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1.1: Irregular Verbs

  • Page ID
    108051
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    Verbs

    There are two general types of verbs in English: Regular Verbs and Irregular Verbs.
    Regular verbs end in ED in their past form as well as in their past participle form. (Regular verbs that end in a consonant plus a Y change the Y to I and then add ED.) Irregular Verbs change forms in the past tense and in their past participle forms. Note the differences below.

    Regular Verbs Irregular Verbs
    open opened open go went gone
    start started started feel felt felt
    type typed typed dig dug dug
    smoke smoked smoked show showed shown
    collect collected collected fly flew flow

     

    Irregular Verbs

    (This is not an entire list of irregular verbs in English. However, for beginning to low intermediate level of ESL, this list is adequate.)

    Base Form S Form Past Tense Past Participle Present Participle
    be (am is are) --- was/were been being
    beat beats beat beaten beating
    become becomes became become becoming
    begin begins began begun beginning
    bend bends bent bent bending
    bite bites bit bitten biting
    bleed bleeds bled bled bleeding
    blow blows blew blown blowing
    break breaks broke broken breaking
    bring brings brought brought bringing
    build builds built built building
    buy buys bought bought buying
    catch catches caught caught catching
    choose chooses chose chosen choosing
    come comes came come coming
    cost costs cost cost costing
    cut cuts cut cut cutting
    dig digs dug dug digging
    do does did done doing
    draw draws drew drawn drawing
    drink drinks drank drunk drunking
    drive drives drove driven driving

     

     

    Base Form S Form Past Tense Past Participle Present Participle
    eat eats ate eaten eating
    fall falls fell fallen falling
    feed feeds fed fed feeding
    feel feels felt felt feeling
    fight fights fought fought fighting
    find finds found found finding
    flee flees fled fled fleeing
    fly flies flew flown flying
    forbid forbids forbade forbidden forbidding
    forget forgets forgot forgotten forgetting
    forgive forgives forgave forgiven forgiving
    freeze freezes froze forzen freezing
    get gets got gotten getting
    give gives gave given giving
    go goes went gone going
    grow grows grew grown growing
    hang hangs hung hung hanging
    have has had had having
    hear hears heard heard hearing
    hide hides hid hidden hidomg
    hit hits hit hit hitting
    hold holds held held holding
    hurt hurts hurt hurt hurting
    keep keeps kept kept keeping
    know knows knew known knowing
    lead leads led led leading
    leave leaves left left leaving
    lend lends lent lent lending
    let lets let let letting
    lie lies lay lain lying
    lose loses lost lost losing
    make makes made made making
    mean means meant meant meaning
    meet meets met met meeting
    mistake mistakes mistook mistaken mistaking
    mow mows mowed

    mown

    mowed

    mowing
    overhear  overhears overheard overheard overhearing

     

    Base Form S Form Past Tense Past Participle Present Participle
    pay pays paid paid paying
    prove proves proved proven proving
    put puts put put putting
    quit quits quit quit quitting
    read reads read read reading
    ride rides rode ridden riding
    ring rings rang rung ringing
    rise rises rose risen rising
    run runs ran run running
    say says said said saying
    see sees saw seen seeing
    seek seeks sought sought seeking
    sell sells sold sold selling
    send sends sent sent sending
    set sets set set setting
    sew sews sewed sewn
    sewed
    sewing
    shake shakes shook shaken shaking
    shave shaves shaved shaven
    shaved
    shaving
    shine shines shone
    shined
    shone
    shined
    shining
    shoot shoots shot shot shooting
    show shows showed shown showing
    shrink shrinks shrank
    shrunk
    shrunk shrinking
    shut shuts shut shut shutting
    sing sings sang sung singing
    sink sinks sank sunk sinking
    sit sits sat sat sitting
    sleep sleeps slept slept sleeping
    slide slides slid slid sliding
    speak speaks spoke spoken speaking
    speed speeds sped sped speeding
    spend spends spent spent spending
    spin spins spun spun spinning
    split splits split split splitting
    spread spreads spread spread spreading

     

    Base Form S Form Past Tense Past Participle Present Participle
    stand stands stood stood standing
    steal steals stole stolen stealing
    stick sticks stuck stuck sticking
    sting stings stung stung stinging
    stink stinks stank stunk
     
    stinking
    strike strikes struck struck
    stricken
    striking
    swear swears swore sworn swearing
    sweep sweeps swept swept sweeping
    swim swims swam swum swimming
    take takes took taken taking
    teach teaches taught taught teaching
    tear tears tore torn tearing
    tell tells told told telling
    think thinks thought thought thinking
    throw throws threw thrown throwing
    undergo undergoes underwent undergone undergoing
    understand understands understood understood understanding
    underwrite underwrites underwrote underwritten underwriting
    undo undoes undid undone undoing
    wake wakes woke woken waking
    wear wears wore worn wearing
    weave weaves wove woven weaving
    weep weeps wept wept weeping
    win wins won won winning
    withdraw withdraws withdrew withdrawn withdrawing
    withhold witholds withheld withheld withholding
    write writes wrote written writing

     


    This page titled 1.1: Irregular Verbs is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Don Bissonnette.

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