A User-Friendly Classification: The Irregular Verbs in English

The Irregular Verbs in English
A U s e r - F r i e n d l y C l a s s if i c at io n
Most verbs in English are regular verbs, meaning that they add the ed ending to form both the simple past and the
past participle forms, which are identical, such as play-played-played. However, there is a considerable number of
irregular verbs(about 450, but only about 200 in common use)
While any new verb coined in later periods tends to be regular. Still, the ten most used verbs in English are irregular.
Consult your dictionary if you are not sure about the exact usage.
The following irregular verb tables are sorted according to V1,V2, and V3 forms. Here is a quick reminder for these
verb forms:
Uses of the 3 main verb forms:
Present Simple
Future Simple
V2=Past Simple
Past Simple only !
V3=Past participle perfect tenses
passive forms
passive adjective
V1=base form
I write in English every day.

I will write an English essay tomorrow.
Yesterday, I wrote 2 poems in English.
I have already written my English paper.
This novel was written by Charles Dickens.
This story is well-written.
Study Tables for the Irregular Verbs in English Part 1

The following irregular verb categories 1-3 are complemented by categories 4-7, found in Part 2.
Category 1: irregular ending with no vowel change, V2=V3
group 1: d ending changes to t, ent changes to end
bend
build
lend
send
spend
bent
build
lent
sent
spent
bent
built
lent
sent
spent
group 2: the verbs have and make

have \ has
make
had
made
had
made
group 3: regular (V2, V3) in US English, irregular in UK English

learn
burn
dwell
learned \ learnt
burned \ burnt
dwelled \ dwelt
learned \ learnt
burned \ burnt
dwelled \ dwelt
smell
spell
spill
spoil
smelled \ smelt
spelled \ spelt
spilled \ spilt
spoiled \ spoilt
smelled \ smelt
spelled \ spelt
spilled \ spilt
spoiled \ spoilt
group 4: ay ending changes to aid

*said is pronounced /sed/
lay
(the table,
clothes, eggs)
pay
say
laid
laid
paid
*said
(/sed/)
paid
*said
Category 2: Vowel change, irregular ending, V2=V3
group 5: vowel change , d or t ending

creep
feed
feel
keep
kneel
meet
sleep
sweep
weep
*l eave
crept
fed
felt
kept
knelt \ kneeled
met
slept
swept
wept
left
crept
fed
felt
kept
knelt \ kneeled
met
slept
swept
wept
left
group 6: different pronunciation of the same vowel

d or t ending
deal
dream
lean
leap
mean
read
hear
dealt
dreamed \ dreamt
leaned \ leant
leapt
meant
read (/red/)
heared
group 7: ell turns to old
dealt
dreamed \ dreamt
leaned \ leant
leapt
meant
read (/red/)
heared
sell
tell
sold
told
sold
told
group 8: vowel change with ought (or *aught) ending

d or t ending
bring
buy
fight
seek
think
*catch
*teach
brought
bought
fought
sought
thought
c aught
t aught
brought
bought
fought
sought
thought
c aught
t aught
Category 3: Verbs with the same form V1=V2=V3

group 9: Verbs that do not change
d or t ending
bet
bet
bid (to offer) bid
broadcast
broadcast \
broadcasted
burst
burst
cost
cost
cut
cut
fit
fit
(was the right size)
fitted
(tailored, changed size)
hit
hit
hurt
hurt
let
let
put
put
set
set
shut
shut
spread
spread
quit
quit
bet
bid
broadcast \
broadcasted
burst
cost
cut
fit
(was the right size)
fitted
(tailored, changed size)
hit
hurt
let
put
set
shut
spread
quit
Category 4: Vowel change, V3 ending with (e)n

group 10: V2 and V3 with long /o / sound
break
broke
broken
choose chose
chosen
freeze froze
frozen
speak
spoke
spoken
steal
stole
stolen
awake awoke \ awaked awoken \ awaked

wake
woke \ waked
weave wove
woken \ waked
woven
group 11: V2 long o sound, V3 shirt /i/ sound

arise
arose
arisen
rise
rose
risen
*ride
rode
*ri dden
drive
drove
driven
*write
wrote
*wri tten
group 12: The following verbs:

