preterites

Indeed, the anomalies in English preterites are perplexing.

The Complete Poetical Works of James Russell Lowell James Russell Lowell 1855

The omission of 'e' in preterites flow'd, etc., although very Georgian, looks somehow wrong here as well, though I can't be bothered to find out why.

languagehat.com: PLEXITY. 2005

In the case of weak preterites formed without any vowel-change, the more regular formation with ed is that which has been adopted in this volume.

The Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley 2003

Some persons used the strong preterites, and some the weak, -- some said

The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 03, No. 16, February, 1859 Various

In other cases it is still more difficult to account for preterites in common use.

Chapter 9. The Common Speech. 3. The Verb Henry Louis 1921

These survived the movement toward the formalization of the language which began with the eighteenth century, but scores of other such misplaced preterites were driven out.

Chapter 9. The Common Speech. 3. The Verb Henry Louis 1921

Thus taken, as the preterite of to take, has undoubtedly helped to make preterites of two other perfects, shaken and forsaken.

Chapter 9. The Common Speech. 3. The Verb Henry Louis 1921

Finally, however, it became silent in other preterites, and loved, for example, began to be pronounced (and often written) as a word of one syllable: lov’d.

Chapter 9. The Common Speech. 3. The Verb Henry Louis 1921

But slit, which is now invariable in English (though it was strong in Old English and had both strong and weak preterites in Middle English), has become regular in American, as in “she slitted her skirt.

Chapter 9. The Common Speech. 3. The Verb Henry Louis 1921

During the thirteenth century, according to Sweet, 56 “d was changed to t in the weak preterites of verbs (ending) in rd, ld, nd.

Chapter 9. The Common Speech. 3. The Verb Henry Louis 1921