IRREGULAR VERBS

Irregular Verbs: Overview and List

Summary: This handout contains a list and discussion of common irregular verbs.

In English, regular verbs consist of three main parts: the root form (present), the (simple) past, and the past participle. Regular verbs have an -ed ending added to the root verb for both the simple past and past participle. Irregular verbs do not follow this pattern, and instead take on an alternative pattern.

The following is a partial list of irregular verbs found in English. Each listing consists of the present/root form of the verb, the (simple) past form of the verb, and the past participle form of the verb.

List of Irregular Verbs in EnglishPresent Past Past Participle

PRESENT                                          PAST                                              PAST PARTICIPLE
be                                                      was,  were                                        been
become                                             became                                             become
begin                                                 began                                                begun
blow                                                   blew                                                  blown
break                                                 broke                                                broken
bring                                                  brought                                            brought
build                                                   built                                                  built
burst                                                  burst                                                 burst
buy                                                     bought                                              bought
burst                                                  burst                                                 burst
catch                                                  caught                                               caught
choose                                                chose                                                 chosen
come                                                  came                                                   come
cut                                                      cut                                                       cut
deal                                                    dealt                                                    dealt
do                                                       did                                                       done
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
forbid                                             forbade                                                   forbidden
forget                                             forgot                                                      forgotten
forgive                                           forgave                                                   forgiven
freeze                                            froze                                                        frozen
get                                                got                                                            gotten
give                                              gave                                                         given
go                                                went                                                          gone
grow                                           grew                                                          grown
have                                           had                                                            had
hear                                           heard                                                        heard
hide                                           hid                                                             hidden
hold                                          held                                                            held
hurt                                          hurt                                                            hurt
keep                                         kept                                                            kept
know                                        knew                                                           known
lay                                            laid                                                               laid
lead                                          led                                                                 led
leave                                        left                                                               left
let                                            let                                                                  let
lie                                            lay                                                                    lain
lose                                         lost                                                                 lost
make                                     made                                                              made
meet                                      met                                                                met
pay                                         paid                                                                paid
quit                                        quit                                                                  quit
read                                      read                                                                 read
ride                                       rode                                                               ridden
run                                       ran                                                                    run
say                                       said                                                                   said
see                                        saw                                                                   seen
seek                                     sought                                                               sought
sell                                       sold                                                                    sold
send                                     sent                                                                   sent
shake                                   shook                                                                shaken
shine                                    shone                                                                shone
sing                                      sang                                                                  sung
sit                                         sat                                                                      sat
sleep                                    slept                                                                 slept
speak                                   spoke                                                               spoken
spend                                  spent                                                                 spent
spring                                  sprang                                                              sprung
stand                                  stood                                                                  stood
steal                                   stole                                                                    stolen
swim                                  swam                                                                  swum
swing                                 swung                                                                  swung
take                                   took                                                                      taken
teach                                 taught                                                                    taught
tear                                    tore                                                                      torn
tell                                     told                                                                       told
think                                 thought                                                                 thought
throw                                threw                                                                   thrown
understand                      understood                                                          understood
wake                                 woke (waked)                                                   woken (waked)
wear                                 wore                                                                    worn
win                                   won                                                                      won
write                                wrote                                                                   written

SEQUENCE OF TENSES

Sequence of Tenses

Summary: This handout explains and describes the sequence of verb tenses in English.

Strictly speaking, in English, only two tenses are marked in the verb alone, present (as in "he sings") and past (as in "he sang"). Other English language tenses, as many as thirty of them, are marked by other words called auxiliaries. Understanding the six basic tenses allows one to re-create much of the reality of time in his writing. The six are

Simple Present: They walk

Present Perfect: They have walked

Simple Past: They walked

Past Perfect: They had walked

Future: They will walk

Future Perfect: They will have walked

Problems in sequencing tenses usually occur with the perfect tenses, all of which are formed by adding an auxiliary or auxiliaries to the past participle, the third principal part.
ring, rang, rung
walk, walked, walked

The most common auxiliaries are forms of "be," "can," "do," "may," "must," "ought," "shall," "will," "has," "have," "had," and they are the forms we shall use in this most basic discussion.
Present Perfect

The present perfect consists of a past participle (the third principal part) with "has" or "have." It designates action which began in the past but which continues into the present or the effect of which still continues.

