Irregular Verbs

Pronouncing, spelling
and memorising

Irregularverbs

by Jerónimo Visñovezky

Listen to every verb, test yourself on the tables, and check your answers as you go.

A newsreader: 'We are sorry to report that irregular verbs are still irregular.'
1
The three forms are the same
bet – bet – bet · 9 verbs
 2
Two forms are the same
bring – brought – brought · 29 verbs
 3
The three forms are different
write – wrote – written · 30 verbs
1

The three forms
are the same

Nothing changes, so the only clues are in the rest of the sentence.

Exercises

1.a Fill in the gaps

Use the correct verb from group 1.

My son had an accident with a knife. He {cut} his finger. It was a small wound but he said it {hurt} a lot. I {put} on a band-aid and asked him what had happened. Apparently, he had dropped the knife and tried to catch it before it {hit} the floor. It is partially my fault because I {let} him play with knives, but then again, he's 17.

1.b Present or past?

These verbs look the same in the present and in the past, so look for clues. Choose PR (present) or PA (past). When you check, the word that tells you is underlined.

    1.c Match the verbs to their pronunciation

    Write the verb under its transcription.

    2

    Two forms
    are the same

    The past simple and the past participle are twins; only the base is different.

    Exercises

    2.a Complete the chart

    2.b Fill in the gaps

    Use the correct form of the verb in brackets.

    When I was in 7th grade, a friend {told} (tell) me he had {lost} (lose) his mp3 player. I {felt} (feel) sorry for him and lent him an iPod I had {bought} (buy) the week before. I {thought} (think) it was a nice gesture. At the end of the day, however, I had not {heard} (hear) from him so I {got} (get) up and {left} (leave). I {kept} (keep) sending him messages through Instagram, though. I must have {sent} (send) a thousand. The following morning, I {found} (find) a note on my locker door: “Meet me in classroom 6”. When I {met} (meet) him, he was smiling. He {had} (have) a brand-new iPod in the box. He gave it to me as he explained that he {had sat|sat} (sit) on my iPod and broke it, so he {paid} (pay) for a new one. Then I {understood} (understand) why he had been evading me.

    Two students with backpacks talking

    2.c Sound families

    Choose the vowel sound of each past form: /ɔː/ as in saw, /ɛ/ as in bed, /əʊ/ as in go, /eɪ/ as in day.

    Careful: one of these words does not sound the way it looks!

    2.d Circle the correct option

      3

      The three forms
      are different

      Three words to learn, but they travel in families: drink – drank – drunk, sing – sang – sung.

      Exercises

      3.a Complete the chart

      3.b Fill in the gaps

      Use the correct form of the verb in brackets.

      On the day of my wedding, everything {was} (be) perfect until the reception. As my husband and I {were} (be) about to cut the cake, my sister called for our attention. She grabbed the microphone and {spoke} (speak) calmly. She said, “{Did} (do) you know that the bride {fell} (fall) from the roof and {broke} (break) a leg when she was 11?” I think my husband {knew} (know). I had completely {forgotten} (forget) about that. She told them how I {woke} (wake) from a dream and {went} (go) straight to the roof. My friends, some of whom had {flown} (fly) and some of whom had {driven} (drive) from other states, started laughing. What my sister {didn't|did not} (do not) know is that I had {eaten} (eat) some mushrooms that my parents {chose} (choose) to keep in our fridge. Apparently, they {were} (be) hallucinogenic. “I {didn't|did not} (do not) fall from the roof,” I replied. “I jumped thinking I could fly.” And the whole reception exploded with laughter.

      Mushrooms

      3.c Follow the pattern

      Each verb in a group changes like the example. Complete the other two forms.

      3.d Spelling: one consonant or two?

      Write the past participle of each verb. Be careful with the spelling.

      Now look at your answers. Which participles have a double consonant (tt, dd)? What kind of vowel sound comes before it, short or long?

      R

      Review:
      all three groups

      Mix them up and see what stuck.

      R.1 Which group?

      1 = all the same · 2 = two the same · 3 = all different.

      R.2 Odd one out

      Choose the word that is different, then explain why.

        R.3 Which column?

        First choose 1, 2 or 3 to show which column you need. Then complete the sentence.

          R.4 Find the mistake

          There is one mistake in each sentence. Click it and write the correct form.

            R.5 Write about the pictures

            Write a sentence about each picture. Use the verb and the tense given. Checking tells you whether you used the right form; compare the rest with the model answer.

            R.6 Word search

            Find the past participles of these verbs. They go across (→), down (↓) or diagonally (↘). Click the first letter, then the last.

            ?

            What are
            irregular verbs?

            Both regular and irregular forms of verbs can be traced back to Old English. There were three basic types of verb:

            1. Those that form the past tense by adding “-ed” to the root. E.g. watch, watched.
            2. Those that form the past tense by changing a vowel. E.g. give, gave.
            3. Wholly irregular forms. E.g. can/could, will/would, be/was.

            Types 2 and 3 are referred to as irregular verbs.

            The three columns

            What are the three columns you find when you study irregular verbs?

            1

            The base

            The infinitive without to: the word you find in the dictionary. Used after modal auxiliaries or the verbs make and let.

            2

            The simple past

            Used for finished actions in the past. Regular verbs end in “-ed”.

            3

            The past participle

            Used to form perfect tenses (such as the present perfect) and the passive voice.

            The first one is the infinitive without to, or the base of the verb. It is the word you find in the dictionary. It is generally used after modal auxiliaries or the verbs make and let.

            I can’t bet a million dollars.
            Ellen should bring the drinks.
            Just let me write an essay.

            Of course, the same is true for the base of regular verbs.

            They should love this game.

            The second one is the simple past, used for finished actions in the past.

            I bet five dollars on the Yankees last night.
            Ellen brought the drinks!
            He wrote the essay last time.

            The simple past forms of regular verbs end in “-ed”.

            We loved the game last night.

            The third column, the past participle, is used to form perfect tenses (such as the present perfect) and the passive voice.

            I have just bet all I had.
            The sandwiches are being brought.

            Perhaps because regular verbs and some irregular verbs have the same form for the simple past and the past participle, some students make the mistake of using the simple past form in the passive voice or in perfect tenses. You can’t tell the difference when the two forms are the same.

            I loved the concert last night.
            She has loved dancing since she was a baby.

            The difference between them is clear with an irregular verb that has three different forms.

            Nick wrote a cheque.
            He has actually written all the essays.

            So these three columns represent 1, the base of the verb; 2, the simple past; and 3, the past participle. For some irregular verbs these three forms are the same.

            I can’t bet a million dollars.
            I bet five dollars on the Yankees last night.
            I have just bet all I had.

            For some, the simple past and the past participle are the same but the base is different.

            Ellen should bring the drinks.
            Ellen brought the drinks!
            The drinks are being brought.

            While for some verbs the three forms are different.

            Just let me write a cheque.
            He wrote the essay last time.
            She has written a novel.