Regular and Irregular Verbs

Regular Verbs

The Majority of English Verbs which rarely change their form are called Regular Verbs. Regular Verbs are those verbs whose Past Tense and Past Participle are formed by adding –d or –ed. These Verbs are more consistent than Irregular Verbs and larger in number.

These Verbs are also called Weak Verbs and have five forms. In the table below we can see Irregular Verbs along with their forms.

Base Past Tense(-d/ed) Past Participle(-d/ed) Continuous Tense Simple Present
Play Played Played Playing Plays
Dance Danced Danced Dancing Dances
Risk Risked Risked Risking Risks
Measure Measured Measured Measuring Measures
Laugh Laughed Laughed Laughing Laughs
Clean Cleaned Cleaned Cleaning Cleans
Wash Washed Washed Washing Washes
Wink Winked Winked Winking Winks
Help Helped Helped Helping Helps
Miss Missed Missed Missing Misses
Love Loved Loved Loving Loves
Hate Hated Hated Hating Hates
Beg Begged Begged Begging Begs
Plan Planned Planned Planning Plans
Cry Cried Cried Crying Cries
Hope Hoped Hoped Hoping Hopes
Try Tried Tried Trying Tries
Free Freed Freed Freeing Frees
Travel Travelled Travelled Travelling Travels
Move Moved Moved Moving Moves

Irregular Verbs

Unlike Regular Verbs, these Verbs do not have fixed ending of Past and Past Participle forms. Sometimes, even whole word can be different.

Similar to Regular Verbs, these Verbs too have five forms. These forms are also known as Principal parts.

There are couples of hundred Irregular Verbs. Some of them are as follows

Base Past Tense Past Participle Continuous Tense Simple Present
Awake Awoke Awaken Awaking Awakes
Beat Beat Beaten Beating Beats
Begin Began Begun Beginning Begins
Swim Swam Swum Swimming Swims
Meet Met Met Meeting Meets
Run Ran Run Running Runs
Break Broke Broken Breaking Breaks
Sing Sang Sung Singing Sings
Cut Cut Cut Cutting Cuts
Bid Bade Bidden Bidding Bids
Build Built Built Building Builds
Catch Caught Caught Catching Catches
Eat Ate Eaten Eating Eats
Sleep Slept Slept Sleeping Sleeps
Sit Sat Sat Sitting Sits
Sink Sank Sunk Sinking Sinks
Stand Stood Stood Standing Stands
Steal Stole Stolen Stealing Steals
Write Wrote Written Writing Writes
Throw Threw Thrown Throwing Throws
Think Thought Thought Thinking Thinks

Always Remember

1) There are some Verbs which can be both Regular and Irregular.

Examples

Base Past Tense Past Participle
Found Founded Founded (Regular Verb)
Find Found Found (Irregular Verb)
Learn Learned Learned (Regular Verb)
Learn Learnt Learnt (Irregular Verb)

2) We can also find difference in meanings of same Verbs when categorized as Regular and Irregular. Also, Present tense of some Regular Verbs is same as Past Tense of some Irregular Verbs.

Base Past Tense Past Participle
Find Found Found
Found Founded Founded

3) Sometimes, we can find Regular Verbs having same spellings but different pronunciation.

Base: Read (pronounced reed)
Past Tense: Read (pronounced red)
Past Participle: Read (pronounced red)