Past simple: regular and irregular verbs
We use the past simple to talk about finished actions in the past.
To make the Past Simple you can just add ‘ed’ to regular verbs, but with irregular verbs you need to memorize the correct form for each verb.
Here are some examples:
| Regular
Stay – Stayed Sunbathe – Sunbathed Rent – Rented Hire – Hired Book – Booked Walk – Walked Dance – Danced Work – Worked |
Irregular
Go – Went Take – Took Buy – Bought Have – Had Spend – Spent Eat out – Ate out Drive – Drove
|
***There are mainly three types of irregular verbs.
|
Some verbs can be both regular and irregular.
Examples are:
Burn – burnt – burnt (irregular)
Burn – burned – burned (regular)
Dream – dreamt – dreamt (irregular)
Dream – dreamed – dreamed (regular)
Lean – lent – lent (irregular)
Lean – leaned – leaned (regular)
Learn – learnt – learnt (irregular)
Learn – learned – learned (regular)
Leap – leapt – leapt (irregular)
Leap – leaped – leaped (regular)
Smell – smelt – smelt (irregular)
Smell – smelled – smelled (regular)
Spill – spilt – spilt (irregular)
Spill – spilled – spilled (regular)
Spoil – spoilt – spoilt (irregular)
Spoil – spoiled – spoiled (regular)
Pronunciation
Words ending in ed can be pronounced in three different ways depending on the final consonant sound:
| /id/
If the last letter of the word is spelled with D or T, the ED is pronounced as a separate syllable with an /id/ sound |
/t/
If the last consonant of the word is voiceless, then the ED is pronounced as a T. Be careful not to create an extra syllable or “id” sound. |
/d/
If the last letter of the words ends in a voiced consonant (or sound), then the ED is pronounced like a D (without creating another syllable) |
| T – Wanted
D – Needed
|
P – Helped
K – Looked F – Sniffed GH – Laughed SH – Washed CH – Watched SS – Kissed C – Danced X – Fixed |
L – Called
N – Cleaned R – Offered G – Damaged V – Loved S – Used Z – Amazed B – Rubbed M – Claimed |
P.S: words that end in a vowel sound use the /d/ pronunciation for ED.
e.g. followed – enjoyed – tried – played – tried – continued
70 common irregular verbs: Pre-Intermediate learners
| Verb (infinitive) | Past simple form | Past participle |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| break | broke | broken |
| bring | brought | brought |
| build | built | built |
| buy | bought | bought |
| catch | caught | caught |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| come | came | come |
| cost | cost | cost |
| cut | cut | cut |
| 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 |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| get | got | got (BrE) / gotten (AmE) |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grow | grew | grown |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hold | held | held |
| know | knew | known |
| learn | learned | learnt/learned |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| pay | paid | paid |
| put | put | put |
| read | read | read |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| set | set | set |
| show | showed | shown |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sit | sat | sat |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| spend | spent | spent |
| stand | stood | stood |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| swim | swam | swum |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| understand | understood | understood |
| wear | wore | worn |
| win | won | won |
| write | wrote | written |
Leave a Reply