Regular & Irregular Verb
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Past Forms for Regular Verbs
A regular verb follows a standard pattern, with an –ing added to the infinitive root (base formOpens in new window)to form the present participleOpens in new window and is inflected to form the past tenseOpens in new window and past participleOpens in new window by adding –d or –ed to the base form.
This ending may be pronounced /d/ (cared, happened, viewed), /ud/ (committed, needed, listed), or /t/ (mixed, searched, slipped).
Past Forms for Irregular Verbs
An irregular verb varies considerably particularly in the form it takes to form the past participle. The past tense or past participle, or both, are formed in an unpredictable way:
- by adding no ending at all,
- by changing the vowel of the base form,
- by adding a different ending,
- or by using a combination of these methods (let → let ~ have let, meet → met ~ have met, swim → swam ~ swum, blow → blew ~ have blown).
| Important! |
|---|
Note that a verb is termed irregular based on its pronunciation, not on its spelling; for example, lay (laid ~ have laid) and pay (paid ~ have paid) are regular, reason being, they add /d/ to their base forms for their past tense and past participle – like stay (stayed ~ have stayed) – even though the ayed is spelled aid. |
Compound verbs, such as: overeat (<eat), outsell (<sell), and withhold (<hold), form their past tenses and past
Important!
You can tell the difference between regular and irregular verbs by how they are formed in the past tenseOpens in new window and past participleOpens in new window.
Almost all regular verbs have predictable pattern, which means that you form the past and past participle by adding –d or –ed (laugh/laughed, arrive/arrived.)
When it comes to irregular verbs, there is no predictable pattern to indicate how to form the past and past participle forms.
When you aren’t sure whether a verb is regular or irregular, consult a dictionary. If the verb is irregular, the different tense constructions will be listed, often with appositive and sample sentence to clarify the usage.
Overview of the principal parts of some commonly used verbs follows:
Note that the present participle form has been left off this list reason being that it isn’t troublesome; it’s just the base form with –ing added.
| Regular Verbs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Form | Present Tense | Past Tense | Infinitive | Past Participle |
| aim | aim(s) | aimed | to aim | aimed |
| arrive | arrive(s) | arrived | to arrive | arrived |
| assume | assume(s) | assumed | to assume | assumed |
| climb | climb(s) | climbed | to climb | climbed |
| describe | describe(s) | described | to describe | described |
| destroy | destroy(s) | destroyed | to destroy | destroyed |
| fail | fail(s) | failed | to fail | failed |
| hate | hate(s) | hated | to hate | hated |
| love | love(s) | loved | to love | loved |
| mutter | mutter(s) | muttered | to mutter | muttered |
| open | open(s) | opened | to open | opened |
| peel | peel(s) | peeled | to peel | peeled |
| play | play(s) | played | to play | played |
| please | please(s) | pleased | to please | pleased |
| pretend | pretend(s) | pretended | to pretend | pretended |
| remember | remember(s) | remembered | to remember | remembered |
| start | start(s) | started | to start | started |
| succeed | succeed(s) | succeeded | to succeed | succeeded |
| turn | turn(s) | turned | to turn | turned |
| visit | visit(s) | visited | to visit | visited |
| walk | walk(s) | walked | to walk | walk |
| work | work(s) | worked | to work | worked |
| Irregular Verbs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base Form | Present Tense | Past Tense | Infinitive | Past Participle |
| abide | abide(s) | abode/ abided | to abide | abode/ abided |
| arise | arise(s) | arose | to arise | arisen |
| awake | awake(s) | awoke/ awaked | to awake | awoken/ awaked |
| be | am/is/areOpens in new window | was/were | to be | been |
| bear | bear(s) | bore | to bear | borne/ born |
| beat | beat(s) | beat | to beat | beaten/ beat |
| become | become(s) | became | to become | become |
