Editing English verbs (section)

==Inflected forms==
{| class="wikitable floatright" border="1"
|+ Conjugation of ''have''
|-
! Person
! Singular
! Plural
|-
| ''First'' || style="text-align: center;" | '''I have''' || style="text-align: center;" | '''We have'''
|-
| ''Second'' || style="text-align: center;" | '''You have''' || style="text-align: center;" | '''You have'''
|-
| ''Third'' || style="text-align: center;" | '''It has''' || style="text-align: center;" | '''They have'''
|-
|}

===Principal parts===
A [[regular verb|regular]] English verb has only one [[principal parts|principal part]], from which all the forms of the verb can be derived. This is the base form or [[dictionary form]]. For example, from the base form ''exist'', all the inflected forms of the verb (''exist'', ''exists'', ''existed'', ''existing'') can be predictably derived. The base form is also called the bare [[infinitive]]; that is, the infinitive [[Uses of English verb forms#To-infinitive|without the ''to'']].

Most [[English irregular verbs|irregular verbs]] have three principal parts, since the [[simple past (English)|simple past]] and [[past participle]] are unpredictable. For example, the verb ''write'' has the principal parts ''write'' (base form), ''wrote'' (past), and ''written'' (past participle); the remaining inflected forms (''writes'', ''writing'') are derived regularly from the base form. Some irregular verbs have identical past tense and past participle forms (as the regular verbs do), as with ''send–sent–sent''.

The infinitive, simple past and past participle are sometimes referred to as First (V1), Second (V2) and Third (V3) form of a verb, respectively. This naming convention has all but disappeared from American and British usage, but still can be found in textbooks and teaching materials used in other countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ospolje.si/uploads/5/0/8/6/5086774/year_7_-_english_irregular_verbs.pdf|title=English irregular verbs | website=Prijazna šola}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://learnenglishurdu.com/1000-forms-of-verbs/|title=1000 Forms of Verbs – 1st form, 2nd form, 3rd form| website=Learn English Urdu | date=28 March 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.learnesl.net/regular-and-irregular-verbs/|title=How to Change a Verb Into 2nd and 3rd Form?| website=Learn ESL | date=3 March 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-forms.htm|title=Verb Forms | website=EnglishClub}}</ref>

Some speakers have only two forms, collapsing the distinction between V2 and V3, though this is considered non-standard. For most verbs the forms are V1 and V2 (''have they went yet?'', with 'gone' never being used, or ''a corporate-ran company'' rather than ''corporate-run''), but for a few verbs they are V1 and V3 (''I seen it, he done it'', with 'saw' and 'did' not being used).

The verbs ''do'', ''say'' and ''have'' additionally have irregular third person singular present tense forms (see [[#Third person singular present|below]]). The [[copula (linguistics)|copula]]r verb ''be'' is highly irregular, with the forms ''be'', ''am'', ''is'', ''are'', ''was'', ''were'', ''been'' and ''being''. On the other hand, [[modal verb]]s (such as ''can'' and ''must'') are [[defective verb]]s, being used only in a limited number of forms. For details on the forms of verbs of these types, see {{slink||Copular, auxiliary and defective verbs}} below.

=== Base form ===
The base form or ''plain form'' of an English verb is not marked by any inflectional ending.

Certain derivational [[suffix]]es are frequently used to form verbs, such as ''-en'' (''sharpen''), ''-ate'' (''formulate''), ''-fy'' (''electrify''), and ''-ise/ize'' (''realise/realize''), but verbs with those suffixes are nonetheless considered to be base-form verbs. Also, many base-form verbs contain [[prefix]]es, such ''un-'' (''unmask''), ''out-'' (''outlast''), ''over-'' (''overtake''), and ''under-'' (''undervalue'').<ref name=carter-mccarthy-p301>{{Harvnb|Carter|McCarthy|2006|p=301}}</ref> Some verbs are formed from nouns and [[English adjectives|adjectives]] by [[Conversion (word formation)|conversion]], as with the verbs ''snare'', ''nose'', ''dry'', and ''calm''.

The base form is used in the following ways:
*It serves as the bare [[infinitive]], and is used in the ''to''-infinitive (e.g. ''to write''); for uses see {{slink||Non-finite forms}} below.
*It serves as the [[simple present]] tense, except in the third person singular: ''I/you/we/they '''write''' regularly'' (and except for the [[Irregular verb|highly irregular]] ''to be'').
*It is used as an [[imperative mood|imperative]]: '''''Write''' these words.''
*It is used as a [[English subjunctive|subjunctive]]: ''I suggested that he '''write''' a novel.''
For the verb ''be'', which uses different forms for the simple present, and modal verbs, which are not used in the infinitive, imperative or subjunctive, see {{slink||Copular, auxiliary and defective verbs}} below.

