Drink, Drank, Drunk: The i-a-u Verb Pattern

See the Pattern First

Say these out loud. The vowel walks the same path each time.

• I drink tea. Yesterday I drank tea. I have drunk three cups.
• They sing well. Last night they sang well. They have sung here before.
• The bell rings. It rang at noon. It has rung twice.
• I begin now. I began yesterday. I have begun already.

i → a → u. It never runs backwards. Once you notice this, four or five verbs stop being separate things to memorise and become one shape.

The Full List

Cover the last two columns and test yourself — the pattern will carry you.

These come up often, so they have their own full lesson with more practice: swang, swung or swinged?.

When to Use Which Form

Use the a form (drank, sang) for a finished action at a known time: “I drank it an hour ago.”

Use the u form (drunk, sung) only after have, has or had: “I have drunk it.” Never on its own — “I drunk it” is the single most common error with these verbs.

The Odd One Out

Swing looks like it belongs but breaks the pattern:

• swing → swung → swung — it skips the “a” step entirely. There is no “swang” in standard English.
• bring also looks similar but is completely different: brought. Do not let the -ing ending fool you.

Rhyming endings do not guarantee matching patterns. Sing/sang but bring/brought.

More Verbs Like Drink, Drank, Drunk

These seven verbs follow the same i-a-u pattern, and sting is a close cousin that keeps the u (sting, stung, stung). Take them one at a time: the forms, three examples and the mistake to avoid.

Step 1: Begin, Began, Begun

Examples:

• Classes begin at nine o’clock. (now — it happens every day)
• The movie began twenty minutes ago. (past — it is finished)
• She has begun learning French. (past with “has”)

How to remember: Think of sing, sang, sung. It follows the same pattern: begin, began, begun. The vowel changes from i → a → u.

Step 2: Ring, Rang, Rung

Examples:

• I ring the doorbell every day. (now — today)
• I rang the doorbell yesterday. (past — finished)
• I have rung the doorbell three times. (with have/has/had)

How to remember: Think of the letter U in rung and the U in “Use with has.” When you see has, have, or had — pick the one with U.

Step 3: Sink, Sank, Sunk

Examples:

• The stone sinks to the bottom. (now — every time)
• The stone sank to the bottom. (past — it is finished)
• The stone has sunk to the bottom. (past with “has”)

How to remember: Think of drink, drank, drunk. It follows the same pattern: sink, sank, sunk. The vowel changes from i → a → u.

Step 4: Shrink, Shrank, Shrunk

Examples:

• My sweater shrank in the wash. (past — it happened before)
• The jeans have shrunk after drying. (with have/has/had)
• She shrank back when she heard the noise. (past — it happened before)

How to remember: Think of the vowel order — I, A, U. Shrink, shrank, shrunk. It is the same pattern as drink, drank, drunk and sink, sank, sunk. If the word is alone in the past, the vowel is A. If it comes after have/has/had, the vowel is U.

Step 5: Spring, Sprang, Sprung

Examples:

• The children spring out of bed every morning. (now)
• She sprang to her feet when she heard the news. (past)
• New shops have sprung up all over the town. (with have)

How to remember: Think of a surprise. Someone sprang a surprise on you (past, alone). Someone has sprung a surprise on you (with has). If there is a helping word, the vowel is u. If there is no helping word, the vowel is a.

Step 6: Swim, Swam, Swum

Examples:

• They swim in the lake every morning. (now — it happens every day)
• She swam across the lake yesterday. (past — it is finished)
• He has swum in four races this year. (past with “has”)

How to remember: Think of the vowel pattern — swim, swam, swum. The vowel changes from i → a → u. Several other verbs do the same thing.

Step 7: Stink, Stank, Stunk

Examples:

• The cheese stinks in the fridge. (now — every time)
• The cheese stank last week. (past — it is finished)
• The cheese has stunk for three days. (past with “has”)

How to remember: Think of drink, drank, drunk. It follows the same pattern: stink, stank, stunk. The vowel changes from i → a → u.

Step 8: Sting, Stung, Stung

Examples:

• Bees sting when they feel scared. (now)
• A wasp stung her arm at the park. (past)
• He has been stung by a jellyfish before. (with has)

How to remember: Sting is like swing: the u comes in both the past and the third form (stung, stung). Ring and sing are different: they use a in the past (rang, sang) and u only after have, has or had (rung, sung).

Mistakes Learners Make (You Are Not Alone)

Almost every error with these verbs is the same one — using the u form without “have”:

• ✗ I drunk the water → ✓ I drank the water (no “have”, so use drank)
• ✗ she sung beautifully → ✓ she sang beautifully
• ✗ the bell has rang → ✓ the bell has rung (after “has”, use rung)

Check for have, has or had. If it is there, use the u form. If not, use the a form. That single check fixes all three.

Your Turn — Quick Quiz

Five questions. Take your time — the table above is still there if you need it.

You have seen drink, drank, drunk. Compare the vowel changes in spring, sprang and sprung, then write a past-tense sentence of your own.

Keep Going

One pattern, eight verbs, and a check that stops the most common mistake.

Another family works the same way but ends differently: draw becomes drew, then drawn. Fly becomes flew, then flown. Where does that -n come from?

Next lesson: Verbs ending in -ew and -own: draw, fly, know

Sources

• Cambridge Dictionary — Nouns: plural forms
• Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries

Khamis Maiouf

I’m Khamis Maiouf. I’m studying Health and Social Care and have completed Functional Skills Level 2 in English and Level 3 Hairdressing. I have taught ESOL in my community and helped students with GCSE English. I run English Teacher Site to help people learn and practise English.