1. Betty taught for ten years. (simple past)

2. Betty has taught for ten years. (present perfect)

The implication in (1) is that Betty has retired; in (2), that she is still teaching.

1. John did his homework. He can go to the movies.

2. If John has done his homework, he can go to the movies.

Infinitives, too, have perfect tense forms when combined with "have," and sometimes problems arise when infinitives are used with verbs such as "hope," "plan," "expect," and "intend," all of which usually point to the future (I wanted to go to the movie. Janet meant to see the doctor.) The perfect tense sets up a sequence by marking the action which began and usually was completed before the action in the main verb.

1. I am happy to have participated in this campaign!

2. John had hoped to have won the trophy.

Thus the action of the main verb points back in time; the action of the perfect infinitive has been completed.

The past perfect tense designates action in the past just as simple past does, but the action of the past perfect is action completed in the past before another action.

1. John raised vegetables and later sold them. (past)

2. John sold vegetables that he had raised. (past perfect)

The vegetables were raised before they were sold.

1. Renee washed the car when George arrived (simple past)

2. Renee had washed the car when George arrived. (past perfect)

In (1), she waited until George arrived and then washed the car. In (2), she had already finished washing the car by the time he arrived.

In sentences expressing condition and result, the past perfect tense is used in the part that states the condition.

1. If I had done my exercises, I would have passed the test.

2. I think George would have been elected if he hadn't sounded so pompous.
Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense designates action that will have been completed at a specified time in the future.

1. Saturday I will finish my housework. (simple future)

2. By Saturday noon, I will have finished my housework. (future perfect)
Review

1. Judy saved thirty dollars. (past)

2. Judy will save thirty dollars. (future)

3. Judy has saved thirty dollars. (present perfect)

4. Judy had saved thirty dollars by the end of last month. (past perfect)

5. Judy will have saved thirty dollars by the end of this month. (future perfect)

Notice: There can be only one "would have" action group in a sentence.

SEQUENCE OF TENSES

Sequence of Tenses

Summary: This handout explains and describes the sequence of verb tenses in English.

Strictly speaking, in English, only two tenses are marked in the verb alone, present (as in "he sings") and past (as in "he sang"). Other English language tenses, as many as thirty of them, are marked by other words called auxiliaries. Understanding the six basic tenses allows one to re-create much of the reality of time in his writing. The six are

Simple Present: They walk

Present Perfect: They have walked

Simple Past: They walked

Past Perfect: They had walked

Future: They will walk

Future Perfect: They will have walked

Problems in sequencing tenses usually occur with the perfect tenses, all of which are formed by adding an auxiliary or auxiliaries to the past participle, the third principal part.
ring, rang, rung
walk, walked, walked

The most common auxiliaries are forms of "be," "can," "do," "may," "must," "ought," "shall," "will," "has," "have," "had," and they are the forms we shall use in this most basic discussion.
Present Perfect

The present perfect consists of a past participle (the third principal part) with "has" or "have." It designates action which began in the past but which continues into the present or the effect of which still continues.

1. Betty taught for ten years. (simple past)

2. Betty has taught for ten years. (present perfect)

The implication in (1) is that Betty has retired; in (2), that she is still teaching.

1. John did his homework. He can go to the movies.

2. If John has done his homework, he can go to the movies.

Infinitives, too, have perfect tense forms when combined with "have," and sometimes problems arise when infinitives are used with verbs such as "hope," "plan," "expect," and "intend," all of which usually point to the future (I wanted to go to the movie. Janet meant to see the doctor.) The perfect tense sets up a sequence by marking the action which began and usually was completed before the action in the main verb.

1. I am happy to have participated in this campaign!

2. John had hoped to have won the trophy.

Thus the action of the main verb points back in time; the action of the perfect infinitive has been completed.

The past perfect tense designates action in the past just as simple past does, but the action of the past perfect is action completed in the past before another action.

1. John raised vegetables and later sold them. (past)

2. John sold vegetables that he had raised. (past perfect)

The vegetables were raised before they were sold.

1. Renee washed the car when George arrived (simple past)

2. Renee had washed the car when George arrived. (past perfect)

In (1), she waited until George arrived and then washed the car. In (2), she had already finished washing the car by the time he arrived.

