There are up to five forms for each verb: root, third-person singular, present participle, past, and past participle.
The root form of a verb is the base form of the word. Roots have not been conjugated and do not include prefixes or suffixes.
The root form of the verb is the same as the infinitive form with “to” removed. See the examples below: to see – see
to be – be
Verb conjugation refers to how a verb changes to show a different person, tense, number or mood.
In English, we have six different persons: first person singular (I), second person singular (you), third person singular (he/she/it/one), first person plural (we), second person plural (you), and third person plural (they). We must conjugate a verb for each person. The verb to be is a particularly notable verb for conjugation because it’s irregular.
Even the most hardened grammarians don’t condone capital punishment for grammar offenses, but we do tend to get hung up about hanged. Hanged can only refer to someone’s death by hanging. If you are wondering, “Is it hanged or hung?” establish whether a deadly action has taken place.
It’s one of the few times when grammar becomes a matter of life and death.
Hung is the past tense of to hang when it means “to suspend or be suspended.”
Brought and bought are two words are often confused with each other, particularly when one first learns English. They are both irregular verbs with an -ough- construction—a combination that trips many up with both pronunciation and spelling.
Brought is the past tense and past participle of the verb to bring, which means “to carry someone or something to a place or person.”
The simple past is a verb tense that is used to talk about things that happened or existed before now. Imagine someone asks what your brother Wolfgang did while he was in town last weekend.
The simple past tense shows that you are talking about something that has already happened. Unlike the past continuous tense, which is used to talk about past events that happened over a period of time, the simple past tense emphasizes that the action is finished.
When you make a verb past tense, sometimes all you have to do is add -ed. Other times, you double the final consonant before adding it. What about the verb benefit? Is the past tense benefited or benefitted?
The quick answer is that both of them are acceptable.
