Past simple – irregular verbs

 1. List of Common Irregular Verbs:

Here's a starter list of some of the most frequent irregular verbs:

Base Form	Past Simple	Past Participle
be	was/were	been
break	broke	broken
build	built	built
buy	bought	bought
come	came	come
do	did	done
drink	drank	drunk
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
feel	felt	felt
find	found	found
get	got	gotten/got
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
have	had	had
hold	held	held
keep	kept	kept
know	knew	known
learn	learned/learnt	learned/learnt
leave	left	left
lose	lost	lost
make	made	made
pay	paid	paid
read	read	read
say	said	said
see	saw	seen
send	sent	sent
set	set	set
sing	sang	sung
speak	spoke	spoken
swim	swam	swum
take	took	taken
teach	taught	taught
tell	told	told
think	thought	thought
understand	understood	understood
write	wrote	written

This is just a small sample, there are many more irregular verbs out there!

2. Understanding Formation:

Unfortunately, there's no magic formula for irregular verbs. Each one has its own unique past tense and past participle forms. You just have to memorize them! However, there are some patterns you can notice:

• Some verbs change their vowel sound (e.g., sing > sang, break > broke)
• Some verbs add "-d" or "-t" (e.g., work > worked, wait > waited)
• Some verbs change completely (e.g., go > went, come > came)

3. Sentence Examples:

Here are some examples of how to use irregular verbs in sentences:

• "I ate breakfast at 7:00 AM." (eat)
• "We went to the park yesterday." (go)
• "She read the book last night." (read)
• "He lost his keys this morning." (lose)
• "They said they would be here soon." (say)

4. Memorization Tips:

Memorizing irregular verbs can be tricky, but there are several strategies you can use:

• Flashcards: Write the base form, past simple, and past participle of each verb on a flashcard and test yourself.
• Songs and rhymes: There are many catchy songs and rhymes that can help you learn irregular verbs.
• Use them in context: Try to use irregular verbs in your writing and speaking as much as possible. The more you practice, the easier it will become.
• Online resources: There are many websites and apps that can help you learn and practice irregular verbs.

5. Resources:

Here are some resources you can use to learn more about irregular verbs:

• English Grammar website: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar
• BBC Learning English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/basic-grammar
• Grammarly Blog: https://www.grammarly.com/blog/irregular-verbs/
• Memrise app: https://www.memrise.com/

Remember, the key to mastering irregular verbs is practice! Keep using them and you'll soon be a pro.