Trouble with past tenses

Nowadays mistakes with past tenses of irregular verbs are so commonplace that I even have to sometimes stop and think myself. I'm talking about "the bell has went" "the ship sunk" "I have swam"





All verbs have 3 principal parts

to look - look,  looked, looked is a regular or weak verb

to sink - sink sank sunk is an example of an irregular or strong where the 3 parts are different
The 3 principle parts are
Present tense and infinitive:  sink
Simple Past:   sank
Past Participle:  sunk

The difference between sank and sunk:
"Sank" is often used when it should be "sunk"

sank 

the ship sank
he sank all his savings into a holiday home

sunk needs another "helper" verb in front of it, such as: have / has  /had or am/ is/ was /were

a small yacht has sunk
the trawler had sunk by the time the lifeboat arrived
the ship was sunk by a torpedo
we have sunk a well
I'm sunk
it hasn't sunk in yet
it could have been sunk by a wave

other verbs with the same vowel change pattern as to sink

drink, drank, drunk
sing, sang, sung
begin, began, begun
swim, swam, swum
ring, rang, rung

so

I have drunk gallons of tea
much tea was drunk
he has sung professionally
it has begun
they have swum
the bells were rung at midnight

TIP
Practice saying the principal parts to yourself.

Test yourself. Which is correct?
REMEMBER when using the past participle (the third part) you must have a helper verb with it

1. I have (sang/sung) in a choir
2. We all (drank/drunk) too much. 
3. The children (sang/sung) loudly.
4. Lots of coffee was (drank/drunk)
5. The church bells were (rang/rung) for the wedding.
6. The bells (rang/rung) out for New Year.
7. Tom (swam/swum) 30 lengths.
8. I could have (swam/swum) further.
9. The programme has (began/begun)
10. It (began/begun) to rain.

Scroll down for the answers ……

1. I have sung in a choir.
2. We all drank too much. 
3. The children sang loudly.
4. Lots of coffee was drunk.
5. The church bells were rung for the wedding.
6. The bells rang out for New Year.
7. Tom swam 30 lengths.
8. I could have swum further.
9. The programme has begun.
10. It began to rain.

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