Understanding the etymology and grammatical context can help clarify why two different past tense forms exist for the same verb. The variation arises not from a difference in meaning but from historical spellings and pronunciations that have been preserved differently in various English-speaking regions. As language evolves, so do the forms of words, and “lean”…
Quick Answer The past tense of lend is lent. The word lended is not real English — do not use it. Example: “I lent him my pen yesterday.” Lend, Lent, Lent — See the Pattern Look at these examples: Did you see the pattern? The verb changes from lend to lent. We drop the “d”…
Quick Answer The past tense of mistake is mistook. When you use it with have, has, or had, the form is mistaken. For example: “I mistook her for someone else” and “I have mistaken the address.” Mistake, Mistook, Mistaken — See the Pattern Look at these sentences. Can you see how the verb changes? Did…
Quick Answer The past tense of ring is rang. With has, have, or had, use rung. For example: “She rang the bell” and “She has rung the bell.” Ring, Rang, Rung — See the Pattern Look at these three sentences. Watch how the word changes: Did you see the pattern? The vowel changes: i →…
Quick Answer The past tense of set is set. It never changes. There is no “setted” in English. You say: “I set the table yesterday.” Set, Set, Set — See the Pattern Look at these sentences. Can you see what happens to set? Did you see the pattern? The word set looks the same every…
Quick Answer The past tense of shrink is shrank. With have, has, or had, use shrunk. For example: “My shirt shrank in the wash” and “It has shrunk a lot.” Shrink, Shrank, Shrunk — See the Pattern Look at these sentences. Watch how the word shrink changes: Did you see the pattern? When you talk…
Quick Answer The past tense of spit is spat. In American English, spit is also used as the past tense. Both are correct, but spat is the safest choice. Now: I spit out the seeds. Yesterday: I spat out the seeds. Many times: I have spat out seeds before. Spit, Spat, Spat — See the…
Quick Answer The past tense of split is split. It never changes. There is no “splitted” in English. You say: “I split the bill yesterday.” Split, Split, Split — See the Pattern Look at these three sentences. Watch what happens to the word split: Did you see the pattern? The word split looks exactly the…
Quick Answer The past tense of speak is spoke. Use spoken when there is a helping word like have, has, or had before it. For example: “She spoke to him yesterday” and “She has spoken to him already.” Speak, Spoke, Spoken — See the Pattern Look at these sentences. Watch what happens to the word…
Quick Answer The past tense of spring is sprang. Use sprung with have, has, or had. Yesterday: The cat sprang off the wall. With have: The cat has sprung off the wall before. Spring, Sprang, Sprung — See the Pattern Read these sentences. Can you see the pattern? Did you see it? The vowel changes:…
