4. Regular and Irregular Verbs

The main verbs are classified as   regular verbs or irregular verbs . Both types of verbs can be identified by how their past tense and past participle are formed.  

Unlike the regular verbs that form their past tense and past participle by using the suffix –d or mostly –ed for their base form, the irregular verbs change their base forms, such as the vowels to form their past tense and past participle as indicated in the following examples.

Regular verbs

The past tense and past participle of regular verbs end in –d  or –ed .

Examples:

  • –d :

  • Present tense – die, like, move, place, squeeze
  • Past tense – died, like, moved, placed, squeezed
  • Past participle – died, liked, moved, placed, squeezed

  • –ed:

  • Present tense – boo, kill, pass, reach, touch
  • Past tense – booed, killed, passed, reached, touched
  • Past participle – booed, killed, passed, reached, touched

Regular verbs ending in consonants

Many regular verbs that end in a consonant; for example, –b, –g, –p will double its consonant followed by –ed: ro bb ed, ru bb ed, flo gg ed, tu gg ed, ste pp ed, sto pp ed.

Regular verbs that end in –c , –ked  is added: picnic/picnicked; panic/panicked.

Regular verbs that end in –y , drop the –y  and add –ied : carry/carried; hurry/hurried; worry/worried.

Irregular verbs

The past tense and past participle of irregular verbs do not follow the above regular pattern of grammar. They do not end in –d  or –ed

Where only the past tense and past participle are the same

  • Present tense - carry, die, fit, jump, show, try
  • Past tense - carried, died, fitted, jumped, showed, tried
  • Past participle - carried, died, fitted, jumped, showed, tried

Where all three forms are the same

  • Present tense - cost, cut, hurt, put, read, shut
  • Past tense - cost, cut, hurt, put, read, shut
  • Past participle - cost, cut, hurt, put, read, shut

Where all three forms are different

  • Present tense - begin, choose, do, go, lie, see
  • Past tense - began, chose, did, went, lay, saw
  • Past participle - begun, chosen, done, gone, lain, seen

Where the past and participle forms can be regular and irregular

  • Present tense - burn, dream, learn, spell, spill
  • Past tense - burned/burnt, dreamed/dreamt, learned/learnt, spelled/spelt, spilled/spilt
  • Past participle - burned/burnt, dreamed/dreamt, learned/learnt, spelled/spelt, spilled/spilt

Most irregular verb

The verb to be  is the most irregular verb as indicated here:

  • Infinitive: to be
  • Present tense: am , is , are
  • Past tense: was , were
  • Present Participle: being
  • Past Participle: been
  • Present Subjunctive: be
  • Past Subjunctive: were
  • Imperative: be

( List 5 shows lists of different forms of irregular verbs.)