By Helen Keller
America's famous blind girl, who has come to see more than most people with normal eyes.
Step by step my investigation of blindness led me into the industrial world. And what a world it is. I faced unflinchingly a world of facts—a world of misery and degradation, of blindness, crookedness, and sin, a world struggling against the elements, against the unknown, against itself. How could I reconcile this world of fact with the bright world of my imagining? My darkness had been filled with the light of intelligence, and, behold, the outer day-lit world was stumbling, was groping in social blindness. At first, I was most unhappy, but deeper study restored my confidence. By learning the suffering and burdens of men, I became aware as never before of the life-power which has survived the forces of darkness—the power which, though never completely victorious, is continuously conquering. The very fact that we are still carrying on the contest against the hosts of annihilation proves that on the whole the battle has gone for humanity. The world's great heart has proved equal to the prodigious undertaking which God set it. Rebuffed, but always persevering; self-reproached, but ever regaining faith; undaunted, tenacious, the heart of man labors towards immeasurably distant goals. Discouraged not by difficulties without, or the anguish of ages within, the heart listens to a secret voice that whispers: "Be not dismayed; in the future lies the Promised Land."
List of Irregular Verbs
Here is a list of the principal irregular verbs—the present and past time forms and the past participle are called the principal parts of a verb.
(Those marked with an r have also the regular form.)
| Present T. | Past T. | Past Part. |
|---|
| abide | abode | abode |
| arise | arose | arisen |
| awake | awoke, r | awaked |
| be or am | was | been |
| bear | bore | borne |
| beat | beat | beaten |
| begin | began | begun |
| bend | bent, r | bent, r |
| bereave | bereft, r | bereft, r |
| beseech | besought | besought |
| bet | bet | bet |
| bid | bid or bade | bid (den) |
| bind | bound | bound |
| bite | bit | bit (ten) |
| bleed | bled | bled |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| breed | bred | bred |
| bring | brought | brought |
| build | built, r | built, r |
| burn | burnt, r | burnt, r |
| burst | burst | burst |
| buy | bought | bought |
| cast | cast | cast |
| catch | caught | caught |
| chide | chid | chid (den) |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| cling | clung | clung |
| clothe | clad, r | clad, r |
| come | came | come |
| cost | cost | cost |
| creep | crept | crept |
| cut | cut | cut |
| deal | dealt, r | dealt, r |
| dig | dug, r | dug, r |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| dream | dreamt, r | dreamt, r |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
| dwell | dwelt, r | dwelt, r |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| feed | fed | fed |
| feel | felt | felt |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| flee | fled | fled |
| fling | flung | flung |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| forsake | forsook | forsaken |
| get | got | got (ten) |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grind | ground | ground |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang | hung, r | hung, r |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hew | hewed | hewn, r |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hold | held | held |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| kneel | knelt, r | knelt, r |
| knit | knit, r | knit, r |
| know | knew | known |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| let | let | let |
| lie | lay | lain |
| light | lit, r | lit, r |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| mistake | mistook | mistaken |
| mow | mowed | mown, r |
| pay | paid | paid |
| plead | pled, r | pled, r |
| put | put | put |
| quit | quit, r | quit, r |
| read | read | read |
| rend | rent | rent |
| rid | rid | rid |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| saw | sawed | sawn, r |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| seek | sought | sought |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| set | set | set |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| shape | shaped | shapen, r |
| shave | shaved | shaven, r |
| shear | sheared | shorn, r |
| shed | shed | shed |
| shine | shone, r | shone, r |
| shoe | shod | shod |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| show | showed | shown, r |
| shrink | shrank | shrunk (en) |
| shut | shut | shut |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sink | sank | sunk |
| sit | sat | sat |
| slay | slew | slain |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| slide | slid | slid (en) |
| sling | slung | slung |
| slink | slunk | slunk |
| slit | slit | slit |
| smite | smote | smitten |
| sow | sowed | sown, r |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| speed | sped | sped |
| spend | spent | spent |
| spill | spilt, r | spilt, r |
| spin | spun | spun |
| spit | spit | spit |
| split | split | split |
| spoil | spoilt, r | spoilt, r |
| spread | spread | spread |
| spring | sprang | sprung |
| stand | stood | stood |
| stave | stove, r | stove, r |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| stick | stuck | stuck |
| sting | stung | stung |
| stink | stunk | stunk |
| strike | struck | struck |
| strike | struck | stricken |
| stride | strode | stridden |
| string | strung | strung |
| strive | strove | striven |
| strew | strewed | strewn, r |
| swear | sworn | sworn |
| sweat | sweat, r | sweat, r |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| swell | swelled | swollen, r |
| swim | swam | swum |
| swing | swung | swung |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tear | tore | torn |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| thrust | thrust | thrust |
| tread | trod | trod (den) |
| wake | woke, r | woke, r |
| wear | wore | worn |
| weave | wove | woven |
| wed | wed, r | wed, r |
| weep | wept | wept |
| wet | wet, r | wet, r |
| whet | whet, r | whet, r |
| win | won | won |
| wind | wound | wound |
| work | wrought, r | wrought, r |
| wring | wrung | wrung |
| write | wrote | written |
SPELLING
LESSON 6
Every vowel or every vowel combination pronounced as one vowel sound indicates a syllable (excepting final e in such words as fate, late, rode, etc.) Take the word combination, for example. In this word we have four syllables, thus: Com-bi-na-tion.