| begin | begin(s) | began | to begin | begun |
| bend | bend(s) | bent | to bend | bent |
| bet | bet(s) | bet/betted | to bet | bet/ betted |
| bid | bid(s) | bade | to bid | bidden/ bid |
| bind | bind(s) | bound | to bind | bound |
| bite | bite(s) | bit | to bite | bitten/ bit |
| bleed | bleed(s) | bled | to bleed | bled |
| bless | bless/ blesses | blessed/ blest | to bless | blessed/ blest |
| blow | blow(s) | blew | to blow | blown |
| break | break(s) | broke | to break | broken |
| breed | breed(s) | bred | to breed | bred |
| bring | bring(s) | brought | to bring | brought |
| cost | cost(s) | cost | to cost | cost |
| bring | bring(s) | brought | to bring | brought |
| build | build(s) | built | to build | built |
| broadcast | broadcast(s) | broadcast or broadcasted | to broadcast | broadcast or broadcasted |
| burn | burn(s) | burned/ burnt | to burn | burned/ burnt |
| burst | burst(s) | burst/ bursted | to burst | burst/ bursted |
| buy | buy(s) | bought | to buy | bought |
| catch | catch catches | caught | to catch | caught |
| choose | choose(s) | chose | to choose | chosen |
| cling | cling(s) | clung | to cling | clung |
| come | come(s) | came | to come | come |
| creep | creep(s) | crept | to creep | crept |
| cut | cut(s) | cut | to cut | cut |
| deal | deal(s) | dealt | to deal | dealt |
| dig | dig(s) | dug | to dig | dug |
| dive | dive(s) | dived/ dove | to dive | dived/ dove |
| do | do/ does | did | to do | done |
| draw | draw(s) | drew | to draw | drawn |
| dream | dream(s) | dreamed dreamt | to dream | dreamed dreamt |
| drink | drink(s) | drank | to drink | drunk drank |
| drive | drive(s) | drove | to drive | driven |
| dwell | dwell(s) | dwelled/ dwelt | to dwell | dwelled/ dwelt |
| eat | eat(s) | ate | to eat | eaten |
| fall | fall(s) | fell | to fall | fallen |
| feed | feed(s) | fed | to feed | fed |
| feel | feel(s) | felt | to feel | felt |
| fight | fight(s) | fought | to fight | fought |
| find | find(s) | found | to fight | found |
| flee | flee(s) | fled | to flee | fled |
| fling | flings) | flung | to fling | flung |
| fly | fly flies | flew | to fly | flown |
| forbear | forbear(s) | forbore | to forbear | forborne |
| forbid | forbid(s) | forbade | to forbid | forbidden |
| forget | forget(s) | forgot | to forget | forgotten |
| forecast | forecast(s) | forecast or forecasted | to forcast | forecast or forecasted |
| forget | forget(s) | forgot | to forget | forgotten/ forgot |
| forgive | forgive(s) | forgave | to forgive | forgiven |
| forsake | forsake(s) | forsook | to forsake | forsaken |
| freeze | freeze(s) | froze | to freeze | frozen |
| get | get(s) | got | to get | got/ gotten |
| give | give(s) | gave | to give | given |
| go | go/goes | went | to go | gone |
| grind | grind(s) | ground | to grind | ground |
| grow | grow(s) | grew | to grow | grown |
| hang | hang(s) | hung/ hanged | to hang | hung/ hanged |
| have | has/ have | had | to have | heard |
| hear | hear(s) | heard | to hear | heard |
| heave | heave(s) | heaved/ hove | to heave | heaved/ hove |
| hew | hews(s) | hewed | to hew | hewed/ hewn |
| hide | hide(s) | hid | to hide | hid/hidden |
| hit | hit(s) | hit | to hit | hit |
| hold | hold(s) | held | to hold | held |
| keep | keep(s) | kept | to keep | keep |
| have | has/ have | had | to have | heard |
| hear | hear(s) | heard | to hear | heard |
| kneel | kneel(s) | knelt/ kneeled | to kneel | knelt/ kneeled |
| know | know(s) | knew | to know | knew |
| lay | lay(s) | laid | to lay | laid |
| lead | lead(s) | led | to lead | led |
| leap | leap(s) | leaped/ leapt | to leap | leaped/ leapt |
| learn | learn(s) | learned/ learnt | to learn | learned/ learnt |
| leave | leave(s) | left | to leave | left |
| lend | lend(s) | lent | to lend | lent |
| let | let(s) | let | to let | let |
| lie | lie(s) | lay | to lie | lain |
| light | light(s) | lit/ lighted | to light | lit/ lighted |
| lose | lose(s) | lost | to lose | lost |
| make | make(s) | made | to make | made |
| mean | mean(s) | meant | to mean | meant |
| lay | lay(s) | laid | to lay | laid |
| lead | lead(s) | led | to lead | led |
| meet | meet(s) | met | to meet | met |
