Regular Verbs vs. Irregular Verbs
When “-ed” or “-d” is added to a verb to form its past tense or past participle, then such verbs are called regular verbs. The past tense and the past participle of regular verbs are usually identical to the verb itself.
Below are some examples of regular verbs:
| Regular Verb | Past Tense | Past Participle |
| Love | Loved | Loved |
| Talk | Talked | Talked |
| Wink | Winked | Winked |
| Ask | Asked | Asked |
| Dance | Danced | Danced |
Irregular verbs are those that don’t conjugate like regular verbs do. They also don’t abide by the rules that regular verbs follow.
Types of Irregular Verbs
1. Irregular verbs formed by slightly modifying the original verb
| Irregular Verb | Past Tense | Past Participle |
| Build | Built | Built |
| Lend | Lent | Lent |
| Sing | Sang | Sung |
| Feed | Fed | Fed |
| Become | Became | Become |
2. Irregular verbs that remain the same as the original verb
| Irregular Verb | Past Tense | Past Participle |
| Bid | Bid | Bid |
| Cast | Cast | Cast |
| Let | Let | Let |
| Quit | Quit | Quit |
| Cut | Cut | Cut |
3. Irregular verbs that are completely different from the original verb
| Irregular Verb | Past Tense | Past Participle |
| Forgive | Forgave | Forgiven |
| Shake | Shook | Shaken |
| See | Saw | Seen |
| Take | Took | Taken |
| Fly | Flew | Flown |
How to Use Irregular Verbs in a Sentence
The English language has hundreds of irregular verbs that don’t follow standard grammar rules. Unlike regular verbs, irregular verbs do not follow any particular pattern; therefore, they can be tricky to learn, understand, and use.
While memorizing can help, a better way to learn about and use irregular verbs and their proper verb tenses is through practice. Also, understanding the context in which these verbs are used in a sentence can further improve one’s comprehension of such verbs and verb forms.
Below are some examples that show how irregular verbs can be used in sentences.
Using an Irregular Verb in a Sentence
Build/Built/Built
- The authorities decided to tear down the ancient library and build a new one in its place.
- My brother built a new garage last month, and I’m wondering if I should too.
- The bridge was built over the river within 6 months.
Lend/Lent/Lent
- It is never a good idea to lend money to someone who isn’t trustworthy.
- I lent a couple of books to a friend, who is yet to return to them.
- My friend had lent me his black suit, which I wore to my college graduation.
Sing/Sang/Sung
- I like singing but I’m too shy to sing in front of a crowd.
- The best man at my friend’s wedding sang my favorite song.
- The band’s hit single became popular and was sung everywhere.
Feed/Fed/Fed
- I feed wet food to my cat twice a day.
- I fed fruits to my kid when he refused to eat lunch.
- He couldn’t eat any solid food and, therefore, was fed through a tube for a month.
Become/Became/Become
- Janet has become one of the most popular lawyers in New York City.
- As he aged, he became more and more like his father.
- The unruly rioters had become a big security threat to the residents of that area.
Bid/Bid/Bid
- Sandra is on her way to the airport, as we speak, to see Brandon off and bid him farewell.
- John bid his daughter goodnight as he tucked her into her bed.
- The mourners had to bid farewell to the school shooting victims from a distance since they weren’t allowed near the burial site.
Cast/Cast/Cast
- Sheila is bedridden and, therefore, opted for postal voting to cast her vote.
- Mark cast his vote for his favorite actress, in an online contest, and hoped he would get a chance to meet her.
- All votes in the town had been cast through postal voting.
Let/Let/Let
- If you want me to help you, then you have to let me help you.
- The resort staff were kind enough to let us stay for another night since we couldn’t drive in the bad weather.
- The dogs had to be let out after they got into a fight with each other.
Quit/Quit/Quit
- I want to quit my job, but I don’t have the courage to do it.
- Elaine quit her job a few years ago because of ill health.
- He had quit school when he was 13 because he dreamed of becoming an actor.
Cut/Cut/Cut
- Let me grab a pair of scissors to cut the extra thread hanging from your dress.
- Anna loved her birthday cake and she couldn’t wait to cut it!
- She had cut all ties with her maternal family after her mom died.
Forgive/Forgave/Forgiven
- She decided to forgive the person who had wronged her.
- His wife forgave him and gave him a second chance despite what he had done.
- Although his family had forgiven him, they had decided to never talk to him again.
Shake/Shook/Shaken
- Although Kamala was a teetotaler, she very well knew how to properly shake a cocktail.
- We shook hands at the meeting.
- The coach had shaken the champagne bottle and kept it ready for the team to open it.
See/Saw/Seen
- Rita was told to see a specialist to get her mole checked.
- They saw the play over the weekend.
- I hadn’t seen her before that fateful day.
Take/Took/Taken
- She asked the waiter to pack the leftovers, so she could take it home for her dog.
- The witness took one look at the culprit and confirmed that it was he who had robbed her neighbors.
- If he had taken my advice seriously, he wouldn’t have lost so much money.
Fly/Flew/Flown
- Amanda flew to San Francisco last month.
- The Senator had just flown to London when he heard the news and decided to fly back home.
- He was keen to fly a kite but didn’t know how to.
Besides the above examples, there are several other irregular verbs commonly used in writing. For more on verbs or rules related to verb usage, read our articles on verb tense consistency and subject verb agreement rules.