*bite
bit
*bi tten
*hide
hid
*hi dden
eat
ate
eaten
give
gave
given
forgive
forgave
forgiven
forbid *
forbad(e) forbi dden
* bid
bade
( to command, farewell)
*bi dden
* forget
forgot
*forgo tten
get
got
* go tten (AmE) \ got (BrE)
shake
shook
shaken
take
took
taken
see
saw
seen
beat
beat
beaten
fall
fell
fallen
lie
( down to rest)
lay
lain
Watch Out !
Do not confuse lie (tell a lie, regular), lie (down to rest, irregular), and lay (the table, irregular).
*lie
(tell a lie)
lied lied
lie
(down to rest)
lay lain
lay
laid laid
(the table, eggs)
group 13: the ear-ore-orn pattern
bear
bore
born
swear
swore
sworn
tear
tore
torn
wear
wore
worn
group 14: V1 with ow, V2 with ew, V3 with own

blow
blew
blown
grow
grew
grown
know
knew
known
throw
threw
thrown
fly
flew
flown
draw
drew
*dr awn
Category 5: regular V2, regular or irregular V3
group 15
show
showed showed \ shown
sow
sowed
sowed \ sown
mow
mowed mowed \ mown
swell
swelled swelled \ swollen
sew
sewed
sewed \ sewn
*shine
shined
(the shoes)
shined
*shine
(brightly)
shown
shown
Category 6: vowel change, no ending, V2=V3
group 16: vowel change pattern, no ending

dig
dug
dug
stick
stuck
stuck
spin
spun
spun
sting
stung
stung
strike
struck
struck
swing
swung
swung
*hang
(a man)
hanged
hanged
*hang
(a picture)
hung
hung
slide
slid
slid
light
lighted \ lit
lighted \ lit
shoot
shot
shot
group 17: vowel change pattern i - ou - ou
bind
bound
bound
find
found
found
grind
ground
ground
wind
wound
wound
group 18: vowel change ee - e - e

bleed
bled
bled
feed
fed
fed
flee
fled
fled
*lead
led
led
*speed speeded \ sped speeded \ sped
Category 7: The craziest verbs !
group 19: vowel change pattern i - a - u

begin
began
begun
drink
drank
drunk
ring
rang
rung
shrink
shrank
shrunk
sing
sang
sung
sink
sank
sunk
spin
span \ spun
spun
spring
sprang
sprung
swim
swam
swum
group 20: vowel change, V1=V3

come
came
come
become
became
become
run
ran
run
group 21: miscellaneous

the verb to be
am
is
are
was
was
were
been
go
went
gone
*dive
dove
(jumped head first)
dived
*dive
(scuba-diving)
dived
dived
do
did
done
can
could
may
might
hold
held
held
stand
stood
stood
understand
understood understood
sit
sat
sat
babysit
babysat
babysat
win
won
won
lose
lost
lost
https://sites.google.com/site/englishgrammarguide/Home/the-irregular-verbs-in-english--part-1
https://sites.google.com/site/englishgrammarguide/Home/the-irregular-verbs-in-english--part-2

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The Irregular Verbs in English

I write in English every day.

Study Tables for the Irregular Verbs in English Part 1

group 2: the verbs have and make

group 3: regular (V2, V3) in US English, irregular in UK English

group 4: ay ending changes to aid

Category 2: Vowel change, irregular ending, V2=V3

group 5: vowel change , d or t ending

group 6: different pronunciation of the same vowel

group 7: ell turns to old

group 8: vowel change with ought (or *aught) ending

Category 3: Verbs with the same form V1=V2=V3

Category 4: Vowel change, V3 ending with (e)n

awake awoke \ awaked awoken \ awaked

group 11: V2 long o sound, V3 shirt /i/ sound

group 12: The following verbs:

forbad(e) forbi dden

* go tten (AmE) \ got (BrE)

group 13: the ear-ore-orn pattern

group 14: V1 with ow, V2 with ew, V3 with own

Category 5: regular V2, regular or irregular V3

showed showed \ shown

mowed mowed \ mown

swelled swelled \ swollen

Category 6: vowel change, no ending, V2=V3

group 16: vowel change pattern, no ending

group 17: vowel change pattern i - ou - ou

group 18: vowel change ee - e - e

*speed speeded \ sped speeded \ sped

Category 7: The craziest verbs !

group 19: vowel change pattern i - a - u

group 20: vowel change, V1=V3

group 21: miscellaneous

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