Teaching the Irregular Verbs

Abstract

“Why you never come for my house?” “I come yesterday, you no there.” “Why you no tell me you come yesterday?” I no know you go out.” It is no accident that wherever pidgin English is spoken the verbs are the most simplified; nor is it an accident that the more sophisticated (but inadequately instructed) will use forms like “I didn’t went”, or, as a Nigerian soldier said to me once when I overshot a road-block: “Aha, so you doesn’t want to stop!”