Irregular past tense verbs

by Yogi P - November 5, 2023

The Twist in Time: Understanding Irregular Past Tense Verbs

When embarking on the adventure of mastering English, learners often encounter a puzzling feature: irregular past tense verbs. Unlike their regular counterparts that neatly end with ‘-ed’, irregular verbs play by their own rules, morphing in unique ways to signal a shift in time.

What are Irregular Past Tense Verbs?

Irregular past tense verbs are verbs that do not follow the standard pattern of adding ‘-ed’ to create the past tense. These verbs undergo more complex changes when they shift from present to past, often completely changing their form.

Why Irregular Verbs Challenge Learners

Unpredictable Patterns: There are no definite rules that govern the transformation of irregular verbs, which can make them challenging to learn. Each verb can have a unique alteration or sometimes no change at all (e.g., ‘put’ remains ‘put’ in the past tense).

Historical Roots: Many irregular verbs are remnants of Old English and retain their ancient forms. Their odd patterns are a window into the history of the English language.

Common Usage: Irregular verbs often encompass some of the most commonly used verbs in English (e.g., go, come, see), making their mastery essential for proficient language use.

Types of Irregular Past Tense Verb Changes

Vowel Changes: Many irregular verbs change their internal vowel to form the past tense (e.g., ‘sing’ becomes ‘sang’).

No Change: Some verbs look the same in both present and past tense forms (e.g., ‘set’ and ‘put’).

Complete Overhaul: A few verbs undergo a complete transformation (e.g., ‘be’ becomes ‘was/were’).

Miscellaneous Changes: Some verbs may display unique changes that don’t fit into specific categories (e.g., ‘bring’ becomes ‘brought’).

Learning Strategies for Irregular Verbs

Grouping Similar Verbs: One can learn irregular verbs by grouping them into categories with similar changes. For example, ‘sing’, ‘ring’, and ‘spring’ all follow a similar pattern: sing-sang-sung, ring-rang-rung, spring-sprang-sprung.

Mnemonics and Memory Aids: Creating associations or stories involving the verbs can help in memorization. For instance, the verb ‘fly’ changes to ‘flew’, which might be remembered by picturing a bird that flew by quickly.

Regular Practice: Regularly using these verbs in speech and writing helps reinforce their past tense forms.

Flashcards and Drills: Repetitive practice using flashcards or online quizzes can also be effective.

Overview Table of 10 commonly used irregular verbs

Base Verb	Past Tense	Past Participle	Example Sentence (Past)
be	was/were	been	I was at the park yesterday.
begin	began	begun	She began her journey last night.
drink	drank	drunk	He drank the water quickly.
eat	ate	eaten	They ate dinner together.
go	went	gone	We went to the movies.
know	knew	known	She knew the answer.
take	took	taken	He took the book from the shelf.
see	saw	seen	I saw a rainbow.
come	came	come	They came to the meeting.
fly	flew	flown	The bird flew across the sky.

What is 20 irregular verbs?

Overview Table of 20 irregular verbs : 20 commonly used irregular verbs with their past tense and past participle forms:

Base Verb	Past Tense	Past Participle	Example Sentence (Past Tense)
go	went	gone	She went to the market yesterday.
make	made	made	He made dinner last night.
know	knew	known	They knew the answer to the question.
take	took	taken	I took the bus to work.
see	saw	seen	She saw a movie last weekend.
come	came	come	He came to the party alone.
think	thought	thought	We thought about you the other day.
find	found	found	They found a lost cat on the street.
give	gave	given	I gave him my phone number.
say	said	said	She said she would be late.
have	had	had	He had a great time at the concert.
do	did	done	We did our homework together.
be	was/were	been	They were happy about the results.
leave	left	left	She left the keys on the table.
hear	heard	heard	He heard a strange noise last night.
hold	held	held	They held hands during the movie.
read	read	read	I read an interesting book recently.
write	wrote	written	She wrote a letter to her friend.
meet	met	met	He met with his colleagues on Monday.
pay	paid	paid	They paid the bill after dinner.

The Role of Irregular Verbs in English Proficiency

Irregular verbs are not just grammatical curiosities—they are vital for clear and correct communication. A sentence with an incorrect past tense verb can confuse the timeline of events, leading to misunderstandings.

Tips for Teachers and Learners

Contextual Learning: Introduce irregular verbs in the context of stories or conversations to help students understand usage.

Peer Learning: Encourage students to correct each other’s verb forms in group activities to foster collaborative learning.

Visual Aids: Use charts and tables, like the one above, to help visualize the differences in verb forms.

What are the 100 irregular verbs examples?

