1. It may be derived from the original _o_ in _-ode_, the termination of the first class in Anglo-Saxon. This is the opinion which we form when the word in question is known to have belonged to the Anglo-Saxon language, and, in it, to the first class. _Ended_, _planted_, _warded_, _hated_, _heeded_, are (amongst others) words of this sort; their Anglo-Saxon forms being _endode_, _plantode_, _weardode_, _hatode_, and _eahtode_, from _endian_, _plantian_, _weardian_, _hatian_, and _eahtian_. 2. The form may be looked upon, not as that of the praeterite, but as that of the participle in a transferred sense. This is the view when we have two forms, one with the vowel, and the other without it, as _bended_ and _bent_, _wended_ and _went_, _plighted_ and _plight_. A. In several words the final _-d_ is changed into _-t_, as _bend_, _bent_; _rend_, _rent_; _send_, _sent_; _gild_, _gilt_; _build_, _built_; _spend_, _spent_, &c. B. In several words the vowel of the root is changed; as _feed_, _fed_; _bleed_, _bled_; _breed_, _bred_; _meet_, _met_; _speed_, _sped_; _r[=e]ad_, _r[)e]ad_, &c. Words of this last-named class cause occasional difficulty to the grammarian. No addition is made to the root, and, in this circumstance, they agree with the strong verbs. Moreover, there is a change of the vowel. {321} In this circumstance also they agree with the strong verbs. Hence with forms like _fed_ and _led_ we are in doubt as to the conjugation. This doubt we have three means of settling, as may be shown by the word _beat_. _a._ _By the form of the participle._--The _-en_ in _beaten_ shows that the word _beat_ is strong. _b._ _By the nature of the vowel._--The weak form of _to beat_ would be _bet_, or _be[)a]t_, after the analogy of _feed_ and _r[=e]ad_. By some persons the word is pronounced _bet_, and with those who do so the word is weak. _c._ _By a knowledge of the older forms._--The Anglo-Saxon form is _be['a]te_, _beot_. There is no such a weak form as _be['a]te_, _baette_. The praeterite 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 separating the praeterite form from the present, when the root ends with the same sound with which the affix begins. The addition of the vowel takes place only in verbs of the first class. 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 praeterite. 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.