In sentences expressing condition and result, the past perfect tense is used in the part that states the condition.

1. If I had done my exercises, I would have passed the test.

2. I think George would have been elected if he hadn't sounded so pompous.
Future Perfect Tense

The future perfect tense designates action that will have been completed at a specified time in the future.

1. Saturday I will finish my housework. (simple future)

2. By Saturday noon, I will have finished my housework. (future perfect)
Review

1. Judy saved thirty dollars. (past)

2. Judy will save thirty dollars. (future)

3. Judy has saved thirty dollars. (present perfect)

4. Judy had saved thirty dollars by the end of last month. (past perfect)

5. Judy will have saved thirty dollars by the end of this month. (future perfect)

Notice: There can be only one "would have" action group in a sentence.

PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions for Time, Place, and Introducing Objects

Summary: This section deals with prepositions and their standard uses.

On is used with days:
I will see you on Monday.
The week begins on Sunday.

At is used with noon, night, midnight, and with the time of day:
My plane leaves at noon.
The movie starts at 6 p.m.

In is used with other parts of the day, with months, with years, with seasons:
He likes to read in the afternoon.
The days are long in August.
The book was published in 1999.
The flowers will bloom in spring.
Extended time

To express extended time, English uses the following prepositions: since, for, by, from—to, from-until, during,(with)in
She has been gone since yesterday. (She left yesterday and has not returned.)
I'm going to Paris for two weeks. (I will spend two weeks there.)
The movie showed from August to October. (Beginning in August and ending in October.)
The decorations were up from spring until fall. (Beginning in spring and ending in fall.)
I watch TV during the evening. (For some period of time in the evening.)
We must finish the project within a year. (No longer than a year.)
Place

To express notions of place, English uses the following prepositions: to talk about the point itself: in, to express something contained: inside, to talk about the surface: on, to talk about a general vicinity, at.
There is a wasp in the room.
Put the present inside the box.
I left your keys on the table.
She was waiting at the corner.
Higher than a point

To express notions of an object being higher than a point, English uses the following prepositions: over, above.
He threw the ball over the roof.
Hang that picture above the couch.
Lower than a point

To express notions of an object being lower than a point, English uses the following prepositions: under, underneath, beneath, below.
The rabbit burrowed under the ground.
The child hid underneath the blanket.
We relaxed in the shade beneath the branches.
The valley is below sea-level.
Close to a point

To express notions of an object being close to a point, English uses the following prepositions: near, by, next to, between, among, opposite.
She lives near the school.
There is an ice cream shop by the store.
An oak tree grows next to my house
The house is between Elm Street and Maple Street.
I found my pen lying among the books.
The bathroom is opposite that room.
To introduce objects of verbs

English uses the following prepositions to introduce objects of the following verbs.
At: glance, laugh, look, rejoice, smile, stare
She took a quick glance at her reflection.
(exception with mirror: She took a quick glance in the mirror.)
You didn't laugh at his joke.
I'm looking at the computer monitor.
We rejoiced at his safe rescue.
That pretty girl smiled at you.
Stop staring at me.
Of: approve, consist, smell
I don't approve of his speech.
My contribution to the article consists of many pages.
He came home smelling of alcohol.
Of (or about): dream, think
I dream of finishing college in four years.
Can you think of a number between one and ten?
I am thinking about this problem.
For: call, hope, look, wait, watch, wish
Did someone call for a taxi?
He hopes for a raise in salary next year.
I'm looking for my keys.
We'll wait for her here.
You go buy the tickets and I'll watch for the train.
If you wish for an "A" in this class, you must work hard.

MAKING SUBJECTS AND VERBS AGREE

Making Subjects and Verbs Agree

Summary: Ever get "subject/verb agreement" as an error on a paper? This handout will help you understand this common grammar problem.

This handout gives you several guidelines to help your subjects and verbs agree.

1. When the subject of a sentence is composed of two or more nouns or pronouns connected by and, use a plural verb.
She and her friends are at the fair.


2. When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by or or nor, use a singular verb.
The book or the pen is in the drawer.

3. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun joined by or or nor, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer the verb.
The boy or his friends run every day.
His friends or the boy runs every day.

