Irregular Verb - A Complete Guide

Are you confused about irregular verbs and how they're conjugated? If yes, then this article on regular verbs is just for you. Irregular verbs in English are the verbs that follow different patterns of conjugation [formation of past tenses]. You need to learn irregular verbs by heart as they don't follow the same usual patterns of past tense formation. 

This article deals with the following sub-topics:

1. Irregular verb definition

2. Irregular verb grouping 

3. FAQs - Irregular verbs

What are irregular verbs?

Verbs that "follow their own rules" in the formation of their past tense forms could be categorized as irregular verbs. Regular verbs form the past tense and past participle by adding "-ed" or "-d" in accordance with regular English grammar norms. However, when irregular verbs are the primary verbs in a sentence, they use entirely different terms for each of their several verb forms. 

Compare carefully the past tense forms of irregular verbs with those of regular verbs in the following examples.

Examples of Irregular Verbs:

a. Put Put Put

b. Bend Bent Bent

c. Begin Began Begun

Examples of Regular Verbs:

a. Walk Walked Walked

b. Start Started Started

c. Remember Remembered Remembered

Irregular verbs are not governed by any rule of pattern which creates difficulty to learn them; therefore, you need to use a different approach when learning the irregular verbs. That approach is grouping the irregular verbs.

Grouping of Irregular Verbs

If you've read the examples of irregular verbs given above, you may have noticed that irregular verbs can be grouped in three broad categories. They're given below.

Category 1. Irregular verbs whose all verb forms are the same:

The irregular verbs of this category have the same forms in all tenses; that is, the base form [v1], simple past form [v2] and past participle form [v3] are the same.

For example: 

a. I put. (base form or v1)

b. He put. (Simple past or v2)

c. They've put. (Past participle or v3)

A List of Irregular Verbs of This Category

Note that the first verb is the base form, the second is the simple past and the third is the past participle form in all the below-given categories of irregular verbs.

• 1. Put Put Put 
• 2. Hurt Hurt Hurt
• 3. Shut Shut Shut
• 4. Burst Burst Burst 
• 5. Broadcast Broadcast Broadcast 
• 6. Shed Shed Shed
• 7. Let Let Let 
• 8. Bet Bet Bet 
• 9. Hit Hit Hit
• 10. Set Set Set 
• 11. Spread Spread Spread 
• 12. Cast Cast Cast 
• 13. Thrust Thrust Thrust 

Category 2. Irregular verbs whose simple past and past participle forms are the same: 

The irregular verbs in this category have the same simple past and past participle forms, whereas the base form is different. 

For example:

a. I bend. (base form or v1)

b. He bent. (simple past or v2)

c. They've bent. (past participle or v3)

A List of Irregular Verbs of This Category

• 1. Bend Bent Bent
• 2. Find Found Found
• 3. Fight Fought Fought 
• 4. Send Sent Sent 
• 5. Think Thought Thought 
• 6. Bring Brought Brought 
• 7. Light Lit Lit 
• 8. Catch Caught Caught 
• 9. Teach Taught Taught 
• 10. Hear Heard Heard
• 11. Build Built Built 
• 12. Understand Understood Understood
• 13. Have Had Had

Category 3. Irregular verbs whose simple past and past participle are different: 

The irregular verbs under this category are the exact opposite of those of the first category; that is, the irregular verbs of this category have different forms throughout all tenses. The base form, the simple past and the past participle are different in forms.

For example:

a. I write. (base form or v1)

b. He wrote. (simple past or v2)

c. They've written. (Past participle or v3)

A List of Irregular Verbs of This Category 

• 1. Begin Began Begun
• 2. Write Wrote Written
• 3. Show Showed Shown
• 4. Arise Arose Arisen
• 5. Blow Blew Blown
• 6. Sing Sang Sung
• 7. Sink Sank Sunk
• 8. Break Broke Broken
• 9. Give Gave Given
• 10. Fly Flew Flown
• 11. Ride Rode Ridden
• 12. Take Took Taken
• 13. Shrink Shrank Shrunk 

Examples of Irregular Verbs in Sentences

1. He wrote a letter to his mom.

2. Allen stood up when the teacher entered.

3. He has learnt a new poem

4. She reads newspaper daily.

5. Rahul runs very fast.

6. Priya sat on the floor.

7. They sing rap songs.

8. Plants grow rapidly.

9. His dress is hung on the wall.

10. John drew a new sketch.

More Irregular Verbs in Past and Past Participle Forms

• Draw   drew   drawn
• Teach   taught  taught
• Hang    hung.    Hung
• Write     wrote.   written 
• Buy        bought.    Bought
• Dig         dug.         dug
• Hear.      Heard.    Heard
• Catch      caught.  caught 
• Forget   forgot   forgotten
• Blow.     Blew.       Blown
• Stand      stood.   Stood

Irregular verbs Exercises

Q 1: Tell which of the following verb are regular verbs or irregular verbs.

1) Ring

2) Feel

3) cook

4) fly

5) stop

6) kill

7) pour

8) hang

9) blow

10) stop

11) Hit

12) greet

13) Move

14) Remember

15) miss

Q 2: Use the base form (1st form) of the irregular verbs from brackets and complete the following sentences.

1) He _______(brought) a pen for me.

2) Our teacher _________(taught) well.

3) He ________(stood) up.

4) Abdul always _________(sat) on first bench.

5) Riya ________(drew) nice paintings.

6) The wind_(blown)

7)He _________( forgotten) everything.

8) Ramsha__(rang) the bell when she comes.

FAQs - Irregular Verbs

What are regular and irregular verbs?

Regular verbs follow the same pattern of conjugation and usually end in "-d," "-ed" or "-ied" as in saved, walked and married, whereas irregular verbs don't follow the same pattern of conjugation and don't end in "-d," "-ed" and "-ied" as in begin, began, begun.

Give some examples of irregular verbs.

Hang

Write

Draw

Teach 

Buy

Bring

Feel

Stand