CalifJim  +  575498 Sat, 11 Oct 08 07:17 PM Diamondrg “You can take advantage of the similarities in teaching irregular verbs.” ... all the while cautioning about the likes of: tell - told vs. hold - held and sing - sang vs. bring brought  Too much patterning results in a big Ouch! I told him she had *hold the baby for a half hour. She sang the music I *brang.  ____ On the other hand, maybe learning some of these wrong forms AS wrong forms would be both amusing and instructive for students.  Who knows.  CJ  CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,446 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche Verbs

	Grammar Geek  +  575502 Sat, 11 Oct 08 07:30 PM What is it about "brang"? Most American children quickly learn which irregular verbs don't follow patters, but I hear "I brang" more than any other incorrect verb form! (Well, except "I seen it" which makes me want to scream.) Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,683 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random! Verbs

	Huevos  +  575521 Sat, 11 Oct 08 08:14 PM Grammar Geek “What is it about "brang"?” My kids would say bringed. Do is another one that is regularly misused, even to the point where a noun has been derived from the error. "A who-done-it?" Huevos Joined on Tue, Mar 25 2008 Regular Member 626 British Native Grammar, Nouns

	KKEE  +  575553 Sat, 11 Oct 08 10:07 PM Huevos “ My kids are 3 and 5, completely fluent in English, but, like many kids of their age, frequently regularise verbs, both in English and their mother tongue.  ” Huevos “Classroom time is a limited resource and would be better spent learning rules that can be applied in a wide range of situtations, rather than wasted teaching one-off non-rules which will be acquired anyway through day to day passive contact with the language.” We're in a similar situation. My kids are 2.5 and 5. They are both very articulate for their age, and also regularise in more than one language. I would not however say that they are fluent. But even the definition of "fluency" is one which can debated at length. To different people it means different things. So to avoid getting sidetracked, the point is that irregular verbs have got to be learnt if one wants to speak English fluently (I'm not talking about someone making themselves understood, I'm talking about communicating fluently, or at least without making mistakes). Anything that helps my students grasp any tricky aspect of the language is welcome and I don't consider it a waste of time. And believe me, the students themselves don't think it's a waste of time. It all comes down to how you present it, and how you integrate it into the rest of the class. You should try it.  KKEE Joined on Thu, Oct 9 2008 New Member 06 Verbs, Speak English

	Huevos  +  575566 Sat, 11 Oct 08 11:09 PM KKEE “But even the definition of "fluency" is one which can debated at length. To different people it means different things. So to avoid getting sidetracked, the point is that irregular verbs have got to be learnt if one wants to speak English fluently (I'm not talking about someone making themselves understood, I'm talking about communicating fluently, or at least without making mistakes). ” Fluency doesn't have anything to do with not making errors. Many fluent native speakers make errors continually. Huevos Verbs, Speak English

	KKEE  +  575639 Sun, 12 Oct 08 08:06 AM As I said, the definition of fluency is subject to much debate. It merits its own thread. The point about this thread is still the same: irregular verbs have got to be learnt and there are different ways of helping students accomplish the task. So far, I have found a few which have proved to be very successful, and I have shared them here with all, and asked if anyone had other ways equally as good or better. Un saludo! KKEE Verbs

	Mister Micawber  +  588421 Mon, 17 Nov 08 11:12 AM . Self-advertisement of sites which have no fees or registration requirements are acceptable on a once or twice basis, Ben.  Your verb site looks attractive.  Congratulations on your project. . Mister Micawber Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004 Yokohama Veteran Member 30,807 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.' Verbs