, , , , normal past in u or ou: , , , , , , , , , , , , past can have either a or u: , , , , (in colloquial language, can be analogically brought into this subclass) English fling does not go back to Old English, and may be a loan-word from Norse. It seems to have adopted class 3 forms by analogy with cling etc. Similarly, ring and string were historically weak. The verb ding (in the meaning of to hit) was in this class as well, but is now usually treated as a weak verb. Class 3b has shrunk to only four members: (the past tense is weak, but retains the strong participle ‘molten’ ) (but the past tense is now often swelled instead of swole, and sometimes the passive participle as well) , its past tense and participle have both become the same as the present tense. This is also the case for its variant Class 4 In Modern English, regular class 4 verbs have all kept the –n in the participle, though eliminating the medial e after r, this class exhibits near homogeneity of vowel pattern: break broke broken but several verbs have archaic preterites that preserve the "a" of Middle English (bare, brake, gat, sware, tare, and spake or Scots spak). Class 4 verbs in English (not including derivatives such as beget) are , , , , , , , , , , ; and without the -n and of irregular vowel progression: . Get, speak, tread and weave (weave, and occasionally tread, can also be weak) were originally of class 5, whereas swear was originally class 6. Wake was also originally class 6, and in fact retains the "a" of the present tense – the preterite woke (Middle English wook) only conforms to the modern class 4 preterite, not to the historic class 4 preterite in "a". The verb is anomalous in all the West Germanic languages because it originally began with qu-, and the subsequent loss of the w sound coloured the vowel of the present stem. modern English "come came come", compared to Old English cymþ – cōm cōmon – cumen and Middle English comen – cam or com – comen. Class 5 In Modern English this group has lost all group cohesion. eat ate eaten give gave given lie lay lain see saw seen sit