A Comprehensive Guide to Irregular Verbs

When it comes to verb tenses, irregular verbs do not follow the standard conjugation norms. You may learn which words fit into this category by looking at the irregular verbs list and examples in this article.

The English language enjoys both creating and breaking grammar rules. The same is true for irregular verbs, which don’t follow the convention and therefore stand on their own within a unique category. Let’s learn more about irregular verbs and their usage in writing.

What Is an Irregular Verb?

The irregular verbs include unique and unpredictable verb forms. These verbs don’t form their past participle form by adding -ed at the end. It means that they don’t follow the typical conjugation pattern as the regular verbs do.

Most irregular verbs, such as harm, bid, cut, put, etc., are the same in all participle forms. However, some words become complex and completely different in their different forms, such as arise, arose, and arisen.

Irregular Verbs List and Examples in Sentences

Just when you start mastering the past and present tense of regular verbs, the unique irregular verbs come into the scene. The common irregular verbs list and examples below will help you learn their use in spoken or written English.

Example Sentences:

• You should go to a doctor for a checkup.
• He was bitten by a snake on his left leg.
• The cops were able to catch the thieves.
• The professor taught a thought-provoking lesson about life today.
• You must speak for your rights.
• She was drunk at the party.
• My friend drew an eye-catching portrait of me.
• I cut the fruits for custard.
• She gave me her lecture notes last week.
• You should not make any mistakes in the next quiz.
• He left his wallet on the table.
• I didn’t know my grandma was coming to our house.

What Is on an Irregular Verb List?

There are three distinct parts of an irregular verb list: the base form, past tense, and past participle. Let’s learn what each part means and how they are formed.

Base Form

The base form of an irregular comes in the first column of the list. Base form means the verb is in its purest form without any conjugation. The verb is not in its present, past, or continuous tense form. It’s simply the verb and that’s all.

• Can you draw a picture for me?
• Can you do me a favor?

Past Tense

The past tense of the verb appears in the second column of the list. This is the form to employ when you talk about an event that happened in the past. Since these words are irregular, you’ll notice that these words lack the typical -ed ending seen in regular verbs.

• She shook her head from a distance.
• I spent all my pocket money yesterday.

Past Participle

The third column includes the part participle of the verb. We use the past participle form after have or had in the present or past perfect sentences. Here are two examples using the part participles of irregular verbs.

• She was taken to the hospital.
• I have never eaten a Brazilian dish before.

List of Common Irregular Verbs

Here’s a list of common irregular verbs with their base form, simple past form, and past participle.

Arise – Arose – Arisen

Bind – Bound – Bound

Cling – Clung – Clung

Come – Came – Come

Eat – Ate – Eaten

Bite – Bit – Bitten

Bleed – Bled – Bled

Dream – Dreamed – Dreamed

Feed – Fed – Fed

Dive – Dove – Dived

Mistake – Mistook – Mistaken

Shake – Shook – Shaken

Spend – Spent – Spent

Seek – Sought – Sought

Hang – Hung – Hung

Light – Lit – Lit

Forbid – Forbade – Forbidden

The Bottom Line

Learning about irregular verbs can be tough. There are a lot of different sets of irregular verbs, and knowing about all of them could be challenging. This list is a compilation of the most commonly used irregular verbs in the English language. It’s important to memorize the list, so you can recognize them whenever they appear in a sentence.