Irregular Verbs: The Quirky Bunch
Irregular verbs are verbs that don't follow the standard rules of conjugation (changing their form to show tense). Instead of adding "-ed" or "-ing", they have unique forms for the past tense and past participle.
Here are some examples of irregular verbs in English:
| Infinitive | Past Tense | Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| be | was/were | been |
| begin | began | begun |
| come | came | come |
| do | did | done |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| go | went | gone |
| have | had | had |
| know | knew | known |
| make | made | made |
| see | saw | seen |
| take | took | taken |
| write | wrote | written |
Why are they irregular?
Many irregular verbs have been around in the English language for a very long time. Their forms come from older versions of English, and they've simply become "stuck" as irregular.
Why learn them?
While some irregular verbs are easier to remember than others, it's important to learn them all because they are frequently used in everyday language.
Regular Verbs: The Predictable Ones
Regular verbs are the opposite of irregular verbs. They follow the standard rules for conjugating. You can typically add "-ed" or "-ing" to form the past tense and past participle.
Examples of regular verbs:
* Walk: walked, walking
* Talk: talked, talking
* Play: played, playing
* Jump: jumped, jumping
Remember: While most verbs are regular, there are still many irregular ones. You'll find them all over the place in everyday English!