GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS
Using Irregular Verbs
To form the simple past and participle forms of regular verbs, add “-ed” to the end of the verb. Irregular
verbs form their past and participle forms in a variety of ways; some of the common irregular verbs
follow. Remember that the participle form of a verb may combine with have/has to form the present
perfect, with had to form the past perfect, and with forms of to be to form the passive voice. The
participle form of the verb is also sometimes used as an adjective.
Simple Form
arise
be
bear
beat
become
begin
bite
blow
break
bring
build
burst
buy
catch
choose
come
creep
cut
do
draw
drink
drive
eat
fall
feed
feel
fight
find
flee
fling
fly
forget
forgive
freeze
get
give
go
grow
have
hear
Past Form
arose
was/were
bore
beat
became
began
bit
blew
broke
brought
built
burst
bought
caught
chose
came
crept
cut
did
drew
drank
drove
ate
fell
fed
felt
fought
found
fled
flung
flew
forgot
forgave
froze
got
gave
went
grew
had
heard
Participle Form
arisen
been
borne
beaten
become
begun
bitten
blown
broken
brought
built
burst
bought
caught
chosen
come
crept
cut
done
drawn
drunk
driven
eaten
fallen
fed
felt
fought
found
fled
flung
flown
forgotten
forgiven
frozen
gotten
given
gone
grown
had
heard
Dr. Murray and Anna C. Rockowitz Writing Center, Hunter College, City University of New York
hide
hold
hurt
keep
know
lay
lead
leave
lend
let
lie
lose
make
meet
pay
quit
read
ride
rise
run
say
see
seek
sell
send
set
shake
shine
shrink
sing
sit
slay
sleep
speak
spend
spring
stand
steal
swear
sweep
swim
take
teach
tear
tell
think
throw
understand
wear
win
write
hid
held
hurt
kept
knew
laid
led
left
lent
let
lay
lost
made
met
paid
quit
read
rode
rose
ran
said
saw
sought
sold
sent
set
shook
shone
shrank
sang
sat
slew
slept
spoke
spent
sprang
stood
stole
swore
swept
swam
took
taught
tore
told
thought
threw
understood
wore
won
wrote
hidden
held
hurt
kept
known
laid
led
left
lent
let
lain
lost
made
met
paid
quit
read
ridden
risen
run
said
seen
sought
sold
sent
set
shaken
shone
shrunk
sang
sat
slain
slept
spoken
spent
sprung
stood
stolen
sworn
swept
swum
taken
taught
torn
told
thought
thrown
understood
worn
won
written
Dr. Murray and Anna C. Rockowitz Writing Center, Hunter College, City University of New York