Irregular Verbs in the Past

Apr 11

& How to Group Them

If you’ve studied English for a while, you know that verbs can be regular or irregular. Regular verbs follow a simple rule: just add -ed to form the past. But irregular verbs? They like to break the rules!

Let’s make them easier to learn by understanding how they work—and how to group them for faster memorization.

🔁 What Are Irregular Verbs?

Irregular verbs do not follow the regular “-ed” pattern in the past. They have special past forms that you must memorize.

Base Form: go, eat, buy

Past Simple: went, ate, bought

Past Participle: gone, eaten, bought

You need to know two forms:

Past Simple → I went to the store.
Past Participle → I have gone to the store.

🧠 Why Grouping Helps

Instead of learning 100+ irregular verbs randomly, group them by pattern. It makes them easier to remember!

📁 Group 1: All Three Forms Are the Same

These are the easiest to remember!

Base: cut, put, let

Past: cut, put, let

Past Participle: cut, put, let

📌 Examples:

I cut my finger.
She has put the keys on the table.

📁 Group 2: The Past Simple and Past Participle Are the Same

Base: buy, bring, catch, feel, have

Past & Past Participle: bought, brought, caught, felt, had

📌 Examples:

I bought new shoes.
She has had a long day.

📁 Group 3: All Three Forms Are Different

Base: go, eat, see, take, write

Past: went, ate, saw, took, wrote

Past Participle: gone, eaten, seen, taken, written

📌 Examples:

We saw a movie.
He has written a letter.

📁 Group 4: Verbs That Change the Vowel

Base: begin, drink, sing, swim

Past: began, drank, sang, swam

Past Participle: begun, drunk, sung, swum

📌 Examples:

She sang beautifully.
I have swum across the lake.

✍️ Practice Tips:

Make flashcards: Write all three forms on one card.
Group them by pattern like above.
Use apps like Quizlet, Anki, or Memrise.
Write or say 3 sentences with each verb: one in the present, one in the past, and one in the present perfect.