Irregular Verbs: Meaning, Examples & Practice Worksheet

What are Irregular Verbs?

Irregular Verbs are vital elements of English grammar that don't follow the general rule of creating the past tense and past participle. In simple terms, regular verbs add '-ed' to form their past tense and past participle. However, in the case of irregular verbs, the situation is different.

Refer to the example below for a clearer understanding.

Base Verb: Drink

Simple Past Tense: Drank

Past Participle: Drunk

Till now, you might have understood that the past and past participle of irregular verbs transform in unexpected ways. This element of unpredictability makes these verbs unique.

Above all, irregular verbs are commonly used words in our everyday conversation, yet many of us are still unaware of them. So, to make it even easier for you, let us look at irregular verb rules with some best practices.

Rules in Irregular Verbs

In English grammar, the common rule for transforming a verb into past tense and past participle is adding "-ed". On the other hand, the case of irregular verbs is not similar; they don't follow this rule, yet they are put into sentences.

However, irregular verbs have to comply with the subject verb agreement, which is to match the subject or clause with the sentence.

Key features of irregular verbs include-

• Irregular verbs don't follow a uniform practice of forming past tense and past participle like regular verbs.
• The irregular verb conjugations are unique. The forms are completely different from base verbs.
• Using irregular verbs can become easier as their specific forms must be memorised and learned because there are no guidelines like those for regular verbs, which follow the addition of "-ed" for other forms.
• The special feature of irregular verbs is they can be used as transitive verbs or intransitive verbs.

While you have learned irregular verb rules with some best practices, let us look at some elements that set irregular verbs apart from regular verbs.

Difference Between Regular & Irregular Verbs

In English Grammar, verbs have a vital role in telling that something occurs or exists. However, many of you face issues in understanding the difference between both two types of verbs. So, continue reading to know the potential differences between regular & irregular verbs.

With these differences, it is evident that both types of verbs are crucial for English. While we are discussing irregular verbs, look ahead to the next section to learn about their importance in English.

Why are Irregular Verbs Important in English?

Irregular verbs are an important part of English Grammar because of their frequent use in day-to-day communication. With the effective use of these verbs, one can master precise and fluent conversation.

The specific forms of irregular verbs are created without any general guidelines, so learning the past tense and past participles helps avoid confusion and makes communication more effective. The importance of irregular verbs is looked upon as:

• Most irregular verbs are highly used in English Grammar.
• Correct use of irregular verbs helps in maintaining fluency.
• In English Grammar, the formation of past and perfect tenses is done with the help of irregular verbs.
• Using irregular verbs correctly provides high clarity and avoids confusion.

In simple terms, irregular verbs are the foundational stone of English grammar. So, continue reading to learn about the most commonly used irregular verbs with their specific forms.

Common Irregular Verbs List

The use of irregular verbs is quite frequent and common in everyday conversation. However, the thing is, we don’t recognize how these verbs make the conversation fluent and effective. So, here is the list of irregular verbs examples often used in English.

These are the most common irregular verbs in English used in everyday conversations and writing. Further, in the next section, let’s look at the use of these verbs in sentences with the help of some examples.

Irregular Verbs in Sentences

Using irregular verbs in sentences has a unique manner because they don't form the past tense and past participle with the addition of 'ed' and 'd'.

This unique approach has no different guidelines to refer to when using irregular verbs in sentences. So, let's look at some irregular verbs examples and their use in sentences.

Write:

• "I write letters to my sister." (Base Form)
• "She wrote a beautiful story." (Simple Past)
• "He has written an article on the news." (Past Participle)

Forgive:

• I can forgive you, but I'm not sure I can ever trust you. (Base Form)
• Rudra forgave him for the argument. (Simple Past)
• The situation could have been forgiven, but it wasn't. (Past Participle)

Mistake:

• I often mistake him for his twin brother. (Base Form)
• She mistook my call and took the wrong turn. (Simple Past)
• He was mistaken about the deadline (Past Participle)

Go:

• Do you want to go to the cricket match tonight? (Base Form)
• They went to the turf without me. (Simple Past).
• The doughnuts were gone when I looked for them (Past Participle).

Show:

• You must show the work you have done till now. (Base Form)
• I showed the assignment to my teacher yesterday (Simple Past).
• They had shown the proof to the police. (Past Participle).

These are the common examples of using irregular verbs in sentences. Its use can become easier if you can memorise its forms. Furthermore, to assess your learning to date, please practice with the irregular verbs worksheet provided in the next section.

Irregular Verbs Exercises

With the practice exercise, you will able to learn and memorize the specific forms in which the irregular verbs can transform. So, go ahead and solve the given worksheets.

Exercise 1- Fill in the Blanks with the Simple Past Tense of the Irregular Verb.

In this exercise, you have been given a few sentences, your task is to fill in the blanks using the simple past tense.

1. The kids (eat) ____________ their meal without a complaint.
2. Brook (take) __________ cricket classes with a great teacher.
3. Josh (forget) __________ his keys in the garage.
4. I (have) __________ all the episodes downloaded from this series.
5. The boys (fight) __________ over the ball at recess.
6. My sister (drive) __________ us to the mall this afternoon.
7. He (give) __________ his favorite shirt to his cousin.
8. The students (write) __________ their names on the front of the notebook.
9. Fanny (throw) __________ the ball into the swimming pool.
10. He (break) __________ his leg while playing cricket.

Answers for the Exercise 1

1. The kids atetheir meal without a complaint.
2. Brook tookcricket classes with a great teacher.
3. Josh forgothis keys in the garage.
4. I hadall the episodes downloaded from this series.
5. The boys foughtover the ball at recess.
6. My sister droveus to the mall this afternoon.
7. He gavehis favorite shirt to his cousin.
8. The students wrotetheir names on the front of the notebook.
9. Fanny threwthe ball into the swimming pool.
10. He brokehis leg while playing cricket.

Exercise 2- Fill in the Blanks with the Past Participle Tense of the Irregular Verb.

The following exercise contains a few sentences and your task is to fill in the blanks using the past participle form of the verb.

1. The boys have __________ (sing) their favourite song.
2. Few girls from the hostel have __________ (meet) the new dean.
3. The artist has __________ (draw) a beautiful picture.
4. I have __________ (take) a lot of photos during the trip.
5. We have __________ (come) to the venue at the scheduled time.
6. The boys group have __________ (find) a solution to the problem.
7. Abhishek has __________ (give) me the book I asked for.
8. I have __________ (know) him for years.
9. We have __________ (speak) to the coach about the schedule.
10. They have __________ (begin) the shooting the movie last month.

Answers for the Exercise 2

1. The boys have sung their favourite song.
2. Few girls from the hostel have met the new dean.
3. The artist has drawn a beautiful picture.
4. I have taken a lot of photos during the trip.
5. We have come to the venue at the scheduled time.
6. The boys group have found a solution to the problem.
7. Abhishek has given me the book I asked for.
8. I have known him for years.
9. We have spoken to the coach about the schedule.
10. They have begun the movie shooting last month.

Conclusion

To sum up, this blog has detailed all the necessary information required to understand Irregular verbs in English. These verbs are used in our every conversation, yet we don't recognise them because they do not follow the general rules like regular verbs. However, it is expected that with the examples and irregular verbs worksheet, you might have cleared your doubts. These verbs are important elements of grammar, and learning about them helps in a better understanding of language. So, if you are looking to enhance your language skills or learn about grammar elements, you can connect with our experts.