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Irregular Verbs
What Are Irregular Verbs?
Irregular verbs are verbs that do not fit the usual past tense or past participle conjugation rules.
Normal verbs have a -D, -ED, or -IED ending when they are conjugated into the past tense or as a past participle.
bake + -D = baked
pack + -ED = packed
hurry -Y = hurr- + -IED = hurried
There are, however, verbs that do not work with this rule - irregular verbs.
There are a group of verbs known as “strong verbs” that appear frequently in the English language that are all irregular in their past and past participle tense:
| Base Form | Past Tense (simple) | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| come | came | come |
| get | got | gotten |
| go | went | gone |
| know | knew | known |
| make | made | made |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| take | took | taken |
| think | thought | thought |
Master List of Irregular Verbs
Here is a master list of many irregular verbs in the English language, as well as their different forms in the simple past and the past participle:
| Base Form | Past Tense (simple) | Past Participle (has/have/had) |
|---|---|---|
| arise | arose | arisen |
| awake | awoke | awoken |
| be | was/were | been |
| bear | bore | borne |
| beat | beat | beaten |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| bend | bent | bent |
| bet | bet | bet |
| bid | bid | bid |
| bind | bound | bound |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| bleed | bled | bled |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| breed | bred | bred |
| bring | brought | brought |
| broadcast | broadcast | broadcast |
| build | built | built |
| burn | burnt/burned | burnt/burned |
| burst | burst | burst |
| buy | bought | bought |
| can | could | been able |
| catch | caught | caught |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| cling | clung | clung |
| come | came | come |
| cost | cost | cost |
| creep | crept | crept |
| cut | cut | cut |
| deal | dealt | dealt |
| dig | dug | dug |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| dream | dreamed | dreamed |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| feed | fed | fed |
| feel | felt | felt |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forbid | forbade | forbidden |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | got |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grind | ground | ground |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang | hung | hung |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hold | held | held |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| kneel | knelt | knelt |
| know | knew | known |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| lean | leaned | leaned |
| learn | learned | learned |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| let | let | let |
| lie (lie down) | lay | lain |
| lie (not tell the truth) | lied | lied |
| light | lit | lit |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| mow | mowed | mown |
| overtake | overtook | overtaken |
| pay | paid | paid |
| put | put | put |
| read | read | read |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| saw | sawed | sawed |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| set | set | set |
| sew | sewed | sewn |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| shed | shed | shed |
| shine | shone | shone |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| show | showed | shown |
| shrink | shrank | shrunk |
| shut | shut | shut |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sink | sank | sunk |
| sit | sat | sat |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| slide | slid | slid |
| smell | smelled | smelled |
| sow | sowed | sown |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| spell | spelled | spelled |
| spend | spent | spent |
| spill | spilled | spilled |
| spit | spat | spat |
| spread | spread | spread |
| stand | stood | stood |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| stick | stuck | stuck |
| sting | stung | stung |
| stink | stank | stunk |
| strike | struck | struck |
| swear | swore | sworn |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| swell | swelled | swollen |
| swim | swam | swum |
| swing | swung | swung |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tear | tore | torn |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| understand | understood | understood |
| wake | woke | woken |
| wear | wore | worn |
| weep | wept | wept |
| win | won | won |
| wind | wound | wound |
| write | wrote | written |
