The irregular verbs of English are a hindrance to those learning English as a second or later language and they provide opportunity for confusion and mistakes by native speakers as well. There are nearly 100 irregular verbs in English, but they are not entirely irregular. To begin with, the only parts of the verbs that are out of pattern are the past form and the past participle form, and there are regular patterns within those differences. Many irregular verbs also have regular forms. American English generally favors the regular forms.
The irregulars are a closed set; verbs that are newly invented or borrowed from other languages are cast into regular forms.
The irregulars can be classified into the three broad groups listed below.
These three groups are further subdivided to give the seven major regular patterns described below.
All forms identical (AAA)
E.g.:
bet bet bet
The verbs that follow this pattern are:
bet (R) bid (R) burst cast cost cut
hit hurt knit (R) let put quit (R)
rid (R) set shed shit shut slit
split spread sweat (R) thrust wed (R) wet (R)
Past is regular and past participle has both a regular form and a nasalized form (ABB+)
hew hewed hewn (hewed)
mow mowed mown (mowed)
saw sawed sawn (sawed)
sew sewed sewn (sewed)
shear sheared shorn (sheared)
show showed shown (showed)
sow sowed sown (sowed)
strew strewed strewn (strewed)
swell swelled swollen (swelled)
Past and past participle same, but have 't' voicing added (ABB+)
a. American English prefers the regular -ed inflection for this group, but British English uses the following irregular inflection.
burn burnt burnt (also regular)
dwell dwelt dwelt (also regular)
learn learnt learnt (also regular)
smell smelt smelt (also regular)
spell spelt spelt (also regular)
spill spilt spilt (also regular)
spoil spoilt spoilt (also regular)
b.
bend bent bent
build built built
lend lent lent
rend rent rent
send sent sent
spend spend spent
c.
have had had
make made made
Past and past participle are same, but the base vowel is different
a.
bleed bled bled
breed bred bred
feed fed fed
hold held held
lead led led
meet met met
read read read
speed sped sped
b.
cling clung clung
dig dug dug
fling flung flung
hang hung hung
sling slung slung
slink slunk slunk
spin spun spun
stick stuck stuck
sting stung stung
strike struck struck
string strung strung
swing swung swung
win won won
wring wrung wrung
c.
bind bound bound
find found found
grind ground ground
wind wound wound
d.
light lit lit
slide slid slid
e.
sit sat sat
spit spat spat (or spit, spit; particularly in Am. Eng.)
f.
get got got (or got, gotten in Am. Eng.)
shine shone shone (sometimes regular in the transitive sense, esp. in Am. Eng.)
shoot shot shot
g.
fight fought fought
h.
stand stood stood
i.
stride strode strode
Past and past participle are same, but the base vowel is different and voicing changes
a.
bereave bereft bereft (also regular)
cleave cleft cleft
creep crept crept
deal dealt dealt
dream dreamt dreamt (also regular)
feel felt felt
flee fled fled
keep kept kept
kneel knelt knelt (also regular)
lean leant leant (also regular)
leap lept lept (also regular)
leave left left
mean meant meant
sleep slept slept
sweep swept swept
weep wept wept
b.
beseech besought besought
bring brought brought
buy bought bought
catch caught caught
seek sought sought
teach taught taught
think thought thought
c.
lose lost lost
sell sold sold
tell told told
hear heard heard
say said said
shoe shod shod (also regular)
Past and past participle have vowel change; the participle has a nasal suffix(ABC)
a. Past and past participle have the same vowel
break broke broken
choose chose chosen
freeze froze frozen
speak spoke spoken
steal stole stolen
wake woke woken (also regular)
weave wove woven
bear bore borne (transitive sense) or born (passive sense)
swear swore sworn
tear tore torn
wear wore worn
bite bit bitten
hide hid hidden
forget forgot forgotten
tread trod trodden
lie lay lain
b. Base and participle have the same vowel
blow blew blown
grow grew grown
know knew known
throw threw thrown
forsake forsook forsaken
shake shook shaken
take took taken
bid bade bidden
forbid forbade forbidden
give gave given
draw drew drawn
fall fell fallen
eat ate eaten
see saw seen
slay slew slain
c. Different vowels in all three parts
drive drove driven
ride rode ridden
rise rose risen
strike struck stricken
strive strove striven (also regular)
write wrote written
fly flew flown
do did done
go went gone
d. Same vowel in all three parts
beat beat beaten
e. Same vowel in base and participle, but no nasalization
dive dove* dived (also regular in Amer. Eng.)
thrive throve thrived (also regular)
*Thanks to Tiefling, who has pointed out that "'dove' is more often heard in Scots or American English than in Standard, which prefers 'dived'."
Vowel change, but no suffix
a.
begin began begun
drink drank drunk
ring rang rung
shrink shrank shrunk (also shrink, shrunk, shrunk)
sing sang sung
sink sank sunk
spin span spun (archaic according to AHD and some other sources)
spring sprang sprung
stink stank stunk
swim swam swum
b.
come came come
run ran run
Be
The verb be is unique in that it has eight different parts.
Present
1st person, singular am
2nd person, singular are
3rd person, singular is
Plural (all persons) are
Past
1st person, singular was
2nd person, singular were
3rd person, singular was
Plural (all persons) were
Past participle
been