Does English have a lot of exceptions

John   Tue Jun 02, 2009 12:54 am GMT
relative to other languages?

We have all heard the "myth" of English being a very easy language to learn, but one thing I continually hear from non-native speakers about the supposed simpleness of English is that is have very few exceptions. I speak German fluently and am very familiar with the exceptions in that language, but as a native English speaker it is difficult for me to judge English. Regarding German. I do not think that it has an exceptionally large amount of grammar exceptions and the ones that it has tend to follow predictable patterns which tends to cast doubt as to whether or not they are really true exceptions.

Does English have a higher percentage of exceptions relative to other languages?
verbose   Tue Jun 02, 2009 2:29 am GMT
<<Does English have a higher percentage of exceptions relative to other languages?>>

In terms of irregular verbs, I think English is pretty simple. Here's a reasonably complete list (and some of these are sometimes regular, and sometimes not) :

abide
alight
arise
awake
be
bear
beat
become
befall
beget
begin
behold
beseech
beset
bespeak
bend
bet
bid
bind
bite
bleed
blow
break
breed
bring
broadcast
build
burn
burst
bust
buy
cast
catch
chide
choose
clap
cling
clothe
come
cost
creep
crow
cut
dare
deal
dig
dive
do
draw
dream
drink
drive
dwell
eat
fall
feed
feel
fight
find
fit
flee
fling
fly
forbear
forbid
forecast
forego
forsee
foretell
forget
forgive
forsake
freeze
frostbite
get
gild
gird
give
go
grind
grow
handwrite
hang
have
hear
hew
hide
hit
hold
hurt
inlay
input
interlay
keep
kneel
knit
know
lay
lead
lean
leap
learn
leave
lend
let
lie
light
lose
make
mean
meet
melt
mislead
misspell
mistake
misunderstand
miswed
mow
overcome
overdo
overdraw
overhear
overtake
overthrow
overwrite
pay
plead
preset
prove
put
quit
reprove
read
rend
rid
ride
ring
rise
rive
run
saw
say
see
seek
sell
send
set
sew
shake
shave
shear
shed
shine
shoe
shoot
show
shrink
shrive
shut
sing
sink
sit
slay
sleep
slide
sling
slink
slit
smell
smite
sneak
soothsay
sow
speak
speed
spell
spend
spill
spin
spit
split
spoil
spread
spring
stand
steal
stick
sting
stink
strew
stride
strike
string
strip
strive
sublet
sunburn
swear
sweat
sweep
swell
swim
swing
take
teach
tear
tell
think
thrive
throw
thrust
tread
undergo
understand
undertake
underwrite
undo
uphold
upset
vex
wake
wear
weave
wed
weep
wend
wet
win
wind
withdraw
withhold
withstand
wring
write
zinc
Uriel   Wed Jun 03, 2009 12:45 am GMT
Since when is zinc a verb?
verbose   Wed Jun 03, 2009 1:57 am GMT
<<Since when is zinc a verb? >>

http://dictionary.die.net/zincked

I guess the "zincked" and "zincking" forms are irregular. "zinced" looks like it might be pronounced "zince+d" = Zinsd, so perhaps that's why they add the "k".
move verbose   Wed Jun 03, 2009 2:17 am GMT
Here's another list:

