Here's how it appeared on page 37 of a decent grammar text. Past begin choose drink eat grow hide Present began chose drank ate grew hid Past Participle begun chosen drunk eaten grown hidden . Read across either of the first two lines and you will realize that "past" and "present" are reversed. The point was that we look at it and don't see it but picture the sixth-grader sitting at the kitchen table trying to learn it exactly as he sees it. Does he raise his hand in class and tell you, when you say something that conflicts with his understanding, that he doesn't get it, to the laughter of the others? Not likely. To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/