4. Doesn't is a contraction of does not and should be used only with a singular subject. Don't is a contraction of do not and should be used only with a plural subject. The exception to this rule appears in the case of the first person and second person pronouns I and you. With these pronouns, the contraction don't should be used.
He doesn't like it.
They don't like it.

5. Do not be misled by a phrase that comes between the subject and the verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not with a noun or pronoun in the phrase.
One of the boxes is open
The people who listen to that music are few.
The team captain, as well as his players, is anxious.
The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is boring.
The woman with all the dogs walks down my street.

6. The words each, each one, either, neither, everyone, everybody, anybody, anyone, nobody, somebody, someone, and no one are singular and require a singular verb.
Each of these hot dogs is juicy.
Everybody knows Mr. Jones.

Either is correct.

7. Nouns such as civics, mathematics, dollars, measles, and news require singular verbs.
The news is on at six.
Note: the word dollars is a special case. When talking about an amount of money, it requires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars themselves, a plural verb is required.
Five dollars is a lot of money.
Dollars are often used instead of rubles in Russia.

8. Nouns such as scissors, tweezers, trousers, and shears require plural verbs. (There are two parts to these things.)
These scissors are dull.
Those trousers are made of wool.

9. In sentences beginning with there is or there are, the subject follows the verb. Since there is not the subject, the verb agrees with what follows.
There are many questions.
There is a question.

10. Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but that are considered singular and take a singular verb, such as: group, team, committee, class, and family.
The team runs during practice.
The committee decides how to proceed.
The family has a long history.
My family has never been able to agree.

In some cases, a sentence may call for the use of a plural verb when using a collective noun.
The crew are preparing to dock the ship.

This sentence is referring to the individual efforts of each crew member. The Gregg Reference Manual provides excellent explanations of subject-verb agreement (section 10: 1001).

11. Expressions such as with, together with, including, accompanied by, in addition to, or as well do not change the number of the subject. If the subject is singular, the verb is too.
The President, accompanied by his wife, is traveling to India.
All of the books, including yours, are in that box.

subject-verb agreement 2

Choose the right answer

1. There (is, are) twenty students in the room.

Enter Text:________ 

2. Neither my brothers nor my father (has, have) attended college.
Enter Text:________ 

3. The tapes in the glove compartment (belong, belongs) to Jerry. 

Enter Text:_____________ 

4. Each of my sons (wear, wears) a baseball cap. 
Enter Text:__________ 

5. The fans at the back of the theatre and that woman in front (was, were) making too much noise. 
Enter Text:____________ 

6. Maury and his brother (go, goes) to the bowling alley every day. 
Enter Text:__________ 

7. Everyone on the bus (was, were) annoyed by the little boy running up and down the aisle. 
Enter Text:__________ 

8. Either my hard drive or one of my programs (is, are) not working right.
Enter Text:____________ 

9. He is one of those people who (work, works) too hard. 
Enter Text:_____________ 

10. That man and his friends (meet, meets) for coffee in the snack room.

Enter Text:_____________

*Answers in comment box

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT 1

1. Either the physicians in this hospital or the chief administrator ____ going to have to make a decision.

A.  is

B.  are 

2. ______ my boss or my sisters in the union going to win this grievance?
A. Is
B. Are

3. Some of the votes __________ to have been miscounted. 

A. seem

B. seems

4. The tornadoes that tear through this county every spring _____ more than just a nuisance.

A. are

B. is

5. Everyone selected to serve on this jury _____ to be willing to give up a lot of time.

A. have

B. has

6. Kara Wolters, together with her teammates, _________ a formidable opponent on the basketball court.

A. presents

B.  present 

7. He seems to forget that there __________ things to be done before he can graduate.

A. are

B. is

8. There _______ to be some people left in that town after yesterday's flood.

A. have

B. has 

9. Some of the grain __________ to be contaminated.

A. appear

B.  appears

10. Three-quarters of the students __________ against the tuition hike.

A. is

B. are

11. Three-quarters of the student body __________ against the tuition hike.

A. is

B. are

12. A high percentage of the population _________ voting for the new school.

A. is

B. are

13. A high percentage of the people _________ voting for the new school.

A. was

B. were

*ANSWERS IN COMMENT BOX