will slit your throat!’) – slit – slit
· thrust (= push something or someone suddenly or violently in the specified direction e.g., He thrust his hands into his pockets) – thrust – thrust
· Be careful: pay – paid (not payed!) – paid (not payed!)
· Be careful: read – read (past simple; pronounced red)) – read (p.p.; pronounced red) e.g. ‘I have already read (pronounced red) this book.’
· Be careful: hear – heard (not ‘heared’) – heard (not ‘heared’).
· Be careful: mean – meant (not ‘ment’) – meant (not ‘ment’)
· Be careful: choose – chose -chosen
· Be careful: burst is irregular: burst – burst – burst
· Be careful: bleed is irregular: bleed – bled – bled
· Be careful: slide (= move along a smooth surface while maintaining continuous contact with it e.g., He slid down the bank into the water) is irregular: slide– slid – slid /// sliding
· Be careful: bear (= carry, support, give birth, endure, turn and proceed in a specified direction; pronounced ‘beə(r)’) – born – borne (or born in US English)
· Dream – dreamed (or dreamt) – dreamed (or dreamt)
· Get – got – got (or gotten (US English))
· Mistake – mistook – mistaken
· Swell – swelled – swelled or swollen (preferred)
· Sew (= join, fasten, or repair something by making stitches with a needle and thread or a sewing machine e.g., She sewed the seams and hemmed the border; pronounced səʊ) – sewed – sewn (or sewed)
· Sow (= plant seed by scattering it on or in the earth e.g., ‘Sow a thin layer of seeds on top.’ // e.g., A farmer sows seeds) – sowed – sown or sowed
· Beat – beat – beaten
· Light – lit – lit
· Creep (= move slowly and carefully, especially in order to avoid being heard or noticed e.g., He crept downstairs, hardly making any noise) – crept – crept
· Grind (reduce something to small particles or powder by crushing it e.h., ‘Grind some black pepper over the salad’; pronounced ɡrʌɪnd) – ground – ground
· Bid (= to give a greeting to someone, or to ask someone to do something e.g., A chance to bid farewell to their president) – bade – bidden. But for ‘bid’ with the meaning of offering a certain price for something, especially at an auction (e.g., Several buyers made bids for the Van Gogh sketches) the infinitive, past simple and p.p. are: bid – bid – bid
· Hang – hung – hung (= stay, fix at top, bend down)(for hang with the meaning to kill: hang – hanged or hung – hanged or hung). Hung = past simple and p.p. of hang or adjective. Note: we use the form ‘hanged’ when we put someone in death by hanging). For ‘hang up’ (= terminate a phone call) the past form is ‘hung up’ e.g., I hung up the phone.
· Drink – drank – drunk (drunk is used only with ‘have/had’ e.g., I have drunk two glasses of orange juice.// e.g., I have never drunk wine)
· Knit (= make a garment, blanket, etc. by interlocking loops of wool or other yarn with knitting needles or on a machine e.g., Members of the cooperative spin and dye wool, knit sweaters, and also make ceramic crafts) – knitted (used more often) or knit – knitted (used more often) or knit
· Leap (= jump or spring a long way, to a great height, or with great force e.g., ‘I leaped across the threshold’) – leapt (UK English) or leaped (US English) – leapt (UK English) or leaped (US English)
· Cast – cast – cast
· Cleave (= to separate or divide, or cause something to separate or divide, often violently e.g., The large ax his father used to cleave wood for the fire) – cleaved or clove (US English) or cleft – cleaved or cleft or clove or cloven (US English)) (My comment as a medic: in medicine, we say ‘cleft lip’ or ‘cleft palate’)
· Eat – ate (UK English) (preferred) or eit (US English) – eaten
· Forsake (= to abandon/ leave someone forever, especially when they need you e.g., He would never forsake Mary. // Renounce (= formally declare one's abandonment of a claim, right, or possession) or give up something valued or pleasant e.g., ‘I won't forsake my vegetarian principles’) – forsook – forsaken
· Fling (= to throw something/someone suddenly and with a great force e.g., He picked up the debris and flung it away) – flung – flung
· Lead – led – led
· Learn – learnt or learned (preferred) – learnt or learned (preferred)
· May – might – ------ (nothing for p.p.)
