Exercise in Using the Correct Forms of

Irregular Verbs
A Sentence-Completion Exercise
This exercise will give you practice in using the correct forms of irregular verbs.
Before attempting the exercise, you may find it helpful to review:

 Introduction to Irregular Verbs

 Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs

An Introduction to Irregular Verbs in English

The Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs
Although fewer than 200 verbs are classified as "irregular," these include some of the most common
words in English. Here, after briefly reviewing regular verbs, we'll look at the principal parts of
irregular verbs.

Review of Regular Verbs

Regular verbs have three basic forms: the present (or base form), the past (ending in -ed), and the past
participle (also ending in -ed). These three forms are referred to as the principal parts of a verb. Here's
how we might list the principal parts of the regular verb laugh:

 I always laugh at her jokes. (present)

 She laughed nervously during her speech. (past)
 We have often laughed together. (past participle)

The past participle form works with different auxiliary verbs (has or have; had) to form
different tenses.

What Are Irregular Verbs?

Irregular verbs are those verbs that do not end in -ed in the past tense. Though their endings differ
from those of regular verbs, irregular verbs rely on the same auxiliary verbs (also called helping verbs)
to indicate past, present, and future time.

Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs have three principal parts:

 I tell a joke. (present)

 I told a joke. (past)
 I have told a joke. (past participle)

Some irregular verbs, such as tell, have the same form in the past and the past participle. Others,
however, have different forms:

 I wear a cap. (present)

 I wore a cap. (past)
 I have worn a cap. (past participle)

With irregular verbs such as wear, we need to learn the different forms for the past and the past
participle.

Auxiliaries with Irregular Verbs

Just like regular verbs, irregular verbs are used with various auxiliaries to form different tenses. For
instance, we use has or have with the past participle of an irregular verb to form the present-
perfect tense:

 Tom has worn out his welcome.

Similarly, we use had with the past participle of an irregular verb to form the past perfect tense:

 I had never worn a seat belt before you told me why I should.

And we use will with the present form of an irregular verb to form the future tense:

 I will wear a seat belt from now on.

In short, irregular verbs work the same way as regular verbs; they just have different endings.

Tables of Irregular Verbs

Although you are probably familiar with many of the most common irregular verbs in English already,
study the verbs in all available lists (usually in dictionaries) and look for patterns that will help you
remember the forms of all these verbs.

Irregular Verbs: Arise to Grow to Hang to Sink to Sit to Write

Irregular Verbs and Their Principal Parts

Understanding Strong Verbs

In the English language, all verbs have different forms or tenses. These can include present tense,
simple past tense, and past participle. Irregular verbs, also known as strong verbs, are deemed irregular
because they do not follow the system of adding -d, -ed, or -ied at the end to form the past tense. No
pattern of spelling an irregular verb in past tense is predictable, which means these spellings must be
memorized.

Irregular Verbs in Present Tense, Past Tense, and Past Participle

 Fly-flew-flown: I can fly the kite by myself. I flew the kite by myself. I have flown the kite by
myself before.
 Rise-rose-risen: Let him rise on his own. He rose too soon. He had risen before they told him
not to.
  Shrink-shrank-shrunk: The cotton material will shrink. The cotton material shrank. The
cotton material had shrunk in the dryer.
 Sink-sank-sunk: The boat might sink in the Gulf of Mexico. The boat sank in the Gulf of
Mexico. The boat had sunk in the Gulf of Mexico.
 Feel-felt-felt: I feel wonderful today. I felt wonderful yesterday. I had felt great until
yesterday.
 Bite-bit-bitten: The dog might bite you. The dog bit your hand. The dog has bitten many
people in the past.
 Come-came-come: Please come to my house. She came to my house. All of my teammates
have come to my house.
 Catch-caught-caught: I can catch the ball in the air. I caught the ball in the air. I
have caught all of the balls in the air.
 Draw-drew-drawn: I can draw the picture. I drew the picture. I have drawn many pictures.
 Drive-drove-driven: I can drive there easily. I drove there easily. I might have driven there
easier if I had the correct directions.
 Eat-ate-eaten: Let's eat the large pizza. We ate the large pizza. We have eaten many large
pizzas.
 Fall-fell-fallen: I fall every time I stand up. I fell when I stood up. Oh, how the mighty
have fallen.
 Go-went-gone: Go back home tonight. She went home tonight. They have gone home tonight.
 Hang-hung-hung: Hang your hat here. He hung his hat on the bench. Many have hung from
the gallows in the medieval fortress.
 Lay-laid-laid: Lay the boxes on the table. He laid the boxes on the table. He has laid the
boxes on the table and left the room.

Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs

In the table below, you will find the principal parts of some of the most common irregular
verbs in English. To find the correct past or past participle form of a verb not included in the list,
check your dictionary. If the dictionary gives only the present form of the verb, presume that the verb
is regular and forms the past and past participle by adding -d or -ed.

PRESENT PAST PAST PARTICIPLE

arise arose arisen

be were (singular was) been

beat beat beaten (or beat)

become became become

begin began begun

bend bent bent

bite bit bitten

bleed bled bled

blow blew blown

break broke broken

bring brought brought

build built built

burst burst burst

buy bought bought

cast cast cast

catch caught caught

choose chose chosen

cling clung clung

come came come

cost cost cost

cut cut cut

deal dealt dealt

dig dug dug

dive dived (or dove) dived

do did done

draw drew drawn

drink drank drunk

drive drove driven

eat ate eaten

fall fell fallen

feed fed fed

feel felt felt

fight fought fought

find found found

fly flew flown

forget forgot forgotten

freeze froze frozen

 get got got (or gotten)

give gave given

go went gone

grow grew grown

SEE LISTS

Exercise

Complete each sentence below with the appropriate present, past, or past-participle
form of the irregular verb in italics. When you're done, compare your answers with
those given.

1. Uncle Bert told me he had sold (sell) his car for one dollar to a needy family.
2. No one answered when Freddie had rung (ring) the doorbell.
3. We nearly froze (freeze) our toes off in a bedroom that wasn't heated.
4. Jessica suddenly remembered that a week ago she had lent (lend) her brother a
hundred dollars.
5. My sister left the birthday party early because she had drunk (drink) too much
Coca Cola and made herself sick.
6. Last Sunday morning we discovered that the old boiler had sprung (spring) a
leak.
7. John went to the blackboard and drew (draw) a picture of the playground.
8. Don't call the world dirty because you have forgotten (forget) to clean your
glasses.
9. Jobie had strung (string) a clothesline from the top of the trailer to the
woodshed eaves.
10.The group had begun (begin) to split up into cliques and factions.
11.Buddy had never rode (ride) in a limousine before.
12."Habit is a cable; we weaved (weave) a thread of it each day, and at last we
cannot break it." (Horace Mann)
13.The paper reported that a major earthquake had shaken (shake) the interior of
Mexico, killing thousands.
14.When we were five years old, Mike and I solemnly swore (swear) to remain
friends forever.
15.Moira had meant (mean) to send her father a birthday card, but as usual she
forgot.
16.The force of the shock from the explosion broke (break) every window in the
old school building.
17.Uncle Bert had went (go) to the post office at lunchtime but never came back.
18.Trying to be good Samaritans had brought (bring) us nothing but trouble.
19.The student insisted that someone had stolen (steal) his sunglasses, but
everyone could see that they were still sitting on top of his head.
20. Walt Disney claimed that he loved Mickey Mouse more than any woman he
had ever known (know).