What is an Irregular Verb?

What is an Irregular Verb and examples.

Regular verbs are the verbs that change their present form to past and past participle by the addition of either e or ed in the end.  Irregular verbs are those verbs that don’t follow the spelling patterns of e, ied, or ed for past simple and past participle forms.

a- : for abide, arise, awake, see bide, rise, wake

be (am, is, are) – was, were – been

be- : for become, befall, beset, etc. see come, fall, set, etc.

bear – bore – borne [spelt born in passive and adjectival uses relating to birth]

beat – beat – beaten

beget – begot – begot(ten) [Biblical past tense: begat]

begin – began – begun

bend – bent – bent

bet – bet – bet [past tense and participle also sometimes betted]

beware – defective verb [

bid – bid – bid [as in an auction]

bid – bade/bid – bidden/bid [meaning "request"]

bide – bided/bode – bided/bidden [but abide mostly uses the regular forms only]

bind – bound – bound

bite – bit – bitten

bleed – bled – bled

blow – blew – blown

break – broke – broken

breed – bred – bred

bring – brought – brought

build – built – built

burn – burnt/burned – burnt/burned

burst – burst – burst

buy – bought – bought

can – could – could [defective;

cast – cast – cast [prefixed forms broadcast, forecast, etc. sometimes take -ed[4]]

catch – caught – caught

choose – chose – chosen

clad – clad/cladded – clad/cladded [clad is also sometimes used as past form of clothe]

cleave – clove/cleft – cloven/cleft [but regular when meaning "adhere"]

cling – clung – clung

come – came – come

cost – cost – cost [but regular when meaning "calculate the cost of"]

creep – crept/creeped – crept/creeped

crow – crowed/crew – crowed [crew normally used only of a cock's crowing]

cut – cut – cut

dare – regular except for possible third person singular present dare (see anomalous cases above)

deal – dealt – dealt

dig – dug – dug

dive – dived/dove – dived [the form dove is chiefly American]

do (does /dʌz/) – did – done

drag – dragged/drug – dragged/drug [the form drug is chiefly dialectal]

draw – drew – drawn

dream – dreamed/dreamt – dreamed/dreamt

drink – drank – drunk

drive – drove – driven

dwell – dwelt/dwelled – dwelt/dwelled

eat – ate – eaten

fall – fell – fallen

feed – fed – fed

feel – felt – felt

fight – fought – fought

find – found – found

fit – fit/fitted – fit/fitted

flee – fled – fled

fling – flung – flung

fly – flew – flown

for(e)- : for forgo, foresee, etc. see go, see, etc.

forbid – forbade/forbid – forbidden

forget – forgot – forgotten

forsake – forsook – forsaken

freeze – froze – frozen

get – got – gotten/got [past participle got in British English, gotten in American, but see have got]

gild – gilded/gilt – gilded/gilt

give – gave – given

go – went – gone [see also have been]

grind – ground – ground

grow – grew – grown

hang – hung/hanged – hung/hanged [the form hanged is more common in the sense of execution by hanging]

have (has) – had – had

hear – heard – heard

hew – hewed – hewn/hewed

hide – hid – hidden

hit – hit – hit

hoist – hoist/hoisted – hoist/hoisted

hold – held – held

hurt – hurt – hurt

in- : for inlay, input, etc. see lay, put, etc.

inter- : for interlay, interweave, etc. see lay, weave, etc.

keep – kept – kept

kneel – knelt/kneeled – knelt/kneeled

knit – knit/knitted – knit/knitted

know – knew – known

lay – laid – laid

lead – led – led

lean – leaned/leant – leaned/leant

leap – leaped/leapt – leaped/leapt

learn – learned/learnt – learned/learnt

leave – left – left

lend – lent – lent

let – let – let

lie – lay – lain [but regular when meaning "tell an untruth"]

light – lit/lighted – lit/lighted

lose – lost – lost

make – made – made

may – might

mean – meant – meant

meet – met – met

mis- : for misspeak, mistake, etc. see speak, take, etc.

mow – mowed – mowed/mown

need – regular except for possible third person singular present need (see anomalous cases above)

off- : for offset see set, etc.

ought – defective [

out- : for outbid, output, etc. see bid, put, etc.

over- : for overbid, overdo, etc. see bid, do, etc.

pay – paid – paid [but sometimes spelt regularly when meaning "let out" (rope etc.)]

plead – pleaded/pled – pleaded/pled

pre- : for prepay, preset, etc. see pay, set, etc.

prove – proved – proved/proven

put – put – put

quit – quit – quit

re- : for redo, remake, etc. see do, make, etc.

read /riːd/ – read /rɛd/ – read /rɛd/

rend – rent – rent

rid – rid/ridded – rid/ridded/ridden

ride – rode – ridden

ring – rang – rung

rise – rose – risen

run – ran – run

saw – sawed – sawn/sawed

say (says /sɛz/) – said – said

see – saw – seen

seek – sought – sought

sell – sold – sold

send – sent – sent

set – set – set

sew – sewed – sewn/sewed

shake – shook – shaken

shall – should – should [defective;

shear – sheared/shore – shorn/sheared

shed – shed – shed

shine – shone/shined – shone/shined

shit – shat/shit/shitted – shat/shit/shitted

shoe – shoed/shod – shoed/shod

shoot – shot – shot

show – showed – shown/showed

shrink – shrank/shrunk – shrunk

shut – shut – shut

sing – sang – sung

sink – sank – sunk

sit – sat – sat

slay – slew/slayed – slain/slayed

sleep – slept – slept

slide – slid – slid

sling – slung – slung

slink – slunk – slunk

slit – slit – slit

smell – smelled/smelt – smelled/smelt

smite – smote – smitten

sneak – sneaked/snuck – sneaked/snuck [snuck is chiefly American, and it is regarded as informal]

sow – sowed – sown/sowed

speak – spoke – spoken

speed – sped/speeded – sped/speeded

spell – spelled/spelt – spelled/spelt

spend – spent – spent

spill – spilled/spilt – spilled/spilt

spin – spun – spun

spit – spat/spit – spat/spit [the form spit rather than spat is common in America]

split – split – split

spoil – spoiled/spoilt – spoiled/spoilt

spread – spread – spread

spring – sprang/sprung – sprung

stand – stood – stood

stave – staved/stove – staved/stove

steal – stole – stolen

stick – stuck – stuck

sting – stung – stung

stink – stank – stunk

strew – strewed – strewn/strewed

stride – strode – stridden/strode

strike – struck – struck

string – strung – strung

strive – strove/strived – striven/strived

swear – swore – sworn

sweat – sweated/sweat – sweated/sweat

sweep – swept – swept

swell – swelled – swollen/swelled

swim – swam – swum

swing – swung – swung

take – took – taken

teach – taught – taught

tear – tore – torn

tell – told – told

think – thought – thought

throw – threw – thrown

thrust – thrust/thrusted – thrust/thrusted

tread – trod – trodden/trod

un- : for unbend, unweave, etc. see bend, weave, etc.

under- : for underlie, undergo, understand, etc. see lie, go, stand, etc.

up- : for upset see set, etc.

wake – woke – woken

wear – wore – worn

weave – wove – woven

wed – wed/wedded – wed/wedded

weep – wept – wept

wet – wet/wetted – wet/wetted

will – would – would [defective;

win – won – won

wind – wound – wound [but regular in the meanings connected with air and breath]

with- : for withdraw, withhold, withstand, see draw, hold, stand

wring – wrang/wrung – wrung

write – wrote – written

Here is the complete list of irregular verbs.

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