Similarly, the word clapt has given way to clapped. In card games, especially poker, the word dealed is
often used instead of dealt. Although currently incorrect, it may one day be acceptable. Unfortunately, the
correct past tense shined is moving in the opposite direction and the irregular shone is becoming more
popular.
There is a small group of words that have no past tense.(^) The irregular past tense contains numerous interesting words, many of which have come down to us
from the Anglo-Saxon and have suffered surprisingly little change over the centuries. They are short,
basic, frequently used, single syllable words and they have a variety of endings. Clearly, many of these
words were originally past participles, but over the years the regular past tense vanished and, as we no
longer say builded or spended, the words have to serve as both past tense and past participle.
(^) Note that the verb to be has its own unique rules, which are too complex for inclusion in this small book.
Past and passed are often confused and misused. Passed is a verb only, but past is an adjective that
may also be used as a noun or even an adverb.
(^) Note that waked is an acceptable past tense in place of the more popular woke, but both awakened and
awoke are still in use.
In the present tense, we hang both things and people. In the past tense, hanged is reserved for
criminals, while hung refers to suspended inanimate objects.
(^) The currently incorrect past tense shrinked is often used in place of shrunk. It is interesting to note that
when the past tense is used incorrectly, it is often a rejection of an irregularity and a clear preference for
a version that follows the spelling rules.
Finally, please note that there is extraordinary confusion over lie and lay. Even the dictionaries agree
to disagree. Perhaps it would help to bear in mind that “chickens lay and people lie.”