=== Third person singular present ===
Almost all verbs have a third person singular present indicative form with the [[Affix|suffix]] ''-[e]s''. In terms of [[English orthography|spelling]], it is formed in most cases by adding ''-s'' to the verb's base form: ''run'' → ''runs''. However if the base form ends in one of the [[sibilant]] sounds ({{IPAslink|s}}, {{IPAslink|z}}, {{IPAslink|ʃ}}, {{IPAslink|ʒ}}, {{IPAslink|tʃ}}, {{IPAslink|dʒ}}) and its spelling does not end in a [[silent E|silent ''e'']], then ''-es'' is added: ''buzz'' → ''buzzes''; ''catch'' → ''catches''. Verbs ending in a consonant plus ''o'' also typically add ''-es'': ''veto'' → ''vetoes''. Verbs ending in a consonant plus ''y'' add ''-es'' after changing the ''y'' to an ''i'': ''cry'' → ''cries''.

In terms of [[English phonology|pronunciation]], the ending is pronounced as {{IPAc-en|ᵻ|z}} after [[sibilant]]s (as in ''lurches''), as {{IPAc-en|s}} after [[voiceless consonant]]s other than sibilants (as in ''makes''), and as {{IPAc-en|z}} otherwise (as in ''adds''). These are the same rules that apply to the pronunciation of the regular noun [[English plural|plural suffix]] ''-[e]s'' and the [[English possessive|possessive]] ''-'s''. The spelling rules given above are also very similar to those for the plural of nouns.

The third person singular present of ''have'' is irregular: ''has'' {{IPA|/hæz/}} (with the [[weak and strong forms in English|weak form]] {{IPA|/həz/}} when used as an auxiliary, also [[contraction (linguistics)|contractable]] to ''-'s''). The verbs ''do'' and ''say'' also have irregular forms, ''does'' {{IPA|/dʌz/}} and ''says'' {{IPA|/sɛz/}}, which however look like regular forms in writing.

For the verb ''be'', modal verbs and other auxiliaries, see {{slink||Copular, auxiliary and defective verbs}} below.

The form described in this section is used with third person singular subjects as the [[simple present]] tense (in the [[indicative mood]]): ''He '''writes''' novels all the time.'' (This tense has other uses besides referring to present time; for example, in ''I'll be glad if he writes'', it refers to future time.)

=== Past tense ===
{{Main article|Simple past}}
The past tense, or [[preterite]], may be formed regularly or irregularly.

With regular verbs, the past tense is formed (in terms of spelling) by adding ''-ed'' to the base form (''play'' → ''played''). Normal rules for adding suffixes beginning with a vowel apply: If the base form ends in ''e'' then only ''d'' is added (''like'' → ''liked''); if the base form ends in a consonant followed by ''y'' then the ''y'' is changed to ''i'' before adding the ending (''try'' → ''tried''; an exception is the verb ''[[wikt:sky#Verb|sky]]'' (a ball), which can form ''skied'' or ''skyed''). Three words ending in ''-ay'' (''lay'', ''pay'' and ''say'') change ''y'' to ''i'' and add ''-d'' (''laid'', ''paid'', ''said'').

Various rules apply for [[American and British English spelling differences#Doubled consonants|doubling final consonants]]. If the base form ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant (except ''h'', silent ''t'', {{fact|date=October 2020}} ''w'', ''x'' or ''y''), then unless the final syllable is completely [[Stress (linguistics)|unstressed]] the consonant is doubled before adding the ''-ed'' (''ship'' → ''shipped'', but ''fathom'' → ''fathomed''). In general this is considered something to keep the vowel before the final consonant short (i.e. if the word were spelled ''shiped'' it would have a long i.) However, there are 2 words, ''control'' and ''patrol'', which follow this rule even though the vowel before the final consonant is long. For most base forms ending in ''c'', the doubled form used is ''ck'', used regardless of stress (''panic'' → ''panicked''; exceptions include ''zinc'' → ''zincked'' or ''zinced'', ''arc'' → usually ''arced'', ''spec'' → ''specced'' or ''spec'ed'', ''sync'' → sometimes ''synched''). In [[British English]], the doubling of ''l'' occurs regardless of stress (''travel'' → ''travelled''; but ''paralleled'' is an exception), and when two separately pronounced vowels precede the ''l'' (''dial'' → ''dialled'', ''fuel'' →  ''fuelled''). If the final syllable has some partial stress, especially for compound words, the consonant is usually doubled: ''backflip'' → ''backflipped'', ''hobnob'' → ''hobnobbed'', ''kidnap'' →  ''kidnapped'' etc. In some cases both alternatives are acceptable, e.g. ''dialog''† → ''dialogued'' or ''dialogged''†, ''hiccup'' → ''hiccupped'' or ''hiccuped'', ''program'' → ''programed''† or ''programmed''. However ''catalog''† → ''cataloged''†, ''pyramid'' →  ''pyramided'', ''format'' →  ''formatted'' (but ''combat'' →  ''combat(t)ed''). Other variations not entirely consistent with these rules include ''bus'' → ''bused''† or ''bussed'', ''bias'' →  ''biased'' or ''biassed''† and ''focus'' → ''focused'' or ''focussed''. (The forms marked † are not used in British English, and the doubled consonant is not used for many words of non-Anglo-Saxon origin.)