· Mow (= to cut the grass or wheat e.g., David mowed the lawn) – mowed – mown or mowed (My comment: I think that ‘mown’ as p.p. fits better and should be preferred).
· Outshine (= to be much more skillful and successful than someone e.g. It is a shame when a mother outshines a daughter. /// Shine more brightly than e.g., Already it is impossible to miss the planet, a yellow-orange disc in the south-eastern sky far outshining the brightest star, Sirius) – outshone – outshone
· Overcome – overcame – overcome
· Prove – proved – proved (UK English) or proven (US English)
· Saw (= to cut wood or other hard material using a saw e.g., The top of each post is sawed off at railing height) – sawed – sawn or sawed (US English))
· Shine (= to emit light e.g., The sun shone through the window) – shone – shone
· Shine (= to gleam by polishing e.g., His shoes were shined to perfection) – shined – shined
· Slay (= to kill e.g., St. George slew the dragon.// e.g., A man was slain with a shotgun) – slew – slain
· Smell – smelt (UK English) or smelled (preferred) – smelt (UK English) or smelled (preferred)
· Spin – spun – spun
· Spoil – spoilt or spoiled (preferred) – spoilt or spoiled (preferred)
· Stride (= to walk somewhere quickly with long steps e.g., She strode across the road) – strode – stridden
· Smite (= to hit someone forcefully or to have a sudden powerful or damaging effect on someone e.g., He smites the water with his sword./// Be strongly attracted to someone or something e.g., She was so smitten with the boy) – smote – smitten
· String (= to put a string through a number of objects/ Hang something so that it stretches in a long line e.g., When night fell, they strung lights so he could see) – strung – strung
· Strive (= to try very hard to do something or to make something happen, especially for a long time or against difficulties e.g., National movements were striving for independence) – strove (preferred) or strived – striven (preferred) or strived
· Thrive (= (of a child, animal, or plant) grow or develop well or vigorously e.g., The new baby thrived) – thrived (preferred) or throve – thrived (preferred) or thriven (obsolete)
· Unwind (= undo or be undone after winding or being wound e.g., Mary unwound the long woolen scarf from her neck; pronounced ʌnˈwaɪnd) – unwound – unwound
· Uphold (= to defend or keep a principle or law, or to say that a decision that has already been made, especially a legal one, is correct e.g., The court upheld her claim for damage) – upheld – upheld
· Wake – woke (preferred) or waked (obsolete) – woken (preferred) or waked (obsolete)
· Win – won – won
· Foretell (= to say what is going to happen in the future e.g., As he foretold, thousands lost their lives) – foretold – foretold (‘foresay’ as a verb does not exist!)
· Rend (= to tear or break something violently e.g., Snapping teeth that would rend human flesh to shreds (shred = a strip of some material, such as paper, cloth, or food, that has been torn, cut, or scraped from something larger)) – rended (US English) or rent (preferred) – rended (US English) or rent (preferred)
· Forecast (= predict or estimate a future event or trend e.g., Snow has been forecast for tomorrow.// e.g., They forecast a large drop in unemployment over the next 5 years.// ((+) full infinitive) e.g., Oil prices are forecast to increase by less than 3% this year) – forecast (or forecasted) – forecast (or forecasted).
· Deal – dealt – dealt
· Dive – dived or dove (US English) – dived
· Bust – bust (UK English) or busted – bust (UK English) or busted. Bust = (verb with object) (informal) Break, split, or burst e.g., They bust the tunnel wide open.// (figurative) The film bust every box office record./// (verb; no object) e.g., The color control had bust./// (transitive verb) (US English) (slang) When the police bust a person, they arrest them, or when they bust a building or a place, they arrest people in it who they believe are breaking the law e.g., The police busted him because they think he is involved with a terrorist group (^^ for the meaning in US English).
· Note: ‘Drown’ is not an irregular verb. The past simple is drowned e.g., He drowned in the pond.
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