English Grammar 31: IRREGULAR VERBS

Chapter 31: Irregular Verbs

Welcome to Chapter 31! Verbs are the action words in our sentences. To talk about things that happened in the past, we need to change the form of these verbs. In English, verbs are divided into two main families based on how they change their form for the past tense: Regular Verbs and Irregular Verbs.

Let's dive in and learn how to master them!

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Topic 1: Regular vs. Irregular Verbs

1. Clear and Detailed Explanation

Every verb has three main forms you need to know:

1. Base Form (Present): The original verb (e.g., walk).
2. Past Tense: Used for actions completed in the past (e.g., walked).
3. Past Participle: Used with helping verbs like "has," "have," or "had" to form perfect tenses (e.g., have walked).

Regular verbs are the "rule-followers." They form their past tense and past participle simply by adding -ed or -d to the end of the base form.

Irregular verbs are the "rebels." They do not follow the "-ed" rule. Instead, they change their spelling entirely, or sometimes they don't change at all!

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

• Regular Rule: Base + ed = Past Tense and Past Participle.
• Irregular Rule: There is no single rule! You must memorize the patterns of irregular verbs.

3. Solved Examples

Type	Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
Regular	Laugh	Laughed	Laughed
Regular	Paint	Painted	Painted
Irregular	Sit	Sat	Sat
Irregular	Ring	Rang	Rung

4. Additional Practice Exercises

Identify whether the following verbs are Regular (R) or Irregular (I):

1. Jump
2. Come
3. Cut
4. Look

5. Complete Solutions and Explanations

1. Jump (R): Past tense is "jumped" (adds -ed).
2. Come (I): Past tense is "came" (does not add -ed).
3. Cut (I): Past tense is "cut" (does not add -ed).
4. Look (R): Past tense is "looked" (adds -ed).

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

• Mistake: Adding "-ed" to irregular verbs (e.g., saying "I catched the ball" instead of "I caught the ball").
• Tip: If you are unsure if a verb is irregular, look it up! Over time, reading and listening to English will make these irregular forms sound natural to you.

7. Quick Summary

Regular verbs end in "-ed" in the past tense. Irregular verbs change in special ways and must be memorized.

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Topic 2: Type 1 Irregular Verbs (All three forms are the same)

1. Clear and Detailed Explanation

We can group irregular verbs into three types to make them easier to learn. Type 1 is the easiest group! For these verbs, the Base Form, Past Tense, and Past Participle are exactly the same.

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

• Rule: Do not change the spelling for the past tense or past participle.
• Exception/Warning: The verb Read is spelled the same in all three forms (read - read - read), but the pronunciation changes! In the past tense and past participle, it is pronounced like the color red.

3. Solved Examples (Complete List)

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
Bet	bet	bet
Burst	burst	burst
Cost	cost	cost
Cut	cut	cut
Hit	hit	hit
Hurt	hurt	hurt
Let	let	let
Put	put	put
Read	read	read
Set	set	set
Shut	shut	shut
Split	split	split
Spread	spread	spread

4. Additional Practice Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the correct past tense form of the verb in brackets:

1. Yesterday, the balloon (burst) loudly.
2. He (hit) the baseball over the fence.
3. I (put) the keys on the table an hour ago.

5. Complete Solutions and Explanations

1. burst: Since it is a Type 1 verb, the past tense remains "burst".
2. hit: The past tense remains "hit".
3. put: The past tense remains "put".

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

• Mistake: Saying "costed," "putted," or "cutted." (e.g., "The toy costed five dollars.")
• Tip: Remind yourself that these are "lazy" verbs. They refuse to change their shape no matter what tense they are in! Say: "The toy cost five dollars."

7. Quick Summary

Type 1 irregular verbs keep the exact same spelling across the base form, past tense, and past participle.

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Topic 3: Type 2 Irregular Verbs (Two forms are the same)

1. Clear and Detailed Explanation

In Type 2 irregular verbs, two out of the three forms are identical. Most commonly, the Past Tense and the Past Participle are exactly the same. (e.g., Find - found - found). Occasionally, the Base Form and the Past Participle are the same (e.g., Come - came - come).

