The Three Forms of Irregular Verbs in English

Understanding irregular verbs can be a bit tricky in English, but it’s super important! Irregular verbs have their own special ways of changing in different tenses. We’re here to break it down for you. Here, we’ll explore the three forms of irregular verbs – the base form, past tense, and past participle. With simple explanations and examples, you’ll master these unique verbs in no time. Let’s dive in!

What Are Irregular verbs?

Irregular verbs are special words in the English language that don’t follow the usual pattern when you change their tenses. In other words, they don’t add “ed” to the end to show actions that happened in the past. Instead, each irregular verb has its own unique way of changing to past tense. For example, “go” doesn’t become “goed” in the past; it changes to “went.” Irregular verbs have their own set of rules for past tense, and you have to learn them individually.

The Three Forms of Irregular Verbs

The three forms of irregular verbs are:

1. Base Form (Infinitive): This is the simple, original form of the verb. For example, the base form of the irregular verb “go” is “go.”
2. Past Simple (Simple Past) Form: This form is used to describe actions that happened in the past. Irregular verbs change uniquely in their past simple form. For instance, the past simple form of “go” is “went.”
3. Past Participle Form: The past participle form is used in various tenses, such as the present perfect and past perfect. Irregular verbs also have their own distinct past participle forms. Using “go” as an example, its past participle form is “gone.”

These three forms are essential for understanding how irregular verbs are used in English sentences.

Base Form of Irregular Verbs:

The base form of an irregular verb is the simplest and most basic form of the verb. It’s the form you would find in the dictionary and is used to form other tenses and sentence structures. Irregular verbs do not follow the regular pattern of adding “ed” to create their past tense and past participle forms like regular verbs. Instead, they have unique, often unpredictable, base forms as well as distinct forms for the past tense and past participle.

Examples of Irregular Verbs in Base Form:

1. Go: The base form of the verb “go” is “go.” For example, “I go to school every day.” In this sentence, “go” is used in its base form to describe the present action of going to school.

2. Eat: The base form of the verb “eat” is “eat.” For example, “She eats her lunch at noon.” Here, “eat” is used in its base form to describe the present action of consuming lunch.

3. See: The base form of the verb “see” is “see.” For instance, “I see a beautiful sunset.” In this sentence, “see” is in its base form, describing the present action of witnessing a sunset.

3. Take: The base form of the verb “take” is “take.” For example, “Please take this book to the library.” Here, “take” is used in its base form to describe the action of taking a book to the library.

4. Break: The base form of the verb “break” is “break.” For instance, “He doesn’t want to break the vase.” In this sentence, “break” is used in its base form to describe the action of not wanting to break a vase.

In these examples, you can see that the base form of irregular verbs is used to describe actions in the present or create the base for other tenses, such as past and future, by changing the verb’s form according to the specific irregular pattern that each verb follows.

Past Tense Form of Irregular Verbs:

Irregular verbs differ from regular verbs in the way they form their past tense. While regular verbs often add “ed” to create the past tense, irregular verbs have distinct and occasionally unpredictable past tense forms. These unique past tense forms vary from verb to verb and do not adhere to a consistent pattern.

Here are examples of irregular verbs with their corresponding past tense forms:

1. Go: The past tense form of the verb “go” is “went.” For instance, “Yesterday, I went to the park.” In this sentence, “went” is used in the past tense to describe the action of going to the park that took place in the past.

2. Eat: The past tense form of the verb “eat” is “ate.” For example, “She ate pizza for dinner last night.” Here, “ate” is employed in the past tense to describe the action of consuming pizza in the past.

3. See: The past tense form of the verb “see” is “saw.” For instance, “I saw a movie last weekend.” In this sentence, “saw” is used in the past tense to describe the action of watching a movie in the past.

4. Take: The past tense form of the verb “take” is “took.” For example, “She took a taxi to the airport.” Here, “took” is used in the past tense to describe the action of using a taxi for transportation in the past.

5. Break: The past tense form of the verb “break” is “broke.” For instance, “He accidentally broke the window.” In this sentence, “broke” is used in the past tense to describe the accidental action of breaking the window in the past.

These examples illustrate how the past tense forms of irregular verbs are employed to discuss actions or events that occurred in the past. Irregular verbs do not conform to the regular “ed” pattern, and each has its specific past tense form, which must be learned individually.

Past Participle Form of Irregular Verbs:

The past participle form of irregular verbs is a fundamental concept in English grammar. Irregular verbs have unique past participle forms that do not follow the standard “ed” pattern seen with regular verbs. These past participle forms are crucial for constructing grammatically correct sentences in various tenses, such as the present perfect and past perfect, and in passive voice constructions.

Examples of Irregular Verbs in Past Participle Form:

1. Go: The past participle form of the verb “go” is “gone.” For example, “She has gone to the store.” Here, “gone” is used in the present perfect tense to describe an action that began in the past and continues into the present. It emphasizes the continuity of the action.

2. Eat: The past participle form of the verb “eat” is “eaten.” For instance, “The pizza has been eaten.” In this sentence, “eaten” is used in the passive voice to indicate that someone or something consumed the pizza. Passive voice constructions focus on the receiver of the action.

