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Confusing verbs 1: fell, felt, filled, flowed, flew

In this lesson,we'll try not to mix up "very similar" words.  I keep telling students that when learning vocabulary, they must be very accurate. Vocabulary should be learnt to the last dot. If you change a single letter, you may change the whole meaning of the word, and of your sentence.

- bail= money given to a court of law        mail= letters delivered by postal service          sail= canvas on a ship  

- fail= fall short of success                        nail= metal to be hammered into wood            tail= the hindmost part of an animal 

- hail= pellets of ice                                   pail= bucket                                                     vail= take off a hat

- jail= prison                                              rail= a railroad                                                 wail= expression of sorrow

Changing a SINGLE  letter gives 12 different words. 

Here, we'll work with VERBS that are almost similar. There are 5 verbs, two of which are regular (their three forms: verb base - preterite - past participle - are the same). You tend to get mixed up when using their preterites and past participles... 

1) *  TO FEEL, I FELT, FELT= to perceive something by direct physical contact or have a belief in. 

- When she heard the results of the exam, she felt the happiest girl on earth! 

   *  TO FALL,  I FELL, FALLEN= to come down by force of gravity.

- She fell down the stairs and broke her arm. 

                                 A skier fell down the slope                                        A  tree fell onto the car

   *  TO FILL  FILLED  FILLED= to put as much as can be held into. 

- We'll have to fill the tank before reaching the border. 

2) * TO FLY,  FLEW,  FLOWN= to move through the air using wings, or by plane. 

-  The birds flew away when my cat went out of the house.

   *  TO FLOW, FLOWED, FLOWED= to circulate in a stream.

-  The river flowed at the back of our garden. 

                            Water flowing in Nature                                   ... and from a tap/ faucet! 

That's easy when you think of it... You just have to make sure you're careful and thorough... Go for it!  

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1. Her eyes fellfeltflowedflowfallflewI don't know upon the letter I was writing when she entered the office.



2. The water fellfallflewflowfeltflowedI don't know out of the bath because she had forgotten to turn the tap off.



3. The roof flowfeltflowedflewfellfallI don't know under the weight of the snow.



4. Her hair flowedfallfellflowfeltflewI don't know on her shoulders and in her eyes so that she decided to have it cut.



5. When she saw the velvet cushion, she fallfellfeltflowflewflowedI don't know the soft material and smiled.



6. The soldier feltflewflowedfallflowfellI don't know and was replaced by one of his pals.



7. When the kid climbed the cherry-tree, dozens of birds feltfallflewfellflowedflowI don't know away at once.



8. When he spoke to me, I flowfellflewfallfeltflowedI don't know hostility and anger in his voice.



9. Last year, my birthday fellfeltflowedflowfallflewI don't know on a bank holiday! I liked it!



10. 'The last time I feltflowflowedflewfilledfallfellI don't know her glass, she spilt it all over the carpet.'



11. The first time I flowfellflewfilledfeltfallflowedI don't know from Boston to Chicago was when I was seven months old.



12. When she realised her blunder, she fallflewfilledfellflowfeltflowedI don't know embarrassed and blushed.