Crow Crew. | Shine Shone.
Know Knew. | Abide Abode.
Grow Grew. | Strive Strove.
Throw Threw. | Climb Clomb.
Let Let. | Hide Hid.
Beat Beat. | Dig Dug.
Come Came. | Cling Clung.
Heave Hove. | Swell Swoll.
Weave Wove. | Grind Ground.
Freeze Froze. | Wind Wound.
Shear Shore. | Choose Chose.
---- Quoth. | Stand Stood.
Seethe Sod. | Lie Lay.
Shake Shook. | See Saw.
Take Took. |

s. 303. An arrangement of the preceding verbs into classes, according to
the change of vowel, is by no means difficult, even in the present stage of
the English language. In the Anglo-Saxon, it was easier still. It is also
easier in the provincial dialects, than in the literary English. Thus, when

_Break_ is pronounced _Breek_,
_Bear_ -- _Beer_,
_Tear_ -- _Teer_,
_Swear_ -- _Sweer_,
_Wear_ -- _Weer_,

as they actually are by many speakers, they come in the same class with,--

_Speak_ pronounced _Speek_,
_Cleave_ -- _Cleeve_,

and form their praeterite by means of a similar change, i.e., by changing
the sound of the ee in _feet_ (spelt ea) into that of the a in _fate_;
viewed thus, the irregularity is less than it appears to be at first sight.

Again, _tread_ is pronounced _tredd_, but many provincial speakers say
_treed_, and so said the Anglo-Saxons, whose form was _ic trede_ = _I
tread_. Their praeterite was _traed_. This again subtracts from the
apparent irregularity.

Instances of this kind may be multiplied; the whole question, however, of
the conjugation of the _strong verbs_ is best considered after the perusal
of the next chapter.

* * * * *

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE WEAK TENSES.

s. 304. The praeterite tense of the weak verbs is formed by the addition of
-d or -t.

If necessary, the syllable -ed is substituted for -d.

The current statement that the syllable -ed, rather than the letter -d is