What the song is about

This song is a chant that helps you remember a group of irregular English verbs. Their past simple and past participle forms are the same word, and they all end in the same sound, /ɔːt/, even though the spelling is different: -ought or -aught.

The verbs

| Base form | Past simple | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| buy | bought | bought |
| bring | brought | brought |
| think | thought | thought |
| fight | fought | fought |
| catch | caught | caught |
| teach | taught | taught |

  • O-U-G-H-T group: bought, brought, thought, fought
  • A-U-G-H-T group: caught, taught
"Different letters, same sound": -ought and -aught sound the same in most accents. You have to learn the spelling of each word.

Useful words and expressions

  • first form / second form / third form: a common way to name the base form, the past simple and the past participle.
  • Third is the same.: the third form is the same as the second.
  • win the game: succeed.
  • Keep the rhythm in your feet!: keep moving to the beat.
  • today / now / yesterday: time words that tell you which tense to use.

Grammar

The bridge contrasts the present simple with the past simple:

  • I buy it today... But yesterday I bought it!
  • I catch the ball... But yesterday I caught it!
With yesterday, use the past form (the second form). Use the third form with have in the present perfect: I have bought it.

Careful: lines bent for the rhyme

  • "But the more you sing, you know it better." The correct pattern is the more ..., the better ...: The more you sing, the better you know it.
  • "I think about it... But yesterday I thought it!" This keeps the line ending on it. In normal English you say Yesterday I thought about it.
  • "I teach you now... But yesterday I taught it!" The object changes from you to it to fit the pattern. More natural would be Yesterday I taught you.