Regular Past Tense:
Base form + ED learned, stopped, lived, worked, cleaned, watched, wished, hoped, washed, added, painted, rented......
For Spelling & Pronunciation, see green pages 7-8.
Irregular Past Tense:
base to OUGHT/AUGHT
buy bought bought
bring brought brought
catch caught caught
fight fought fought
seek sought sought
teach taught taught
think thought thought
LONG E to SHORT E
bleed bled bled
Keep kept kept
sleep slept slept
sweep swept swept
hear heard heard
mean meant meant
lead led led
leave left left
meet met met
BACK TO BASE
come came come
run ran run
“I” TO “O” TO “I”
drive drove driven
ride rode ridden
rise rose risen
dive dove dived
write wrote written
shine shone shone
BASE TO “O” TO “O-N”
break broke broken
choose chose chosen
freeze froze frozen
speak spoke spoken
wake woke woken
wear wore worn
swear swore sworn
LONG I TO SHORT I
bite bit bitten
slide slid slid
hide hid hidden
light lit lighted
“D” to “T”
build built built
lend lent lent
send sent sent
spend spent spent
bend bent bent
base to “U” to “U”
dig dug dug
hang hung hung
“I” TO “A” TO “U”
sing sang sung
ring rang rung
drink drank drunk
sink sank sunk
BASE – ED - WN
sew sewed sewn
show showed shown
BASE to EW to WN
blow blew blown
know knew known
throw threw thrown
grow grew grown
fly flew flown
draw drew drawn
NO CHANGE
hit hit hit
quit quit quit
put put put
cut cut cut
shut shut shut
fit fit fit
set set set
cost cost cost
spread spread spread
“E” to “O”
tell told told
sell sold sold
JUST WEIRD
be was/were been
do did done
go went gone
have had had
eat ate eaten
say said said
get got gotten
take took taken
hold held held
lie lay lain
lay laid laid
pay paid paid
lose lost lost
make made made
read read read
see saw seen
shake shook shook
sit sat sat
stand stood stood
Notes
 Ought/aught –the only ones that use aught have A in the base form. teAch and cAtch. G-H-T are in alphabetical order.
 Same parts change the same: get-got/forget-forgot come-came/become-became stand-stood/understand-understood
Past Tense Homophones and Homonyms
One – won (past of win)
Eight – ate (past of eat)
Left (hand) – left (past of leave)
Road (street) – rode (past of ride)
Blue (color) – blew (past of blow)
Red (color) – read (past of read)
Rose (flower) – rose (past of rise)
Shone (past of shine) – shown (past participle of show)
War (fighting) – wore (past of wear)
Bit (a little) – bit (past of bite)
Cent (money) – sent (past of send)
Saw (cut wood) – saw (past of see)
Maid (house help) – made (past of make)
New (not old) – knew (past of know)
Through (pass) – threw (past of throw)
Flu (sick) – flew (past of fly)
Second part changes the same
undertake undertook undertaken
mistake mistook mistaken
forget forgot forgotten
become became become
withdraw withdrew withdrawn
understand understood understood
upset upset upset
input input input
rewrite rewrote rewritten
overthrow overthrew overthrown
outdo outdid outdone
backslide backslid backslid
highlight highlit highlighted
rebuild rebuilt rebuilt
overspend overspent overspent
mislead misled misled
undergo underwent undergone
Withhold withheld withheld
Mislay mislaid mislaid
Underpay underpaid underpaid
Oversee oversaw overseen