英语语法精讲：混淆的动词形态
以前谈过了动词形态的错误，这种错误屡见不鲜，是英语错误中常见的一种。因为这缘故，很多英语考试，都会有一项动词形式选择或改正的试题。从观察所得，动词形态错误的一个原因是不规则动词的混淆所引起的。
这里便举些例子谈谈。
㈠ Hang
这动词有两个主要意思，就是“悬挂”和“吊死”。前者的过去式和过去分词是hung，如：
① Mr Lim hung a newly bought oil painting on the wall.
② Who has hung the dirty clothes on the tree?
Hang当“吊死”时用，它的过去式和过去分词是hanged，如：
③ The prisoner hanged himself in the prison.
④ Drug-traffickers, if arrested, will be hanged.
如果贸贸然用hung代替hanged或以hanged取代hung就会令人莫名其妙，如：
⑤ The murderer was caught and hung.
⑥ How can such a nice painting be hanged in the kitchen?
㈡ Lie
这动词的常见意思是“说谎”和“躺下”。前者的过去式和过去分词是lied;后者的是lay和lain.
若不小心，把两个动词的形式搞乱了，很可能会有这样的错误：
⑦ The puppy lied on the carpet and slept.
⑧ Have you lain to your good friend?
⑦里的应为lay;⑧里的是lied.
提到lay，它也是原动词，意思是“生产”或“摆设”;过去式和过去分词都是laid，如：
⑨ That hen has laid its first egg.
⑩ Mother laid the table for dinner.
㈢ Speed
当“急驰”时，这动词的过去式和过去分词是sped;和up连用当 “加速”解时，则用speeded，如：
The boy ran out of doors and sped down the main road.
The new scheme has speeded up the administrative process.
㈣ Bear
这动词有几个意思，包括“生产”和“出生”，过去形式是bore ，过去分词是born/borne，如：
Pat has borne two lovely children.
Lily was born after Singapore's independence.
Born只用在“出生”这意思上，其余的要用borne，如：
The Government's investments abroad have borne fruit.(结果)
David has borne with the unfriendly criticisms with tremendous
courage.(忍受)
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