Irregular Verbs

What are irregular verbs?

Irregular verbs are ones that do not form it’s simple past tense and past participle by adding -ed or -d to the base form. The verbs which end with -ed or -d are called regular verbs. 

For example:

Regular verb:

Base form: jump

Simple past: jumped

Past participle: had jumped

Irregular verb: 

Base form: come

Simple past: came 

Past participle: has come

The most regularly used verbs in English are irregular verbs. 

Irregular verbs have a variety of spellings. The infinitive, past simple and infinitive forms are sometimes the same and sometimes different. 

It is also possible for a verb to be regular in pronunciation and irregular in spelling. 

Here are some of the common irregular verbs in English.

Root verb     Past tense     Past participle 

Arise             Arose              Arisen

Come           Came              Has come

Go                 Went               Gone

Give              Gave               Given

Fall                Fell                 Fallen

Make            Made              Made

Get               Got                  Got, Gotten

Lend             Lent                Lent

Run               Ran                 Run

Say               Said                Said

See               Saw                Seen

Cough          Coughed       Coughing

Drive            Drove             Driven

Drink            Drank            Drunk

Wear            Wore             Worn

Sing             Sang              Sung

Sink             Sank              Sunk

Throw         Threw           Thrown

Tell              Tore              Torn

Shut            Shut              Shut

Think          Thought       Thought

Write           Wrote           Written

Slay             Slew             Slain

Sleep          Slept             Slept

Win             Won              Won

Shrink         Shrank         Shrunk

Quit             Quit              Quit

Plea            Pleaded       Plead

Meet          Met               Met

Spin           Spun             Spun

Lose           Lost             Lost

Draw          Drew            Drawn

Do              Did               Done

Choose     Chose          Chosen

Bear           Bore             Borne

Fly              Flew             Flown

Begin         Began          Begun

Forbid        Forbade       Forbidden

Bind           Bound           Bound

Bite            Bit                  Bitten

Freeze       Froze             Frozen

Forgive      Forgave        Forgiven

Hide           Hid                Hidden

Buy            Bought          Bought

Hold          Held               Held

These are some of the examples of irregular verbs that are used in English language. Try adding a few more of these in your everyday vocabulary and improve your speaking as well as writing skills.