Grammar Reference
There are seven groups of irregular verbs.
Group 1: completely irregular verbs
| Infinitive | Simple past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| be | was/were | been |
| do | did | done |
| go | went | gone |
Group 2: the write wrote written group
| Infinitive | Simple past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| beat | beat | beaten |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| break | broke | broken |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| drive | drove | driven |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| get | got | gotten |
| give | gave | given |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| take | took | taken |
| wake | woke | woken |
| write | wrote | written |
Group 3: the fly flew flown group
| Infinitive | Simple past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| blow | blew | blown |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| fly | flew | flown |
| grow | grew | grown |
| know | knew | known |
| lie | lay | lain |
| see | saw | seen |
| show | showed | shown |
| tear | tore | torn |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| wear | wore | worn |
Group 4: the come came come group
| Infinitive | Simple past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| become | became | become |
| come | came | come |
| run | ran | run |
Group 5: the begin began begun group
| Infinitive | Simple past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| begin | began | begun |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| ring | rang | rung |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sink | sank | sunk |
| swim | swam | swum |
Group 6: the meet met met group
| Infinitive | Simple past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| bend | bent | bent |
| bring | brought | brought |
| burn | burnt | burnt |
| build | built | built |
| buy | bought | bought |
| catch | caught | caught |
| feed | fed | fed |
| feel | felt | felt |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| hang | hung | hung |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hold | held | held |
| keep | kept | kept |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| pay | paid | paid |
| say | said | said |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| sit | sat | sat |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| spend | spent | spent |
| stand | stood | stood |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| swing | swung | swung |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| understand | understood | understood |
| win | won | won |
Group 7: the put put put group
| Infinitive | Simple past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| cost | cost | cost |
| cut | cut | cut |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| let | let | let |
| put | put | put |
| read | read | read |
| set | set | set |
| shut | shut | shut |
| spread | spread | spread |
Common irregular verbs in alphabetical order.
| Infinitive | Simple past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| be | was/were | been |
| beat | beat | beaten |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| bend | bent | bent |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| bring | brought | brought |
| burn | burnt | burnt |
| 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 |
| get | got | gotten |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang | hung | hung |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hold | held | held |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| know | knew | known |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| let | let | let |
| lie | lay | lain |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| pay | paid | paid |
| put | put | put |
| read | read | read |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| run | ran | run |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| set | set | set |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| shoot | shot | shot |
| show | showed | shown |
| shut | shut | shut |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sink | sank | sunk |
| sit | sat | sat |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| spend | spent | spent |
| spread | spread | spread |
| stand | stood | stood |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| sweep | swept | swept |
| 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 | woken |
| wear | wore | worn |
| win | won | won |
| write | wrote | written |
These regular and irregular verbs are easy to confuse:
| Infinitive | Simple past | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| fall (drop onto the ground) | fell | fallen |
| feel (experience an emotion or sensation) | felt | felt |
| fill (make something full) | filled | filled |
| find (get back something lost) | found | found |
| found (start up an organization or institution) | founded | founded |
| lay (put down flat) | laid | laid |
| lie (be down) | lay | lain |
| lie (say things that are not true) | lied | lied |
| leave (go away) | left | left |
| live (inhabit a place) | lived | lived |
| raise (put up) | raised | raised |
| rise (go/get up) | rose | risen |
| strike (hit) | struck | struck |
| stroke (pass the hand gently over) | stroked | stroked |