2-1 Regular and Irregular Verbs

Regular Verbs: The simple past and past participle end in -ed. English verbs have four
principal parts:
) simple form
SIMPLE FORM SIMPLE PAST PAST PARTICIPLE PRESENT PARTICIPLE

I (1
I (3) past participle
hope hoped hoped hoping (2) simple past

! (4) present
stop stopped stopped stopping
listen listened listened listening

I
study studied studied studying participle
start started started starting
--- -----
Irregular Verbs: The simple past and past participle do not end in -ed. Some verbs have

-�
irregular past forms.
SIMPLE FORM SIMPLE PAST PAST PARTICIPLE PRESENT PARTICIPLE
-·--·--- ---- Most of the irregular
hit hit hit hitting verbs in English are given

I
find found found finding in the alphabetical list in
swim swam swum swimming Appendix Chart E-9.
broke broken breaking I
break
wear wore worn wearing

2-2 Irregular Verb List

Group 1 : All three forms are the same.
SIMPLE FORM SIMPLE PAST PAST PARTICIPLE II SIMPLE FORM SIMPLE PAST PAST PARTICIPLE

bet
burst
bet
burst
bet
burst
I� I put
let
put
let
put
cost cost cost quit* quit quit
cut cut cut shut shut shut
fit fit/fitted fit/fitted spread spread spread
hit hit hit split split split
hurt hurt hurt upset upset upset

*Also possible in BrE: quit-quitted-quitted.

Group 2: Past participle ends in -en.

---
bite bit bitten hide hid hidden
break broke broken mistake mistook mistaken
choose chose chosen ride rode ridden
drive drove driven rise rose risen
eat ate eaten shake shook shaken
fall fell fallen speak spoke spoken
forget forgot forgotten steal stole stolen
forgive forgave forgiven swell swelled swollen I swelled
freeze froze frozen take took taken
get got gotten/got* wake woke woken
give gave given write wrote written
*In BrE: get-got-got. In AmE: get-got-gonenlgot.
----- -
Group 3: Vowel changes from a in the simple past to u in the past participle.
begin began begun sing sang sung
drink drank drunk sink sank sunk
ring rang rung stink stank/stunk stunk
run ran run swim swam swum
shrink shrank shrunk

26 CHAPTER 2
 Group 4: Past tense and past participle forms are the same.
·-
bend
bleed
bent
bled
bent
bled
I mean
I meet
meant
met
meant
met
bring
build
brought
built
brought
built I
I
pay
read
paid
read
paid
read
buy bought bought I
say said said
catch caught caught I sell sold sold
dig dug dug send sent sent
feed fed fed shoot shot shot
feel felt felt sit sat sat

I
fight fought fought sleep slept slept
find found found slide slid slid
grind ground ground sneak snuck/sneaked snuck/sneaked
hang* hung hung I speed sped sped
have had had spend spent spent
hear heard heard I spin spun spun
hold
keep
held
kept
held
kept I stand
stick
stood
stuck
stood
stuck
lay
lead
leave
laid
led
left
laid
led
left
I
I sting
strike
sweep
stung
struck
swept
stung
struck
swept
lend
light
lent
lit/lighted
lent
lit/lighted
I swing
I teach
swung
taught
swung
taught
lose lost lost tell told told
make made made think thought thought
understand understood understood
*Hang is a regular verb when it means "to kill someone weep wept wept
with a rope around his/her neck." COMPARE: I hung my
clothes in the closet. They hanged the murderer by the neck win won won
until he was dead.
I
Group 5: Past participle adds final -n to the simple past, with or without a spelling change.
blow
do
blew
did
blown
done
IIsee
swear
saw
swore
seen
sworn
-·-

draw drew drawn I tear tore torn

fly
grow
know
flew
grew
knew
flown
grown
known
J
J throw

wear
withdraw
threw
wore
withdrew
thrown
worn
withdrawn
lie lay lain
I
Group 6: The first and third forms are the same.
t--·
- - ·--------TT-·-
become became become
come came come

t---
run ran run

Group 7: One of the three forms is very different.

be was, were been
go went gone
-
Group 8: Both regular and irregular forms are used. (The regular form is more common in
- - .
AmE, and the irregular form is more common in BrE.)
--
awake awakened/awoke awakened/awoken proved/proven
j prove proved/proven
burn burned/burnt burned/burnt shine shined/shone shined/shone
dream dreamed/dreamt dreamed/dreamt I smell smelled/smelt smelled/smelt
kneel kneeled/knelt kneeled/knelt I spill spilled/spilt spilled/spilt
lean leaned/leant leaned/leant spoil spoiled/spoilt spoiled/spoilt
I
IMrn IMrMd/lMmt IMrMd/learn
I

Perfect and Perfect Progressive Tenses 27