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

• Rule: Learn these as pairs. If you know the past tense, you usually know the past participle!
• Exceptions: Some verbs can be BOTH regular and irregular (e.g., burn can be burnt or burned; learn can be learnt or learned). Both are completely correct!

3. Solved Examples (Complete List)

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
Beat	beat	beaten (Note: V1 & V2 are the same here)
Become	became	become
Bend	bent	bent
Bleed	bled	bled
Breed	bred	bred
Bring	brought	brought
Build	built	built
Burn	burnt / burned	burnt / burned
Buy	bought	bought
Catch	caught	caught
Come	came	come
Creep	crept	crept
Deal	dealt	dealt
Dig	dug	dug
Dream	dreamt / dreamed	dreamt / dreamed
Feed	fed	fed
Feel	felt	felt
Fight	fought	fought
Find	found	found
Get	got	got
Hang	hung	hung
Have	had	had
Hear	heard	heard
Hold	held	held
Lay	laid	laid
Lead	led	led
Lean	leant / leaned	leant / leaned
Learn	learnt / learned	learnt / learned
Leap	leapt / leaped	leapt / leaped
Leave	left	left
Lend	lent	lent
Light	lit	lit
Lose	lost	lost
Make	made	made
Mean	meant	meant
Meet	met	met
Pay	paid	paid
Run	ran	run
Say	said	said
Sell	sold	sold
Send	sent	sent
Shine	shone	shone
Shoot	shot	shot
Sit	sat	sat
Sleep	slept	slept
Smell	smelt / smelled	smelt / smelled
Speed	sped	sped
Spell	spelt / spelled	spelt / spelled
Spend	spent	spent
Spill	spilt / spilled	spilt / spilled
Spit	spat	spat
Spoil	spoilt / spoiled	spoilt / spoiled
Stand	stood	stood
Stick	stuck	stuck
Sting	stung	stung
Strike	struck	struck
Sweep	swept	swept
Swing	swung	swung
Teach	taught	taught
Tell	told	told
Think	thought	thought
Understand	understood	understood
Win	won	won
Wind	wound	wound

4. Additional Practice Exercises

Fill in the past tense or past participle:

1. She (teach) me how to play the piano last year.
2. I have (find) my missing keys!
3. He (bring) a delicious cake to the party.

5. Complete Solutions and Explanations

1. taught: The past tense of teach is taught.
2. found: The past participle of find is found.
3. brought: The past tense of bring is brought.

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

• Mistake: Confusing "brought" and "bought". (Bring -> brought. Buy -> bought).
• Tip: Look at the letter "r". Bring has an "r", so its past tense brought also has an "r"! Buy has no "r", so bought has no "r".

7. Quick Summary

Type 2 irregular verbs have two identical forms, making them slightly easier to remember since the past tense and past participle are usually the same.

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Topic 4: Type 3 Irregular Verbs (All three forms are different)

1. Clear and Detailed Explanation

Type 3 verbs are the most irregular! For these verbs, the Base Form, Past Tense, and Past Participle all look different. Often, the vowel inside the word changes, or the past participle ends in -en.

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

• Vowel shift pattern: Many Type 3 verbs follow an "i - a - u" pattern (e.g., ring - rang - rung, sing - sang - sung, swim - swam - swum).
• -en ending pattern: Many end in "-en" in the past participle (e.g., broken, driven, eaten).

3. Solved Examples (Complete List)

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
Be	was / were	been
Begin	began	begun
Bite	bit	bitten
Blow	blew	blown
Break	broke	broken
Choose	chose	chosen
Do	did	done
Draw	drew	drawn
Drink	drank	drunk
Drive	drove	driven
Eat	ate	eaten
Fall	fell	fallen
Fly	flew	flown
Forbid	forbade	forbidden
Forget	forgot	forgotten
Forgive	forgave	forgiven
Freeze	froze	frozen
Give	gave	given
Go	went	gone
Grow	grew	grown
Hide	hid	hidden
Know	knew	known
Lie	lay	lain
Mistake	mistook	mistaken
Ride	rode	ridden
Ring	rang	rung
Rise	rose	risen
See	saw	seen
Sew	sewed	sewn / sewed
Shake	shook	shaken
Show	showed	shown
Shrink	shrank	shrunk
Sing	sang	sung
Sink	sank	sunk
Speak	spoke	spoken
Spring	sprang	sprung
Steal	stole	stolen
Stink	stank	stunk
Swear	swore	sworn
Swim	swam	swum
Take	took	taken
Tear	tore	torn
Throw	threw	thrown
Wake	woke	woken
Wear	wore	worn
Write	wrote	written