1.abide
2.accurse
3.alight
4.arise
5.ask
6.awake
7.be
8.bear
9.beat
10.become
11.befall
12.beget
13.begin
14.behold
15.bend
16.bequeath
17.bereave
18.beseech
19.beset
20.bespeak
21.bestrew
22.bet
23.bethink
24.betide
25.bid
26.bide
27.bind
28.bite
29.bleed
30.bless
31.blow
32.bode
33.break
34.breastfeed
35.breed
36.bring
37.broadcast
38.browbeat
39.build
40.burn
41.burst
42.bust
43.buy
44.carve
45.cast
46.catch
47.chide
48.choose
49.clap
50.cleave
51.clepe
52.climb
53.cling
54.clothe
55.come
56.cost
57.creep
58.crow
59.curse
60.cut
61.dare
62.deal
63.delve
64.dig
65.disprove
66.dive
67.do
68.drag
69.draw
70.dream
71.dress
72.drink
73.drive
74.drop
75.dwell
76.eat
77.fall
78.fare
79.feed
80.feel
81.fight
82.find
83.fit
84.flee
85.fling
86.fly
87.fold
88.forbear
89.forbid
90.forecast
91.forego/forgo
92.foreknow
93.forerun
94.forsee
95.forespeak
96.foreshow
97.foretell
98.forget
99.forgive
100.forsake
101.foreswear
102.fraught
103.freeze
104.fret
105.frostbite
106.geld
107.get
108.ghostwrite
109.gild
110.gird
111.give
112.glide
113.go
114.grave
115.grind
116.grow
117.handwrite
118.hang
119.have
120.hear
121.heave
122.help
123.hew
124.hide
125.hit
126.hold
127.housesit
128.hurt
129.inlay
130.input
131.inset
132.interbreed
133.interlay
134.interweave
135.keep
136.kneel
137.knit
138.know
139.lade*
140.lay
141.lead
142.lean
143.leap
144.learn
145.leave
146.lend
147.lese
148.let
149.lie
150.light
151.load
152.lose
153.make
154.mean
155.meet
156.melt
157.mete
158.mishear
159.mislay
160.mislead
161.misread
162.misshape
163.misspell
164.misspeak
165.mistake
166.misunderstand
167.miswed
168.mow
169.nim
170.outbet
171.outbid
172.outbreed
173.outbroadcast
174.outbuild
175.outbuy
176.outcost
177.outdig
178.outdive
179.outdo
180.outdraw
181.outdrink
182.outdrive
183.outeat
184.outfight
185.outfly
186.outforecast
187.outgrow
188.outhit
189.outlearn
190.outpay
191.output
192.outread
193.outrun
194.outsell
195.outshine
196.outsing
197.outspend
198.outswear
199.outswim
200.outteach
201.outthink
202.outwear
203.outwin
204.overbid
205.overbuild
206.overburn
207.overbuy
208.overcast
209.overcome
210.overdo
211.overdraw
212.overdrink
213.overdrive
214.overeat
215.overfeed
216.overfly
217.overflow
218.overgrow
219.overhang
220.overhear
221.overlay
222.overlearn
223.overlie
224.overpay
225.override
226.overrun
227.oversee
228.oversell
229.overshine
230.overshoot
231.oversleep
232.overspread
233.overstrike
234.overtake
235.overtell
236.overthink
237.overthrow
238.overwind
239.overwrite
240.partake
241.pave
242.pay
243.pen
244.picnic
245.plead
246.prebuild
247.precut
248.prepay
249.preset/pre-set
250.preshrink
251.prewrite
252.proofread
253.prove
254.put
255.quieath
256.quit
257.read
258.reave
259.rebind
260.rebuild
261.rebroadcast
262.recast
263.recut
264.redo
265.redraw
266.redrive
267.reeve
268.refit
269.refly
270.refreeze
271.regrow
272.relay/re-lay
273.relearn
274.remake
275.rend
276.repay
277.reprove
278.reread
279.rerun
280.resell
281.resend
282.reset
283.reshape
284.reshoot
285.reshow
286.restrike
287.restring
288.retake
289.retell
290.rethink
291.rewind
292.rewrite
293.rid
294.ride
295.ring
296.rise
297.rive
298.roast
299.rot
300.run
301.sake
302.saw
303.say
304.see
305.seek
306.seethe
307.sell
308.send
309.set
310.sew
311.shake
312.shape
313.shave
314.shear
315.shed
316.shine
317.shoe
318.shoot
319.shove
320.show
321.shred
322.shrink
323.shrive
324.shut
325.sing
326.sink
327.sit
328.slay
329.sleep
330.slide
331.sling
332.slink
333.slit
334.smell
335.smite
336.sneak
337.soothsay
338.sow
339.speak
340.speed
341.spell
342.spend
343.spill
344.spin
345.spit
346.split
347.spoil
348.spoonfeed/spoon-feed
349.spread
350.spring
351.stand
352.starve
353.stave
354.steal
355.stick
356.sting
357.stink
358.strew
359.stride
360.strike
361.string
362.strip
363.strive
364.sublet
365.sunburn
366.swear
367.sweat
368.sweep
369.swell
370.swelt
371.swike
372.swim
373.swing
374.swink
375.take
376.teach
377.tear
378.tell
379.think
380.thrive
381.throw
382.thrust
383.tread
384.unbind
385.underbid
386.underbuy
387.underflow
388.undergo
389.undergrow
390.underlearn
391.underlie
392.underpay
393.underrun
394.undersell
395.undershoot
396.understand
397.undertake
398.underthrow
399.underwrite
400.undo
401.unwind
402.uphold
403.upset
404.vex
405.wake
406.waylay
407.wear
408.weave
409.wed
410.weep
411.wend
412.wet
413.win
414.wind
415.withdraw
416.withhold
417.withstand
418.work
419.worth
420.wot
421.wrap
422.wreak
423.wring
424.write
425.writhe
426.yield
427.zinc

Some of these hae obsolete irregular forms, or are irregular only in certain dialects. Example: dive/dove/dove in US English.
Not convinced   Thu Jun 04, 2009 12:01 am GMT
427 words doesn't seem like very. Additionally, many of them are repeats (lie - underlie - overlie, beat, browbeat, clepe, slink, wot) or so obscure that most people would never encounter them, especially foreign learners of the language. I bet you could cut that list in half.