In the English language verbs have different forms or tenses. There is the present tense, the simple past tense and past participle, to name a few. Most regular verbs have the simple past and the past participle spelled like the present tense except the past tenses have a “d” or “ed” added to the regular form.
However, with irregular verbs it’s a different story.
What are irregular verbs?
Irregular verbs are common verbs in the English language that do not follow the simple system of adding “d” or “ed” to the end of the word to form the past tense. That means the spellings can be a little tricky. Some irregular verbs follow patterns, such as drink–drank, spring–sprang, know-knew, and blow-blew but you can’t use those patterns with predictability. Unfortunately, learning irregular verbs means memorization.
Before we move on, let’s take a moment to review three basic tenses in the English language as this may help with your understanding irregular verbs.
The present tense of a verb stands alone and shows the present tense.
The past tense is used to represent past events.
The past participle is used with the helping verbs have, has, and had to form perfect tenses.
1. Present perfect.
2. Past perfect
3. Future perfect
Examples of irregular verbs
To show you irregular verbs in their whacky, unpredictable glory, below you’ll find many examples that begin in the present tense, followed by the simple past tense, and then the past participle.
| awake–awoke–awoken | be-was, where–been |
| beat–beat–beat | begin–began–begun |
| bite–bit–bitten | bleed–bled–bled |
| below–blue–blown | break–broke–broken |
| bring–brought–brought | build–built–built |
| burn–burned/burnt–burned/burnt | burst–burst–burst |
| buy–bought–bought | catch–caught-caught |
| come–came–come | creep–crept–crept |
| cut–cut–cut | deal–dealt–dealt |
| dig–dug–dug | do–did–done |
| draw–drew–drawn | drink-drank-drunk |
| eat-ate-eaten | fall-fell-fallen |
| fling-flung-flung | fly-flew-flown |
| forget-forgot-forgotten | forgive-forgave-forgiven |
| get-got-gotten | go-went-gone |
| grow-grew-grown | hang-hung-hung |
| hit-hit-hit | lay-laid-laid |
| lead-led-led | lie-lay-lain |
| mistake-mistook-mistaken | overcome-overcame-overcame |
| plead-pled-pled | ring-rang-rung |
| rise-rose-risen | see-saw-seen |
| sew-sewed-sewed | shake-shook-shaken |
| shear-shore-shorn | shoe-shoed-shoed |
| shrink-shrank-shrunk | sing-sang-sung |
| sink-sank-sunk | sit-sat-sat |
| speed-sped-sped | spring-sprang-sprung |
| sting-stung-stung | strive-strove-strive |
| swear-swore-sworn | swim-swam-swum |
| teach-taught-taught | throw-threw-threw |
| tread-trod-trodden | wake-woke-woken |
| weep-wept-wept | win-won-won |
| wring-wrung-wrung | write-wrote-written |
There are many more, but that’s a good sampling. Now, here are some examples of a few irregular verbs used in sentences.
So there you have it – irregular verbs in a nutshell. Remember an irregular verb has no predictable pattern and doesn’t end in “d” or “ed.”