4. Additional Practice Exercises

Choose the correct form of the verb:

1. I have (wrote / written) three letters today.
2. He (drank / drunk) a glass of milk before bed.
3. The bird has (flew / flown) away.

5. Complete Solutions and Explanations

1. written: We need the past participle after "have".
2. drank: We need the simple past tense here.
3. flown: We need the past participle after "has".

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

• Mistake: Using the past tense instead of the past participle with "has" or "have" (e.g., "I have went" instead of "I have gone").
• Tip: Always remember that helping verbs like has, have, and had demand the 3rd form (Past Participle). "I went" is correct. "I have gone" is correct!

7. Quick Summary

Type 3 irregular verbs change forms completely for the past tense and past participle. Memorization and reading are the best ways to master them.

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Topic 5: Adjectival Past Participles

1. Clear and Detailed Explanation

Some irregular verbs have a special "alternative" past participle that ends in -en. However, there is a strict rule for this special form: It can ONLY be used as an adjective (to describe a noun). It cannot be used as an actual verb with "has/have/had".

2. Important Rules and Exceptions

Compare the regular action (verb) with the description (adjective):

• Verb Use (Usual Participle): He has drunk the liquor.
• Adjective Use (Adjectival Participle): He is a drunken soldier. (Describes the soldier).

3. Solved Examples

Verb	Usual Past Participle (Used as a Verb)	Adjectival Past Participle (Used as an Adjective)
Drink	drunk (He has drunk liquor.)	drunken (a drunken soldier)
Melt	melted (The iron has melted.)	molten (molten iron)
Prove	proved (He has proved it.)	proven (a proven fact)
Shave	shaved (He has shaved.)	shaven (a clean-shaven face)
Shear	sheared (They have sheared sheep.)	shorn (a shorn sheep)
Shrink	shrunk (The cloth has shrunk.)	shrunken (a shrunken head)
Sink	sunk (The ship has sunk.)	sunken (a sunken ship)
Strike	struck (The clock has struck five.)	stricken (a grief-stricken widow)

4. Additional Practice Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the correct form (Verb participle vs Adjective participle):

1. The chocolate has completely ______ in the sun. (melted / molten)
2. The diver explored the ______ treasure ship. (sunk / sunken)

5. Complete Solutions and Explanations

1. melted: Used as an active verb after "has".
2. sunken: Used as an adjective describing the noun "treasure ship".

6. Common Mistakes and Tips

• Mistake: Saying "The iron is moltening." (Molten is not a verb!)
• Tip: If it's performing an action, use the usual participle. If it is sitting right in front of a noun to describe it, use the adjectival "-en" form.

7. Quick Summary

Certain verbs have special "-en" forms (like molten, sunken, shrunken) that are strictly reserved for acting as adjectives.

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Comprehensive Exercises from the Chapter

Below are the completed solutions for the exercises provided in the original grammar book, showcasing real-world usage of irregular verbs.