The pronunciation of the past tense ending follows similar rules to those for the third person present tense ending described above: if the base form ends in {{IPA|/t/}} or {{IPA|/d/}} then a new syllable {{IPA|/ɪd/}} or {{IPA|/əd/}} is added (as in ''drifted'', ''exceeded''); if the base form ends in an [[unvoiced consonant]] sound other than {{IPA|/t/}} then the ending is pronounced {{IPA|/t/}} (as in ''capped'', ''passed''); otherwise the ending is pronounced {{IPA|/d/}} (as in ''buzzed'', ''tangoed''). Consequently, in the 17th and 18th centuries, the latter two pronunciations were routinely spelled ''-'d'', but ''-ed'' was later restored.

For the past tense of irregular verbs, see [[English irregular verbs]]. Many of these can be classed as [[Germanic strong verb]]s, such as ''sing'' (past ''sang''), while others are weak verbs with irregularly pronounced or irregularly spelt past forms, such as ''say'' (past tense ''said'' {{IPA|/sɛd/}}).

The verb ''be'' has two past tense forms: ''was'' (first and third person singular) and ''were'' (plural and second person).

The past tense (preterite) form is used in what is called the [[simple past]], in sentences such as ''We '''lit''' the fire'' and ''He '''liked''' to dance''. One of the uses of this tense is to refer not to a past situation, but to a hypothetical (present or future) situation in a [[dependent clause]]: ''If I '''knew''' that, I wouldn't have to ask.'' This is sometimes called the "past subjunctive", particularly in the case of ''were'', which can replace ''was'' in such sentences; see [[English subjunctive]].

=== Past participle ===
The [[past participle]] of regular verbs is identical to the preterite (past tense) form, described in the previous section.

For irregular verbs, see [[English irregular verbs]]. Some of these have different past tense and past participle forms (like ''sing–sang–sung''); others have the same form for both (like ''make–made–made''). In some cases the past tense is regular but the past participle is not, as with ''show–showed–shown''.

For uses of the past participle, see {{slink||Non-finite forms}} below.

=== Present participle ===
The [[present participle]] form, which is also used for the [[gerund]], is formed by adding the suffix ''[[-ing]]'' to the base form: ''go'' → ''going''. A final [[silent E|silent ''e'']] is dropped (''believe'' → ''believing''); final ''ie'' changes to ''y'' (''lie'' → ''lying''), and consonant doubling applies as for the past tense (see [[#Past tense|above]]): ''run'' → ''running'', ''panic'' → ''panicking''.

Exceptions include forms such as ''singeing'', ''dyeing'', ''ageing'', ''rueing'', ''cacheing'' and ''whingeing'', where the ''e'' may be retained to avoid confusion with otherwise identical words (e.g. ''singing''), to clarify pronunciation (for example to show that a word has a soft ''[[g]]'' or ''ch''), or for aesthetic reasons.

In standard English the ending is pronounced {{IPA|/ɪŋ/}}, although in many regional dialects the final consonant sound is pronounced {{IPA|/n/}}, sometimes represented in [[eye dialect]] by spellings such as ''huntin''' (see [[G-dropping|''g''-dropping]]).

For uses of the present participle and gerund, see {{slink||Non-finite forms}} below.

===Copular, auxiliary and defective verbs===
The [[copular verb]] ''be'' has multiple irregular forms in the present tense: ''am'' for first person singular (which together with the subject pronoun is often [[English contractions|contracted]] to ''I'm''), ''is'' for third person singular (often contracted to'' 's''), and ''are'' for plural and second person (often contracted to'' 're'' chiefly after the pronouns ''you'', ''we'', ''they''). It also has two past tense forms: ''was'' for first and third person singular, and ''were'' for plural and second person (also used as a past subjunctive with all persons; see [[English subjunctive]]). It has the following negative forms: third person singular present ''isn't'', other present ''aren't'' (including first person for the question ''aren't I''), first and third person singular past ''wasn't'', and other past ''weren't''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Huddleston |first=Rodney |title=The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language |last2=Pullum |first2=Geoffrey K. |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2002 |location=Cambridge |pages=91, 113–114}}</ref> The past participle is ''been'', and the present participle and gerund is the regular ''being''. The base form ''be'' is used regularly as an infinitive, imperative and (present) subjunctive. For archaic forms, see the next section.

