[§ 370]. In this class we have the sounds of the ee, in feet, and of the a in fate (spelt ea or a), changed into o or oo. As several words in this class have a second form in a, the præterite in o or oo will be called the primary, the præterite in a the secondary form.
| Present. | Primary Præterite. | Secondary Præterite. |
| Heave | [[48]]Hove | — |
| Cleave | Clove | [[48]]Clave. |
| Weave | Wove | — |
| Freeze | Froze | — |
| Steal | Stole | [[48]]Stale. |
| Speak | Spoke | Spake. |
| Swear | Swore | Sware. |
| Bear | Bore | Bare. |
| Tear | Tore | [[48]]Tare. |
| Shear | [[48]]Shore | — |
| Wear | Wore | [[48]]Ware. |
| Break | Broke | Brake. |
| Shake | Shook | — |
| Take | Took | — |
| Forsake | Forsook | — |
| Stand | Stood | — |
| — | Quoth | — |
| Get | Got | [[48]]Gat. |
The præterite of stand was originally long. This we collect
from the spelling, and from the Anglo-Saxon form stód. The process that ejects the nd is the same process that, in Greek, converts ὀδόντ-ος into ὀδούς.
All the words with secondary forms will appear again in the eighth class.
Eighth Class.
[§ 371]. In this class the sound of the ee in feet, and the a in fate (spelt ea), is changed into a. Several words of this class have secondary forms. Further details may be seen in the remarks that come after the following list of verbs.
| Present. | Primary Præterite. | Secondary Præterite. |
| Speak | Spake | Spoke. |
| Break | Brake | Broke. |
| Cleave | [[49]]Clave | Clove. |
| Steal | [[49]]Stale | Stole. |
| Eat | Ate | — |
| Seethe | — | [[49]]Sod. |
| Tread | [[49]]Trad | Trod. |
| Bear | Bare | Bore. |
| Tear | Tare | Tore. |
| Swear | Sware | Swore. |
| Wear | [[49]]Ware | Wore. |
| Bid | Bade | Bid. |
| Sit | Sate | — |
| Give | Gave | — |
| Lie | Lay | — |
| Get | [[49]]Gat | Got. |
Here observe,—1. That in speak, cleave, steal, the ea has the same power with the ee in freeze and seethe; so that it may be dealt with as the long (or independent) sound of the i in bid, sit, give.
2. That the same view may be taken of the ea in break, although the word by some persons is pronounced brake. Gabrika, gabrak, Mœso-Gothic; briku, brak, Old Saxon; brece, brac, Anglo-Saxon. Also of bear, tear, swear, wear. In the provincial dialects these words are even now pronounced beer, teer, sweer. The forms in the allied languages are, in