Exercise 56: Change the verbs to the Past Tense

• 1. Rama writes to his mother. → Rama wrote to his mother.
• 2. The wind blows furiously. → The wind blew furiously.
• 3. The boy stands on the deck. → The boy stood on the deck.
• 4. The door flies open. → The door flew open.
• 5. She sings sweetly. → She sang sweetly.
• 6. The old woman sits in the sun. → The old woman sat in the sun.
• 7. Abdul swims very well. → Abdul swam very well.
• 8. His voice shakes with emotion. → His voice shook with emotion.
• 9. He drives a roaring trade. → He drove a roaring trade.
• 10. He bears a grudge. → He bore a grudge.
• 11. He spends his time in idleness. → He spent his time.
• 12. He feels sorry. → He felt sorry.
• 13. A portrait hangs on the wall. → A portrait hung on the wall.
• 14. The kite flies gaily. → The kite flew gaily.
• 15. He wears away his youth. → He wore away his youth.
• 16. What strikes me is the generosity. → What struck me was the generosity.
• 17. He sows the seeds of dissension. → He sowed the seeds.
• 18. They all tell the same story. → They all told the same story.
• 19. He lies in order to escape. → He lied in order to escape. (Note: lie meaning tell an untruth is regular: lie/lied/lied. Lie meaning to rest is irregular: lie/lay/lain).
• 20. He comes of a good line. → He came of a good line.
• 21. The boy runs down the road. → The boy ran down the road.
• 22. I do it of my own free will. → I did it.
• 23. His parents withhold their consent. → His parents withheld their consent.
• 24. I forget his name. → I forgot his name.
• 25. He gets along fairly well. → He got along.
• 26. They choose Mr. Malik. → They chose Mr. Malik.
• 27. He throws cold water on my plan. → He threw cold water.
• 28. The child clings to her mother. → The child clung to her mother.
• 29. Judas goes and hangs himself. → Judas went and hanged himself. (Note: 'hang' for execution is regular: hanged. 'Hang' for a picture is irregular: hung).
• 30. I know him for an American. → I knew him.
• 31. He swears a solemn oath. → He swore a solemn oath.
• 32. She tears up the letter. → She tore up the letter.
• 33. Her head sinks on her shoulder. → Her head sank on her shoulder.
• 34. She hides her face. → She hid her face.
• 35. My master bids me work hard. → My master bade (or bid) me work hard.
• 36. The books lie in a heap. → The books lay in a heap.
• 37. She lays her handbag on the table. → She laid her handbag on the table.

Exercise 57 & 58: Fill in the Past Tense or Past Participle

(Selected Key Examples)

• See: It is years since I saw him. He has seen his best days.
• Fall: Of late the custom has fallen into disuse. The lot fell upon him.
• Drink: The toast was drunk with great enthusiasm.
• Speak: He spoke freely. Marathi is spoken in Maharashtra.
• Wear: My patience wore out. The inscription has worn away.
• Tear: In a fit of rage she tore up the letter. The country is torn by factions.
• Sting: He has been stung. The remark stung him.
• Run: You look as if you had run all the way. He ran for his life.
• Forget: He found to his dismay that he had forgotten his own name.
• Choose: A better day could not have been chosen.
• Come: Computer technology has come a long way.
• Bite: The beggar was bitten by a mad dog. A mad dog bit him.
• Swim: The boy has swum across the Indus.
• Write: I think he should have written. Honesty is written on his face.
• Lay: He laid the book on the table. He had not laid a finger on him.
• Lie: We lay beneath an oak. He has long lain under suspicion.
• Take: A beautiful shot was taken. He has taken a fancy to the boy.
• Go: The price has gone up. The argument went home.
• Begin: He had begun his speech. He began to talk nonsense.
• Ring: Has the warning-bell rung? I rang him up.
• Steal: Someone has stolen my purse. She stole his heart.
• Sow: You must reap what you have sown.
• Drive: He was driven very hard. He drove a hard bargain.
• Sing: She had never sung so well. Our bugles sang truce.
• Shake: He was much shaken by the news. His voice shook.
• Eat: He is eaten up with pride. In the end he ate his words.
• Spring: Men who sprang from the gods. The ship sprang a leak.
• Freeze: The explorers were frozen to death. The blood froze.
• Strike: I was struck by a stone. It never struck me before.
• Sink: His voice sank to a whisper. Thousands had sunk to the ground.
• Beat: He beat a hasty retreat. A battle in which they were beaten.
• Draw: Who drew the first prize? He has drawn a wrong inference.
• Shoot: He was accidentally shot in the arm.
• Sweep: The waves swept the pier. The pier was swept away.
• Fall: He fell never to rise again. He has fallen asleep.
• Grow: Three years she grew in sun and shower. Wars have grown out of this.
• Hear: Not a drum was heard. He hopes his prayer will be heard.

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Chapter Assessment: 20 Multiple-Choice Questions

Test your knowledge of Irregular Verbs!

