[§ 301]. The following double præterites are differently explained. The primary one often (but not always) is from the Anglo-Saxon participle, the secondary from the Anglo-Saxon præterite.
| Present. | Primary Præterite. | Secondary Præterite. |
| Cleave | Clove | Clave[[55]]. |
| Steal | Stole | Stale[[55]]. |
| Speak | Spoke | Spake. |
| Swear | Swore | Sware. |
| Bear | Bore | Bare. |
| Tear | Tore | Tare[[55]]. |
| Wear | Wore | Ware[[55]]. |
| Break | Broke | Brake. |
| Get | Got | Gat[[55]]. |
| Tread | Trod | Trad. |
| Bid | Bade | Bid. |
| Eat | Ate | Ete. |
[§ 302]. The following verbs have only a single form for the præterite,—
| Present. | Præterite. | Present. | Præterite. |
| Fall | Fell. | Forsake | Forsook. |
| Befall | Befell. | Eat | Ate. |
| Hold | Held. | Give | Gave. |
| Draw | Drew. | Wake | Woke. |
| Slay | Slew. | Grave | Grove. |
| Fly | Flew. | Shape | Shope. |
| Blow | Blew. | Strike | Struck. |
| Crow | Crew. | Shine | Shone. |
| Know | Knew. | Abide | Abode. |
| Grow | Grew. | Strive | Strove. |
| Throw | Threw. | Climb | Clomb. |
| Let | Let. | Hide | Hid. |
| Beat | Beat. | Dig | Dug. |
| Come | Came. | Cling | Clung. |
| Heave | Hove. | Swell | Swoll. |
| Weave | Wove. | Grind | Ground. |
| Freeze | Froze. | Wind | Wound. |
| Shear | Shore. | Choose | Chose. |
| —— | Quoth. | Stand | Stood. |
| Seethe | Sod. | Lie | Lay. |
| Shake | Shook. | See | Saw. |
| Take | Took. |
[§ 303]. An arrangement of the preceding verbs into classes, according to the change of vowel, is by no means difficult, even in the present stage of the English language. In the Anglo-Saxon, it was easier still. It is also easier in the provincial dialects, than in the literary English. Thus, when
| Break | is pronounced | Breek, |
| Bear | — | Beer, |
| Tear | — | Teer, |
| Swear | — | Sweer, |
| Wear | — | Weer, |
as they actually are by many speakers, they come in the same class with,—
| Speak | pronounced | Speek, |
| Cleave | — | Cleeve, |
and form their præterite by means of a similar change, i.e., by changing the sound of the ee in feet (spelt ea) into that of the a in fate; viewed thus, the irregularity is less than it appears to be at first sight.