100 irregular past tense verbs examples

Base Verb	Past Tense	Past Participle	Example Sentence (Past)
arise	arose	arisen	They arose at dawn.
awake	awoke	awoken	She awoke to the sound of the alarm.
bear	bore	borne/born	She bore the pain stoically.
beat	beat	beaten	He beat the drum loudly.
become	became	become	They became friends.
bend	bent	bent	He bent the rod into a curve.
bet	bet/betted	bet/betted	I bet on the winning horse.
bid	bid/bade	bid/bidden	She bid farewell to her friends.
bind	bound	bound	He bound the package with string.
bite	bit	bitten	The dog bit the intruder.
bleed	bled	bled	He bled after the fall.
blow	blew	blown	The wind blew fiercely.
break	broke	broken	She broke the glass.
breed	bred	bred	They bred cattle on the farm.
bring	brought	brought	He brought his friend home.
build	built	built	They built a new house.
burn	burnt/burned	burnt/burned	She burnt the toast by mistake.
burst	burst	burst	The balloon burst suddenly.
buy	bought	bought	I bought a new bike.
cast	cast	cast	He cast the net into the sea.
catch	caught	caught	She caught the ball expertly.
choose	chose	chosen	They chose the red one.
cling	clung	clung	He clung to the edge of the cliff.
come	came	come	They came to the party together.
cost	cost	cost	The project cost a lot of money.
creep	crept	crept	The cat crept quietly towards the bird.
cut	cut	cut	She cut the paper into shapes.
deal	dealt	dealt	He dealt the cards fairly.
dig	dug	dug	They dug a hole for the plant.
dive	dove/dived	dived	He dove into the water.
draw	drew	drawn	She drew a picture of a dog.
dream	dreamt/dreamed	dreamt/dreamed	I dreamt of flying last night.
drive	drove	driven	He drove to work every day.
fall	fell	fallen	The apple fell from the tree.
feed	fed	fed	She fed the baby with a spoon.
feel	felt	felt	He felt the fabric between his fingers.
fight	fought	fought	They fought bravely.
find	found	found	I found a coin on the ground.
fit	fit/fitted	fit/fitted	The dress fit her perfectly.
flee	fled	fled	The thieves fled when they heard sirens.
fling	flung	flung	She flung the door open.
forbid	forbade	forbidden	He forbade them from entering.
forget	forgot	forgotten	I forgot my keys at home.
forgive	forgave	forgiven	She forgave her friend’s mistake.
freeze	froze	frozen	The lake froze overnight.
get	got	gotten/got	They got lost in the city.
give	gave	given	He gave a speech at the wedding.
grind	ground	ground	She ground the coffee beans.
grow	grew	grown	The plant grew quickly.
hang	hung/hanged	hung/hanged	He hung the picture on the wall.
begin	began	begun	The show began at eight o’clock.
bite	bit	bitten	The puppy bit the toy energetically.
blow	blew	blown	The wind blew the leaves around.
break	broke	broken	He broke his watch when he dropped it.
bring	brought	brought	She brought her friend to the party.
build	built	built	They built a new house last year.
burst	burst	burst	The balloon burst with a loud pop.
buy	bought	bought	I bought a new car yesterday.
catch	caught	caught	She caught the ball during the game.
choose	chose	chosen	He chose the red sweater.
come	came	come	They came to the meeting together.
cost	cost	cost	The project cost more than expected.
cut	cut	cut	She cut the paper into strips.
deal	dealt	dealt	He dealt the cards to the players.
dig	dug	dug	The dog dug a hole in the garden.
draw	drew	drawn	She drew a horse on the paper.
drink	drank	drunk	They drank tea in the afternoon.
drive	drove	driven	I drove to the coast last weekend.
eat	ate	eaten	He ate a large pizza for dinner.
fall	fell	fallen	She fell off the bike and scratched her knee.
feed	fed	fed	They fed the ducks at the park.
feel	felt	felt	I felt happy about the good news.
fight	fought	fought	The soldiers fought bravely.
find	found	found	He found a coin on the ground.
fly	flew	flown	The birds flew south for the winter.
forbid	forbade	forbidden	She forbade the children to play there.
forget	forgot	forgotten	I forgot my password and couldn’t log in.
forgive	forgave	forgiven	He forgave his friend for the mistake.
freeze	froze	frozen	The lake froze solid last night.
get	got	gotten/got	They got a new puppy for Christmas.
give	gave	given	She gave him a book for his birthday.
go	went	gone	We went to the beach during summer.
grow	grew	grown	The plant grew quickly in the sun.
hang	hung	hung	He hung the picture on the wall.
have	had	had	They had pancakes for breakfast.
hear	heard	heard	She heard a strange noise in the night.
hide	hid	hidden	He hid the gift under the bed.
hit	hit	hit	The ball hit the window and broke it.
hold	held	held	I held the baby in my arms.
hurt	hurt	hurt	She hurt her ankle while running.
keep	kept	kept	They kept the secret for a long time.
kneel	knelt	knelt	He knelt down to find the toy.
know	knew	known	We knew the answer to the question.
lay	laid	laid	She laid the book on the table.
lead	led	led	He led the team to victory.
lean	leant/leaned	leant/leaned	The bike leant against the fence.
learn	learnt/learned	learnt/learned	They learnt/learned French last year.
leave	left	left	I left the office late last night.

Incorporating Technology in Learning

Leveraging technology, like language learning apps and online games, can turn the task of memorizing irregular verbs into an interactive experience.

The Importance of Exposure

Exposure to irregular verbs in authentic contexts, such as literature, music, and film, can help learners naturally absorb their correct usage.

Conclusion

Irregular past tense verbs may seem daunting, but with the right strategies, they can be mastered effectively. These verbs add richness to the English language, providing a link to its past and a depth to its expression.

By understanding the various types of changes these verbs undergo, and by regularly practicing and engaging with them, learners can confidently navigate past narratives and express themselves with accuracy.

Whether it’s the simple shift of ‘run’ to ‘ran’ or the complete change of ‘go’ to ‘went’, each irregular verb carries its own history and intrigue, challenging and delighting learners along the journey to fluency.