1. What is the past tense of the regular verb "paint"?
   A) Paint
   B) Painted
   C) Paintly
   D) Panted
   Answer: B. Explanation: Regular verbs add -ed for their past tense.


2. Which of these is a Type 1 irregular verb (all three forms are the same)?
   A) Sing
   B) Run
   C) Cut
   D) Buy
   Answer: C. Explanation: Cut remains "cut" in the present, past, and past participle.


3. What is the past participle of "Be"?
   A) Was
   B) Were
   C) Been
   D) Being
   Answer: C. Explanation: Be - was/were - been.


4. Choose the correct past tense of "Cost".
   A) Costed
   B) Costs
   C) Cost
   D) Coster
   Answer: C. Explanation: Cost is a Type 1 verb. All three forms are "cost".


5. What is the past participle of "Eat"?
   A) Ate
   B) Eaten
   C) Eated
   D) Eating
   Answer: B. Explanation: Eat is a Type 3 verb: Eat - ate - eaten.


6. Complete the sentence: "I have ______ my keys."
   A) find
   B) found
   C) finded
   D) finding
   Answer: B. Explanation: With "have", we use the past participle. The past participle of find is found.


7. Which of the following is the past tense of "Drink"?
   A) Drunk
   B) Drank
   C) Drinked
   D) Drunken
   Answer: B. Explanation: Drink - drank - drunk. "Drank" is the past tense.


8. Which word is strictly an Adjectival Past Participle?
   A) Molten
   B) Melted
   C) Shrunk
   D) Proved
   Answer: A. Explanation: "Molten" is an adjectival form, while "melted" is used as the verb.


9. "The balloon ______ loudly." (Choose the past tense of burst).
   A) bursted
   B) burst
   C) bursts
   D) barst
   Answer: B. Explanation: Burst is a Type 1 irregular verb. The past tense is burst.


10. What is the past participle of "Choose"?
    A) Chosed
    B) Chose
    C) Chosen
    D) Choosen
    Answer: C. Explanation: Choose - chose - chosen.


11. Complete the sentence: "The bell ______ an hour ago."
    A) ringed
    B) rang
    C) rung
    D) ring
    Answer: B. Explanation: "An hour ago" indicates simple past tense. Ring - rang - rung.


12. What is the correct adjectival past participle to describe a face without a beard?
    A) Shaved
    B) Shaven
    C) Shave
    D) Shaving
    Answer: B. Explanation: "Shaven" (as in clean-shaven) is the adjectival past participle.


13. Identify the correct forms of the verb "Fly".
    A) Fly - flied - flown
    B) Fly - flew - flown
    C) Fly - flew - flewed
    D) Fly - flown - flew
    Answer: B. Explanation: Fly is a Type 3 verb: Fly - flew - flown.


14. Which verb can be BOTH regular and irregular?
    A) Run
    B) Go
    C) Burn
    D) Hit
    Answer: C. Explanation: Burn can be regular (burned) or irregular (burnt).


15. "The ship has ______."
    A) sank
    B) sunken
    C) sunk
    D) sinked
    Answer: C. Explanation: After "has", we use the past participle "sunk". "Sunken" is an adjective.


16. "I ______ to him yesterday."
    A) speak
    B) spoke
    C) spoken
    D) speaked
    Answer: B. Explanation: Yesterday indicates simple past tense. Speak - spoke - spoken.


17. What is the past participle of "Tear"?
    A) Tore
    B) Teared
    C) Torn
    D) Toren
    Answer: C. Explanation: Tear - tore - torn.


18. Complete the sentence: "The bird has ______ away."
    A) fly
    B) flew
    C) flown
    D) flies
    Answer: C. Explanation: "Has" requires the past participle "flown".


19. Which is the correct past tense of "Stand"?
    A) Standed
    B) Stood
    C) Stand
    D) Stooded
    Answer: B. Explanation: Stand is a Type 2 verb: Stand - stood - stood.


20. "She ______ her bag on the table." (Lay)
    A) layed
    B) laid
    C) lay
    D) lain
    Answer: B. Explanation: The past tense of lay (to place something) is laid.