3. See: The past participle form of the verb “see” is “seen.” For example, “I have seen that movie before.” In this sentence, “seen” is used in the present perfect tense to convey that the action of watching the movie occurred at some point before the present. It highlights a connection between the past and the present.

4. Take: The past participle form of the verb “take” is “taken.” For instance, “The package has been taken to the post office.” Here, “taken” is used in the passive voice to indicate that someone or something moved the package to the post office. This construction shifts the focus to the action itself and the object being acted upon.

5. Break: The past participle form of the verb “break” is “broken.” For example, “The vase was broken in the accident.” In this sentence, “broken” is used in the passive voice to describe the condition of the vase after the accident. It conveys the result of the action.

In these examples, the past participle forms of irregular verbs serve distinct grammatical purposes. They are vital for conveying actions that have already occurred, for constructing passive-voice sentences, and for indicating the ongoing relevance of past actions in the present.

Common Irregular Verbs

1. Go:

• Base Form: go
• Past Tense: went
• Past Participle: gone

2. Eat:

• Base Form: eat
• Past Tense: ate
• Past Participle: eaten

3. See:

• Base Form: see
• Past Tense: saw
• Past Participle: seen

4. Take:

• Base Form: take
• Past Tense: took
• Past Participle: taken

5. Drive:

• Base Form: drive
• Past Tense: drove
• Past Participle: driven

6. Drink:

• Base Form: drink
• Past Tense: drank
• Past Participle: drunk

7. Swim:

• Base Form: swim
• Past Tense: swam
• Past Participle: swum

8. Sing:

• Base Form: sing
• Past Tense: sang
• Past Participle: sung

9. Run:

• Base Form: run
• Past Tense: ran
• Past Participle: run

10. Choose:

• Base Form: choose
• Past Tense: chose
• Past Participle: chosen

11. Forget:

• Base Form: forget
• Past Tense: forgot
• Past Participle: forgotten

12. Begin:

• Base Form: begin
• Past Tense: began
• Past Participle: begun

13. Ride:

• Base Form: ride
• Past Tense: rode
• Past Participle: ridden

Using Irregular Verbs in Sentences

Here are sample sentences that demonstrate how to use irregular verbs in different tenses, including the base form, past tense, and past participle:

1. Using “Go” (go – went – gone):

• Base Form (Present): She goes to the gym every morning.
• Past Tense (Simple Past): Yesterday, she went to the gym early.
• Past Participle (Present Perfect): She has gone to the gym every day this week.

2. Using “Eat” (eat – ate – eaten):

• Base Form (Present): They eat dinner at 7:00 PM.
• Past Tense (Simple Past): Last night, they ate pizza for dinner.
• Past Participle (Present Perfect): They have eaten at that restaurant before.

3. Using “See” (see – saw – seen):

• Base Form (Present): I see a beautiful sunset every evening.
• Past Tense (Simple Past): Last summer, I saw the most amazing sunset.
• Past Participle (Present Perfect): I have never seen such a stunning view before.

4. Using “Take” (take – took – taken):

• Base Form (Present): They take the bus to work every day.
• Past Tense (Simple Past): Yesterday, they took a taxi to the airport.
• Past Participle (Present Perfect): They have already taken their luggage to the hotel.

5. Using “Break” (break – broke – broken):

• Base Form (Present): Be careful not to break the glass.
• Past Tense (Simple Past): He accidentally broke the window.
• Past Participle (Present Perfect): The window has been broken for a week now.

Practice Exercises

Your task is to fill in the missing verb form with the correct base form, past tense, or past participle of the given irregular verb.

Exercise 1 – Irregular Verb “Go” (go – went – gone):

1. Yesterday, she __________ to the store. (past tense)
2. They have never __________ to that restaurant before. (past participle)
3. She always __________ to the gym in the morning. (base form)

Exercise 2 – Irregular Verb “Eat” (eat – ate – eaten):

1. Last night, they __________ pizza for dinner. (past tense)
2. They have __________ at that restaurant many times. (past participle)
3. We usually __________ lunch at noon. (base form)

Exercise 3 – Irregular Verb “See” (see – saw – seen):

1. She __________ a movie last weekend. (past tense)
2. I’ve never __________ such a beautiful painting. (past participle)
3. They often __________ interesting things in the museum. (base form)

Exercise 4 – Irregular Verb “Take” (take – took – taken):

1. Yesterday, they __________ a taxi to the airport. (past tense)
2. They have already __________ their seats on the plane. (past participle)
3. We usually __________ the bus to work. (base form)

Exercise 5 – Irregular Verb “Break” (break – broke – broken):

1. He accidentally __________ the glass. (past tense)
2. The window has been __________ for a week now. (past participle)
3. Please be careful not to __________ the plate. (base form)

Answers:

1. went
2. gone
3. go
4. ate
5. eaten
6. eat
7. saw
8. seen
9. see
10. took
11. taken
12. take
13. broke
14. broken
15. break

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the forms of irregular verbs: