RULES FOR USING IRREGULAR

VERBS
Understand the problem.

All verbs, whether regular or irregular, have five forms [often called principal parts].
These forms are the infinitive, simple present, simple past, past participle, and
present participle.

The difference between a regular and an irregular verb is the formation of the
simple past and past participle. Regular verbs are dependably consistent—the
simple past ends in ed as does the past participle.

Check out this chart:

SIMPLE S I M P LE PAST PRESENT

INFINITIVE
PRESENT PAST P A R T I C I P LE P A R T I C I P LE

to laugh laugh(s) laughed laughed laughing

to start start(s) started started starting

to wash wash(es) washed washed washing

to wink wink(s) winked winked winking

In contrast, the simple past and past participle of irregular verbs can end in a variety
of ways, with absolutely no consistent pattern.

Here are some examples:

SIMPLE S I M P LE PAST PRESENT

INFINITIVE
PRESENT PAST P A R T I C I P LE P A R T I C I P LE

to drive drive(s) drove driven driving

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 to feel feel(s) felt felt feeling

to put put(s) put put putting

to swim swim(s) swam swum swimming

Writers make two frequent errors with irregular verbs. They either add an
incorrect ed to the end of an irregular verb or accidentally interchange the simple
past and past participle.

Read this sentence:

Olivia feeled like exercising yesterday, so she putted on her

bathing suit and drived to the YMCA, where she swum so far that
only an extra large pepperoni pizza would satis fy her hunger.

What are the problems with this sentence? First, feeled should be felt. Next, putted
needs to be put. The correct past tense of drive is drove. And we must change swum
to swam.

Know the solution.

To avoid making mistakes with irregular verbs, learn the very long chart below.

S I M P LE S I M P LE PAST PRESENT
INFINITIVE
PRESENT PAST P A R T I C I P LE P A R T I C I P LE

to arise arise(s) arose arisen arising

awoke or awaked or
to awake awake(s) awaking
awaked awoken

to be am, is, are was, were been being

borne or
to bear bear(s) bore bearing
born

to beat beat(s) beat beaten beating

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 S I M P LE S I M P LE PAST PRESENT
INFINITIVE
PRESENT PAST P A R T I C I P LE P A R T I C I P LE

to become become(s) became become becoming

to begin begin(s) began begun beginning

to bend bend(s) bent bent bending

to bet bet(s) bet bet betting

to bid [to
bid(s) bid bid bidding
offer]

to bid [to
bid(s) bade bidden bidding
command]

to bind bind(s) bound bound binding

to bite bite(s) bit bitten or bit biting

to blow blow(s) blew blown blowing

to break break(s) broke broken breaking

to bring bring(s) brought brought bringing

to build build(s) built built building

to burst burst(s) burst burst bursting

to buy buy(s) bought bought buying

to cast cast(s) cast cast casting

to catch catch(es) caught caught catching

to choose choose(s) chose chosen choosing

to cling cling(s) clung clung clinging

to come come(s) came come coming

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 S I M P LE S I M P LE PAST PRESENT
INFINITIVE
PRESENT PAST P A R T I C I P LE P A R T I C I P LE

to cost cost(s) cost cost costing

to creep creep(s) crept crept creeping

to cut cut(s) cut cut cutting

to deal deal(s) dealt dealt dealing

to dig dig(s) dug dug digging

dived or
to dive dive(s) dived diving
dove

to do do(es) did done doing

to draw draw(s) drew drawn drawing

dreamed or dreamed or
to dream dream(s) dreaming
dreamt dreamt

to drink drink(s) drank drunk drinking

to drive drive(s) drove driven driving

to eat eat(s) ate eaten eating

to fall fall(s) fell fallen falling

to feed feed(s) fed fed feeding

to feel feel(s) felt felt feeling

to fight fight(s) fought fought fighting

to find find(s) found found finding

to flee flee(s) fled fled fleeing

to fling fling(s) flung flung flinging

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 S I M P LE S I M P LE PAST PRESENT
INFINITIVE
PRESENT PAST P A R T I C I P LE P A R T I C I P LE

to fly flies, fly flew flown flying

forbade or
to forbid forbid(s) forbidden forbidding
forbad

forgotten or
to forget forget(s) forgot forgetting
forgot

to forgive forgive(s) forgave forgiven forgiving

to forsake forsake(s) forsook forsaken forsaking

to freeze freeze(s) froze frozen freezing

got or
to get get(s) got getting
gotten

to give give(s) gave given giving

to go go(es) went gone going

to grow grow(s) grew grown growing

to hang [to
hang(s) hung hung hanging
suspend]

to have has, have had had having

to hear hear(s) heard heard hearing

to hide hide(s) hid hidden hiding

to hit hit(s) hit hit hitting

to hurt hurt(s) hurt hurt hurting

to keep keep(s) kept kept keeping

to know know(s) knew known knowing

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 S I M P LE S I M P LE PAST PRESENT
INFINITIVE
PRESENT PAST P A R T I C I P LE P A R T I C I P LE

to lay lay(s) laid laid laying

to lead lead(s) led led leading

leaped or leaped or
to leap leap(s) leaping
leapt leapt

to leave leave(s) left left leaving

to lend lend(s) lent lent lending

to let let(s) let let letting

to lie [to rest

lie(s) lay lain lying
or recline]

to light light(s) lighted or lit lighted or lit lighting

to lose lose(s) lost lost losing

to make make(s) made made making

to mean mean(s) meant meant meaning

to pay pay(s) paid paid paying

proved or
to prove prove(s) proved proving
proven

to quit quit(s) quit quit quitting

to read read(s) read read reading

to rid rid(s) rid rid ridding

to ride ride(s) rode ridden riding

to ring ring(s) rang rung ringing

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 S I M P LE S I M P LE PAST PRESENT
INFINITIVE
PRESENT PAST P A R T I C I P LE P A R T I C I P LE

to rise rise(s) rose risen rising

to run run(s) ran run running

to say say(s) said said saying

to see see(s) saw seen seeing

to seek seek(s) sought sought seeking

to send send(s) sent sent sending

to set set(s) set set setting

to shake shake(s) shook shaken shaking

to shine [to
shine(s) shone shone shining
glow]

to shoot shoot(s) shot shot shooting

shown or
to show show(s) showed showing
showed

to shrink shrink(s) shrank shrunk shrinking

to sing sing(s) sang sung singing

sank or
to sink sink(s) sunk sinking
sunk

to sit sit(s) sat sat sitting

to slay slay(s) slew slain slaying

to sleep sleep(s) slept slept sleeping

to sling sling(s) slung slung slinging

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 S I M P LE S I M P LE PAST PRESENT
INFINITIVE
PRESENT PAST P A R T I C I P LE P A R T I C I P LE

sneaked or sneaked or
to sneak sneak(s) sneaking
snuck snuck

to speak speak(s) spoke spoken speaking

to spend spend(s) spent spent spending

to spin spin(s) spun spun spinning

sprang or
to spring spring(s) sprung springing
sprung

to stand stand(s) stood stood standing

to steal steal(s) stole stolen stealing

to sting sting(s) stung stung stinging

stank or
to stink stink(s) stunk stinking
stunk

to stride stride(s) strode stridden striding

to strike strike(s) struck struck striking

to strive strive(s) strove striven striving

to swear swear(s) swore sworn swearing

to sweep sweep(s) swept swept sweeping

to swim swim(s) swam swum swimming

to swing swing(s) swung swung swinging

to take take(s) took taken taking

to teach teach(es) taught taught teaching

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 S I M P LE PAST PRESENT
INFINITIVE S I M P LE P A S T
PRESENT P A R T I C I P LE P A R T I C I P LE

to tear tear(s) tore torn tearing

to tell tell(s) told told telling

to think think(s) thought thought thinking

to throw throw(s) threw thrown throwing

to understand understand(s) understood understood understanding

woke or waked or
to wake wake(s) waking
waked woken

to wear wear(s) wore worn wearing

wove or woven or
to weave weave(s) weaving
weaved wove

to weep weep(s) wept wept weeping

to wring wring(s) wrung wrung wringing

to write write(s) wrote written writing

Know the difference between the simple past tense and the
past participle.

In addition to learning the chart above, you must also understand the difference
between the simple past tense and the past participle.

S IMPLE P AST T ENSE

A simple past tense verb always has just one part. You need no auxiliary
verb to form this tense.

Look at these examples:

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 Because dinner time was near, my dog Oreo bit the spine
of Moby-Dick and pulled the novel off my lap.

Since Denise had ignored bills for so long, she wrote out
checks for an hour straight.

Despite the noise, jolts, and jerks, Alex slept so soundly on

the city bus that he missed his stop.

P AST P A RTICIPLE
Many multipart verbs, however, require the past participle after one or
more auxiliary verbs.

Read these sentences:

Raymond had bitten into the muffin before Charise

mentioned that it was her infamous chocolate -broccoli
variety.

had = auxiliary verb; bitten = past participle

Once Woody has written his essay for Mr. Stover, he plans to
reward himself with a packet of Twinkies.

has = auxiliary verb; written = past participle

Cynthia might have slept better if she hadn't watched The

Nightmare on Elm Street marathon on HBO.

might, have = auxiliary verbs; slept = past participle

For regular verbs, knowing the distinction between the simple past and past
participle is unnecessary because both are identical.

Check out these two sentences:

Diane giggled as her beagle Reliable pushed his c old wet

nose into her stomach, searching for cookie crumbs.

giggled = simple past

Until the disapproving Mrs. Whitman elbowed Latoya in the

ribs, the young girl had giggled without stop at the toilet
paper streamer attached to Principal Clemens's shoe.
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 had = auxiliary verb; giggled = past participle

When you choose an irregular verb for a sentence, however, the simple past
and past participle are often different, so you must know the distinction.

Here are two examples:

Essie drove so cautiously that traffi c piled up behind her,

causing angry drivers to honk their horns and shout
obscenities.

drove = simple past

Essie might have driven faster if she hadn't forgotten her

glasses and saw more than big colored blurs through the
windshield.

might, have = auxiliary verbs; driven = past participle

P AST P A RTICIPLES AS A DJECTIVES

In addition, past participles can function as adjectives, describing other
words. When you use a past participle in this manner, you must choose the
correct form.

Read these sentences:

The calculus exams given by Dr. Ribley are so difficult that

his students believe their brains will burst.

Delores discovered the stolen bologna under the sofa,

guarded fiercely by Max, her Chihu ahua.

The written reprimand so shamed poor Pablo that he

promised his boss never again to throw a scoop of ice cream
at a customer.

Remember that you can always consult a dictionary when you have a
question about the correct form of an irregular verb.

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