Lesson: Grammar/SimplePast

Irregular Verbs

The following is a list of the irregular verbs that generally occur in standard modern English. It omits many rare, dialectal, and archaic forms, as well as most verbs formed by adding prefixes to basic verbs (unbend, understand, mistake, etc.).

a- : for abide, arise, awake, see bide, rise, wake
be (am, is, are) – was, were – been
be- : for befall, beset, etc. see fall, set, etc.
bear – bore – borne [spelt born in passive and adjectival uses relating to birth]
beat – beat – beaten
become – became – become
beget – begot – begot(ten) [Biblical past tense: begat]
begin – began – begun
bend – bent – bent
bet – bet – bet [past tense and participle also sometimes betted]
beware – defective verb
bid – bid – bid [as in an auction]
bid – bade/bid – bidden/bid [meaning "request"]
bide – bided/bode – bided/bidden [but abide mostly uses the regular forms only]
bind – bound – bound
bite – bit – bitten
bleed – bled – bled
blow – blew – blown
break – broke – broken
breed – bred – bred
bring – brought – brought
build – built – built
burn – burnt/burned – burnt/burned
burst – burst – burst
buy – bought – bought
cast – cast – cast [prefixed forms broadcast, forecast, etc. sometimes take -ed<ref>For example, forecasted is acceptable as the past participle and past simple of the verb forecast, especially in some technical meanings. See www.usingenglish.com</ref>]
catch – caught – caught
choose – chose – chosen
clad – clad/cladded – clad/cladded [clad is also sometimes used as past form of clothe]
cleave – clove/cleft – cloven/cleft [but regular when meaning "adhere"]
cling – clung – clung
come – came – come
cost – cost – cost [but regular when meaning "calculate the cost of"]
creep – crept/creeped – crept/creeped
crow – crowed/crew – crowed [crew normally used only of a cock's crowing]
cut – cut – cut
deal – dealt – dealt
dig – dug – dug
dive – dived/dove – dived [the form dove is chiefly American]
do (does Template:IPA) – did – done
drag – dragged/drug – dragged/drug [the form drug is chiefly dialectal]
draw – drew – drawn
dream – dreamed/dreamt – dreamed/dreamt
drink – drank – drunk
drive – drove – driven
dwell – dwelt/dwelled – dwelt/dwelled
eat – ate – eaten
fall – fell – fallen
feed – fed – fed
feel – felt – felt
fight – fought – fought
find – found – found
fit – fit/fitted – fit/fitted
flee – fled – fled
fling – flung – flung
fly – flew – flown
for(e)- : for forgo, foresee, etc. see go, see, etc.
forbid – forbade/forbid – forbidden
forget – forgot – forgotten
forsake – forsook – forsaken
freeze – froze – frozen
get – got – gotten/got [past participle got in British English, gotten in American English]
gild – gilded/gilt – gilded/gilt
give – gave – given
go – went – gone
grind – ground – ground
grow – grew – grown
hang – hung/hanged – hung/hanged [the form hanged is more common in the sense of execution by hanging]
have (has) – had – had
hear – heard – heard
hew – hewed – hewn/hewed
hide – hid – hidden
hit – hit – hit
hoist – hoist/hoisted – hoist/hoisted
hold – held – held
hurt – hurt – hurt
in- : for inlay, input, etc. see lay, put, etc.
inter- : for interlay, interweave, etc. see lay, weave, etc.
keep – kept – kept
kneel – knelt/kneeled – knelt/kneeled
knit – knit/knitted – knit/knitted
know – knew – known
lay – laid – laid
lead – led – led
lean – leaned/leant – leaned/leant
leap – leaped/leapt – leaped/leapt
learn – learned/learnt – learned/learnt
leave – left – left
lend – lent – lent
let – let – let
lie – lay – lain [but regular when meaning "tell an untruth"]
light – lit/lighted – lit/lighted
lose – lost – lost
make – made – made
mean – meant – meant
meet – met – met
mis- : for misspeak, mistake, etc. see speak, take, etc.
mow – mowed – mowed/mown
off- : for offset see set, etc.
out- : for outbid, output, etc. see bid, put, etc.
over- : for overbid, overdo, etc. see bid, do, etc.
pay – paid – paid [but sometimes spelt regularly when meaning "let out" (rope etc.)]
plead – pleaded/pled – pleaded/pled
pre- : for prepay, preset, etc. see pay, set, etc.
prove – proved – proved/proven
put – put – put
quit – quit – quit
re- : for redo, remake, etc. see do, make, etc.
read Template:IPA – read Template:IPA – read Template:IPA
rend – rent – rent
rid – rid/ridded – rid/ridded/ridden
ride – rode – ridden
ring – rang – rung
rise – rose – risen
run – ran – run
saw – sawed – sawn/sawed
say (says Template:IPA) – said – said
see – saw – seen
seek – sought – sought
sell – sold – sold
send – sent – sent
set – set – set
sew – sewed – sewn/sewed
shake – shook – shaken
shear – sheared/shore – shorn/sheared
shed – shed – shed
shine – shone/shined – shone/shined
shit – shat/shit/shitted – shat/shit/shitted
shoe – shoed/shod – shoed/shod
shoot – shot – shot
show – showed – shown/showed
shrink – shrank/shrunk – shrunk
shut – shut – shut
sing – sang – sung
sink – sank – sunk
sit – sat – sat
slay – slew/slayed – slain/slayed
sleep – slept – slept
slide – slid – slid
sling – slung – slung
slink – slunk – slunk
slit – slit – slit
smell – smelled/smelt – smelled/smelt
smite – smote – smitten
sneak – sneaked/snuck – sneaked/snuck [snuck is chiefly American, and it is regarded as informal]
sow – sowed – sown/sowed
speak – spoke – spoken
speed – sped/speeded – sped/speeded
spell – spelled/spelt – spelled/spelt
spend – spent – spent
spill – spilled/spilt – spilled/spilt
spin – spun – spun
spit – spat/spit – spat/spit [the form spit rather than spat is common in America]
split – split – split
spoil – spoiled/spoilt – spoiled/spoilt
spread – spread – spread
spring – sprang/sprung – sprung
stand – stood – stood
stave – staved/stove – staved/stove
steal – stole – stolen
stick – stuck – stuck
sting – stung – stung
stink – stank – stunk
strew – strewed – strewn/strewed
stride – strode – stridden/strode
strike – struck – struck
string – strung – strung
strive – strove/strived – striven/strived
swear – swore – sworn
sweat – sweated/sweat – sweated/sweat
sweep – swept – swept
swell – swelled – swollen/swelled
swim – swam – swum
swing – swung – swung
take – took – taken
teach – taught – taught
tear – tore – torn
tell – told – told
think – thought – thought
throw – threw – thrown
thrust – thrust/thrusted – thrust/thrusted
tread – trod – trodden/trod
un- : for unbend, unweave, etc. see bend, weave, etc.
under- : for underlie, undergo, understand, etc. see lie, go, stand, etc.
up- : for upset see set, etc.
wake – woke – woken
wear – wore – worn
weave – wove – woven
wed – wed/wedded – wed/wedded
weep – wept – wept
wet – wet/wetted – wet/wetted
win – won – won
wind – wound – wound [but regular in the meanings connected with air and breath]
with- : for withdraw, withhold, withstand, see draw, hold, stand
wring – wrang/wrung – wrung
write – wrote – written