Irregular verbs

Theory
First the good news - all new verbs in English are regular.
I photocopied the report.
She faxed it to me.
They emailed everybody about it.
However, that doesn't help you to learn the approximately 180 irregular verbs which do exist. Luckily
some of these are extremely rare but many others are very useful and you need to know them.
So how do you learn them? Some teachers think you should learn a list of them 'by heart'. Other
teachers think you should not learn them at all you will just gradually acquire them over time.
One useful method is to note down new irregular verbs as you meet them. But how should you note
them?
It is useful to put these verbs (or any vocabulary you want to learn) into sentences and learn those
rather than the individual word.
Which do you think is easier to learn?
stick stuck stuck
I stuck the photo into my album.
Another good technique is to classify the irregular verbs into 4 categories.
1. All forms the same
cost cost cost
set set set
2. Similar sound groups
beat beat beaten
eat ate eaten
.
blow blew blown
throw threw thrown
.
drink drank drunk
sing sang sung
.
speak spoke spoken
wake woke woken
3. The second and third forms are the same.
bend bent bent
sleep slept slept
spend spent spent
.
bring brought brought
buy bought bought

teach taught taught

.
have had had
pay paid paid
say said said
4. The "unclassifiables"
come came come
do did done
go went gone
show showed shown
As you meet new irregular verbs, try to decide in which category they fall.

Exercises
Exercise 1
Regular or irregular?
go
look
pay
know
call
stay
fall
ask

R
R
R
R
R
R
R
R

I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

read
employ

I
R

R
R
R
R
R

I
I
I
I
I

I
make
find
recruit
enter
present

take
eat
see
walk
discuss
talk
write

R
R
R
R
R
R
R

Exercise 2
Classify the verbs according to past forms:
1.
2.
3.
4.
feel
find
think
cut
hold
hit
let

1
1
1
1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2
2
2
2

3
3
3
3
3
3
3

All the forms are the same (e.g. put put put )
I A U e.g. begin began begun
Ending in UGHT e.g. buy bought bought
Second and third from the same, e.g. say said said

4
4
4
4
4
4
4

win
hear
cost
drink
tell
teach
pay

1
1
1
1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2
2
2
2

3
3
3
3
3
3
3

4
4
4
4
4
4
4

bring
make
shut
fight
ring
sing
catch

Exercise 3
Choose the correct answer:
1. Youve ..my boss before, havent you?
a. meet
b. meeted
c. met

d. meeten

1
1
1
1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2
2
2
2

3
3
3
3
3
3
3

4
4
4
4
4
4
4

I
I
I
I
I
I
I

2. We..from New York to Amsterdam.

a. flown
b. flew
c. flought

d.flied

3. The house was..in two weeks.

a. sold
b. sell
c. selt

d. solden

4. Hes a fortune writing books.

a. maked
b. maden
c. make

d. made

5. My ticket ..40 Euros less than his.

a. cost
b. costed
c. cought

d. coost

6. My colleague ..me how to use PowerPoint.

a. teach
b. tought
c. taught
d. teacht
7. Have youthe latest? Jack is leaving.
a. heard
b. heared
c. hear
d. heart
8. The coffee machine has been.away.
a. take
b. taken
c. took

d. taked

9. Has Mr. Nakasone .the report yet?

a. write
b. writed
c. wrote

d. written

10. I.him to do it yesterday.

a. telled
b. telld
c. told

d. tell

Exercise 4
Fill in the gaps:
eat eaten
.....spoke spoken
hurt hurt ..............................
understand ........................... understood
drink drank.................................
.................................made made
think..........................thought
know.........................known
give gave.............................
see..................................seen
forget forgot............................

Exercise 5
Complete the sentences:
- done
- broke
- left
- felt
- saw

came
got
fell
walk
went

thought
bought
rang
paid
found

They........................................the invoice in full on the 16th.

He...........................................his mobile on the desk.
She......................................asleep during his presentation, it was so boring.
I......................................sick after eating that fish. I think it was off.
Doug......................................Pete at the club. I...............................he was off sick!
It was only 5.30 when I.......................................up this morning so I.................................up
and .............................................for a run.
Martin.......................................me back this morning about our order.
Im sorry but I ..........................................one of your cups yesterday. Ive ..............................a new
one. I.............................................it in the shop you like.
He........................................back and apologized for shouting. He has never............................that
before!

Exercise 6
Complete the sentences:
- caught
- bought
- been

spoken
sent
brought

given
understood
rung

Have you.......................................me your number?

Jeremy has.................................... a bad cold so he wont be in today.
Look! Patrick has ..................................champagne to celebrate.
I havent .........................................to him about it yet.
They have ......................................several times already. They need an answer.
We havent .....................................the machine yet. We dont know which supplier is the best.
Have you ......................................the confirmation yet? It needs to be done quickly.
I have never .......................................why he was promoted. He isnt very good.
Shes .....................................to see them three times but cant get them to sign the contract.

Exercise 7
Use the correct from of these verbs:
BUY
STEAL
FEEL
BREAK
FORGET
RING

STICK
GROW
GO
LEND
SELL
GET

DRIVE
FALL
LEAVE
SPEND

Somebody has..............................my car! It has.....................................

He has......................................his bag. Hes...................................it in my office.
I.....................................up in small town in the north of England.
I.....................................him my car and he ................................. it into a tree!
Weve.....................................our house. We......................................the asking price.
He.......................................to say that hes ...................................at the airport.
At first, I .......................................nothing when I ..............................but I had ............................... my
arm!
Theyve ....................................over three millions. Theyve .....................................two new
assembling machines.