c. _By a knowledge of the older forms._--The Anglo-Saxon form is _beáte_, _beot_. There is no such a weak form as _beáte_, _bætte_. The præterite of _sendan_ is _sende_ weak. There is in Anglo-Saxon no such form as _sand_, strong. In all this we see a series of expedients for distinguishing the præterite form from the present, when the root ends with the same sound with which the affix begins. The change from a long vowel to a short one, as in _feed_, _fed_, &c., can only take place where there is a long vowel to be changed. Where the vowels are short, and, at the same time, the word ends in -d, the -d of the present may become -t in the præterite. Such is the case with _bend_, _bent_. When there is no long vowel to shorten, and no -d to change into -t, the two tenses, of necessity, remain alike; such is the case with _cut_, _cost_, &c. § 313. The following verbs form their præterite in -t:-- _Present._ _Præterite._ Leave [60]Lef_t_ not [61]Leav_ed_. Cleave Clef_t_ -- Cleav_ed_. Bereave Beref_t_ -- Bereav_ed_. Deal [62]Deal_t_ -- Deal_ed_. Feel Fel_t_ -- Feel_ed_. Dream [60]Drem_t_ -- Dream_ed_. Learn [60]Lern_t_ -- Learn_ed_. § 314. Certain _so-called_ irregularities may now be noticed.--_Made_, _had_.--In these words there is nothing remarkable but the ejection of a consonant. The Anglo-Saxon forms are _macode_ and _hæfde_, respectively. The words, however, in regard to the amount of change, are not upon a _par_. The f in _hæfde_ was probably sounded as v. Now v is a letter excessively liable to be ejected, which k is not. K, before it is ejected, is generally changed into either g or y. _Would_, _should_, _could_.--It must not be imagined that _could_ is in the same predicament with these words. In _will_ and _shall_ the -l is part of the original word. This is not the case with _can_. For the form _could_, see § 331. § 315. _Aught_.--In Anglo-Saxon _áhte_, the præterite of the present form _áh_, plural _ágon_.--As late as the time of Elizabeth we find _owe_ used for _own_. The present form _own_ seems to have arisen from the plural _ágon_. _Aught_ is the præterite of the Anglo-Saxon _áh_; _owed_ of the English _owe_ = _debeo_; _owned_ of the English _own_ = _possideo_. The word _own_, in the expression _to own to a thing_, has a totally different origin. It comes from the Anglo-Saxon _an_ (plural, _unnon_) = _I give_, or _grant_ = _concedo_.