English has a number of [[English modal auxiliary verbs|modal auxiliary verbs]] which are defective. These verbs mostly have only positive and negative present and past tense forms ''can''/''can't''/''cannot'' and ''could''/''couldn't'', ''may'' and ''might''/''mightn't'', ''shall''/''shan't'' and ''should''/''shouldn't'', ''will''/''won't'' and ''would''/''wouldn't'', as well as ''need''/''needn't''.  ''Ought''  and ''must'' are also defective and have only a positive and negative form. In some dialects, ''dare'' also has a negative form.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Huddleston |first=Rodney |title=The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language |last2=Pullum |first2=Geoffrey K. |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2002 |location=Cambridge |pages=75, 85}}</ref> 

Other verbs used as [[auxiliary verb|auxiliaries]] include ''have'', chiefly in perfect constructions (the forms ''has'' {{IPA|/həz/}}, ''have'' and ''had'' can contract to'' 's'','' 've'' and'' 'd''); ''do'' (''does'', ''did'') in emphatic, inverted and negated constructions (see [[do-support|''do''-support]]).

For more detail of the above, including contractions of negated forms (''isn't'', ''won't'', etc.), see [[English auxiliaries and contractions]].

Another example of a [[defective verb]] is ''beware'', which is used only in those forms in which ''be'' remains unchanged, namely the infinitive, subjunctive and imperative.

=== Archaic forms ===
{| class="wikitable floatright" border="1"
|+ Archaic conjugation of ''have''
|-
! Person
! Singular
! Plural
|-
| ''First'' || style="text-align: center;" | '''I have''' || style="text-align: center;" | '''We have'''
|-
| ''Second'' || style="text-align: center;" | '''Thou hast''' || style="text-align: center;" | '''Ye have'''
|-
| ''Third'' || style="text-align: center;" | '''It hath''' || style="text-align: center;" | '''They have'''
|-
|}

Formerly, particularly in the [[Old English]] period, the English language had a far greater degree of verb inflection than it does now (some other [[Germanic languages]] retain a greater variety of inflected forms than English does). Some of the forms used in [[Early Modern English]] have now fallen out of use, but are still encountered in old writers and texts (e.g. [[Shakespeare]], the [[King James Bible]]) and in [[archaism]]s.

One such form was the third person singular form with the suffix ''-eth'' {{IPA|[əθ]}}, pronounced as a full syllable. This was used in some dialects rather than the modern ''-s'', e.g. ''he maketh'' ("he makes"), ''he runneth'' ("he runs"), ''he goeth'' ("he goes").  In some verbs, a shortened form ''-th'' appears: ''he hath'' ("he has"), ''he doth'' ("he does"; pronounced as if written ''duth''), ''he saith'' or ''he sayeth'' ("he says"). The forms ''hath'' and ''doth'' are found in some proverbs ("[[Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned]]", "[[The lady doth protest too much]]").

Another set of forms are associated with the archaic second person singular pronoun ''[[thou]]'', which often have the ending ''-est'', pronounced as a full syllable, e.g. ''thou makest'' ("you make"), ''thou leadest'' ("you lead"). In some verbs, a shortened form ''-st'' appears: ''thou hast'' ("you have"), ''thou dost'' ("you do"; rhymes with ''must''). In the case of the verb ''be'', such forms included ''art'' (present tense), ''wast'' (past), ''wert'' (past subjunctive) and ''beest'' (present subjunctive; pronounced as two syllables). In all other verbs, the past tense is formed by the base past tense form of the word (e.g. ''had'', ''did'', ''listened'') plus''-'st'', not pronounced as a full syllable, e.g. ''thou had'st'' ("you had"), ''thou did'st'' ("you did"), ''thou listened'st'' ("you listened"). Modal verbs except ''must'' also have ''-t'' or ''-st'' added to their form, e.g. ''thou canst'' ("you can"), ''thou wilt'' ("you will"), ''thou wouldst'' ("you would"), ''thou mightst'' ("you might"), except ''may'', which is ''thou mayest'' ("you may").

For example, several such forms (as well as other archaic forms such as ''yea'' for "yes", ''thy'' for "your", and ''mine enemies'' for "my enemies") appear in [[Psalm 23]] from the [[King James Bible]]:

: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
: He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
: Yea, though I walk through the [[Valley of the Shadow of Death (disambiguation)|valley of the shadow of death]], I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; [[my cup runneth over]].
: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

For more information see [[Old English verb]]s, [[English subjunctive]], and [[Indo-European copula]] (for the history of the verb ''be'').