| mislay | mislays(s) | mislaid | to mislay | mislaid |
| mislead | mislead(s) | misled | to mislead | misled |
| mistake | mistake(s) | mistook | to mistake | mistaken |
| mow | mow(s) | mowed | to mow | mowed/ mown |
| overtake | lead(s) | overtook | to overtake | overtaken |
| pay | pay(s) | paid | to pay | paid |
| plead | plead(s) | pleaded/ pled | to plead | pleaded/ pled |
| prove | prove(s) | proved | to prove | proved/ proven |
| quit | quit(s) | quit/ quitted | to quit | quit/ quitted |
| read | read(s) | read | to read | read |
| ride | ride(s) | rode | to ride | ridden |
| ring | rings) | rang | to ring | rung |
| rise | rise(s) | rose | to rise | risen |
| run | run(s) | ran | to run | run |
| saw | saw(s) | sawed | to saw | sawed/ sawn |
| say | say(s) | said | to say | said |
| see | see(s) | saw | to see | seen |
| seek | seek(s) | sought | to seek | sought |
| sell | sell(s) | sold | to sell | sold |
| send | send(s) | sent | to send | sent |
| sew | sew(s) | sewed | to sew | sewn/ sewed |
| shake | shake(s) | shook | to shake | shaken |
| shine | shine(s) | shone/ shined | to shine | shone/ shined |
| shoot | shoot(s) | shot | to shoot | shot |
| show | show(s) | showed | to show | shown/ showed |
| shrink | shrink(s) | shrank/ shrunk | to shrink | shrunk/ shrunken |
| sing | sing(s) | sang | to sing | sung |
| sink | sink(s) | sank/ sunk | to sink | sunk |
| sit | sit(s) | sat | to sit | sat |
| slay | slay(s) | slew | to slay | slain |
| sleep | slept(s) | slept | to sleep | slept |
| slide | slide(s) | slid | to slide | slid |
| smell | smell(s) | smelled/ smelt | to smell | smelled/ smelt |
| sneak | sneak(s) | sneaked/ snuck | to sneak | sneaked/ snuck |
| sow | sow(s) | sowed | to sow | sown/ sowed |
| speak | speak(s) | spoke | to speak | spoken |
| speed | speed(s) | sped/ speeded | to speed | sped/ speeded |
| spend | spend(s) | spent | to spend | spent |
| spill | spill(s) | spilled/ spilt | to spill | spilled/ spilt |
| spin | spin(s) | spun | to spin | spun |
| spit | spit(s) | spit/ spat | to spit | spit/ spat |
| spoil | spoil(s) | spoiled/ spoilt | to spoil | spoiled/ spoilt |
| spring | spring(s) | sprang/ sprung | to spring | sprung |
| stand | stand(s) | stood | to stand | stood |
| steal | steal(s) | stole | to steal | stolen |
| stick | stick(s) | stuck | to stick | stuck |
| sting | sting(s) | stung | to sting | stung |
| stink | stink(s) | stank/ stunk | to stink | stunk |
| stride | stride(s) | strode | to stride | stridden |
| strike | strike(s) | struck | to strike | struck/ stricken |
| string | string(s) | strung | to string | strung |
| strive | strive(s) | strove/ strived | to strive | striven/strived |
| sweep | sweep(s) | swept | to sweep | swept |
| swell | swell(s) | swelled | to swell | swollen/ swelled |
| swim | swim(s) | swam | to swim | swum |
| swing | swing(s) | swung | to swing | swung |
| take | take(s) | took | to take | taken |
| teach | teach/ teaches | taught | to teach | taught |
| tear | tear(s) | tore | to tear | torn |
| tell | tell(s) | told | to tell | told |
| think | think(s) | thought | to think | thought |
| thrive | thrive(s) | thrived/throve | to thrive | thrived/ thriven |
| throw | throw(s) | threw | to throw | thrown |
| tread | tread(s) | trod/treaded | to tread | trodden/ trod |
| unbend | unbend(s) | unbent | to unbend | unbent |
| undergo | undergo/ undergoes | underwent | to undergo | undergone |
| understand | understand(s) | understood | to understand | understood |
| undertake | undertake(s) | undertook | to undertake | undertaken |
| undo | undo/ undoes | undid | to undo | undone |
| upset | upset(s) | upset | to upset | upset |
| wake | wake(s) | woke/ waked | to wake | woken/ waked |
| wear | wear(s) | wore | to wear | worn |
| weave | weave(s) | wove/ weaved | to weave | woven/ weaved |
| weep | weep(s) | wept | to weep | wept |
| won | win(s) | won | to win | won |
| wind | wind(s) | wound | to wound | wound |
| withdraw | withdraw(s) | withdrew | to withdraw | withdrawn |
| withhold | withhold(s) | withheld | to withhold | withheld |
| wring | wring(s) | wrung | to wring | wrung |
| write | write(s) | wrote | to write | written |
