Hi
Could you please tell me if the verb “hear” is regular or irregular? The construction says it should be regular, but the pronunciation says otherwise.
Hear Heard Heard
Thanks,
Tom
The past tense is “heard” not “heared”, so it is irregular.
Hi,
It very much depends on what you call 'regular. It differs in pronunciation from what you would expect if you compare it with ‘fear feared’ and in spelling ‘hear heard’. Then again the verbs ‘tear and wear’ spell the same but are pronounced differently and become 'tore and ‘wore’ in the past.
Alan
Do you mean that you think “hear” could be called regular in some definitions? I’ve just checked a few lists of irregular verbs, and “hear” appears on every one.
What do you mean by ‘construction’?[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC listening, photographs: A wood shop[YSaerTTEW443543]
Thank you all!
I have learned that regular verbs are the ones whose past tense and past participle are formed by adding “d” or “ed” to the basic verb.
Care Cared Cared
Kill Killed Killed
This is exactly what we are doing to “hear” – then why is it irregular verb?
Irregular verbs either remain the same:
Cut Cut Cut
…or change form altogether.
See Saw Seen
I need some more light on the topic please.
Tom
In my view the fact that the past tense is “heard” and not “heared” means that it is irregular. If it was regular then the past tense would be “heared”. “care, cared” adds only a “d” because the last letter is “e” already.
The question is how relevant or important this information is for the average learner?[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC listening, photographs: On the treadmill[YSaerTTEW443543]
The definition of a regular verb is one that adds ‘ed’ to show past tense apart from dropping a final ‘e’ and doubling the final consonant. The trouble with ‘hear’ is that the pronunciation changes in the past. We say ‘heard’ not like ‘feared’ although in the infinite form ‘fear’ and hear’ have the same sound.
Alan
Thanks!
Sorry, Torsten? Is your question directed to me or Dozy?
Tom
Hi Tom,
I was just thinking out loud…[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC listening, photographs: A crowded room[YSaerTTEW443543]
Could you please tell me if the verb “lie” (untruth) is regular or irregular.
Thanks,
Tom
Looks regular to me…
That’s what I thought initially, Dozy – but unfortunately all my dictionaries say it is irregular. Pretty debatable, huh?
Tom
Do they explicitly say it’s irregular, or are you just inferring that from the fact that the parts (lie, lied, lying) are listed? I would include ~ie -> ~ied, ~ying amongst the several rules of regular verb formation. I suppose others may have a different opinion, though I don’t see “lie” (tell untruth), “die”, “tie” etc. appearing in any of the lists of irregular verbs I’ve just scanned.
The only reason why somebody would classify as ‘irregular’ is that you don’t add ‘ed’ but just ‘d’ because the infinitive already ends in ‘e’. Other than that, there is isn’t anything ‘irregular’ about the verb ‘lie’ so it behaves pretty well.[YSaerTTEW443543]
TOEIC listening, photographs: A laboratory[YSaerTTEW443543]
I don’t think that in itself can be a reason because thousands of verbs end in “e” and just add “d”. I think a more likely justification might be the appearance of “y” in the -ing form. But, as I say, I would personally consider that to be one of the rules of formation of regular verbs.