A Student's Introduction to English Grammar

276 Chapter 16 Morphology: words and lexemes

• Grow, see and sew end in complex vowel symbols, and ·n is added directly to
  them. With lay we have a special case of y replacement. When the suffix is added
  to tore and wore, the mute e following r is deleted.
  <i' The items in [ii] are simply exceptions; there is no general rule that assigns them
  the ne spelling.
  �. The ·en alternant is found in all other cases. When it is added to a form ending in
  mute e, the ordinary rule of e deletion applies, as we see in broken, chosen, and
  taken.

Again we find a variety of morphological relations between lexical base, preterite
and past participle. Here's a sample of examples, with discussion following.

[18] A B C D E F

BASE show take ride lie drink fly

11 PRETERITE showed took rode lay drank flew

iii PAST PARTICIPLE shown taken ridden lain drunk flown

Type A. Preterite: regular; past participle: base + suffix

Showed is a regular preterite, while shown consists of the base and the distinctive
past participle suffix. Other such verbs include mow,prove, sew. All have a regular
past participle as a variant of the irregular one.

Type B. Preterite: vowel change; past participle: base + suffix

Here the past participle is formed in the same way as in Type A, but the preterite is
irregular, formed by vowel change. Other examples: blow, eat, give.

Type c. Preterite: vowel change; past participle: modified base + suffix

These verbs differ from those of Type B in that the base to which the past participle
suffix is added is modified. In speech the base vowel is changed; in writing mute e
is dropped and d or t is doubled. Other examples: smite, stride, write. Such verbs as
drive and rise belong here in speech but in Type B in writing.

Type D. Preterite: vowel change; past participle: preterite form + suffix

In this type the past participle suffix is added not to the lexical base but to the
preterite form. Other examples: break, choose, tread (with the general rule of con­
sonant doubling applying with the last to give trodden for the past participle)?

Type E. Three different vowels; no suffix

With a few verbs the three forms are distinguished solely by their vowels. Other
examples include begin, ring, swim. All have the same pattern of vowel change:
i-a - u.

2 There are a few differences in verb inflection between AmE and BrE. One of the most striking is that
get belongs in this class in AmE (with the three forms get, got, gotten), whereas in BrE the past par­
ticiple has the same shape as the preterite, got. with get thus belonging in Type G of [161.