Irregular verbs do not follow the spelling pattern of regular verbs. Reminder; we add "ed" or "d" to regular verbs to show that an action began and ended in the past. Irregular verbs do not end in "ed" or "d" but have a different spelling then the root word. It is best to memorize the spelling of irregular verbs. To help develop your irregular verb vocabulary read a large variety of material.
| Present | Past | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verb | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
| To be | I am | We are | I was | We were |
| You are | You are | You were | You were | |
| He, she, it is | They are | He, she, it | was | |
| To have | I have | We have | I had | We had |
| You have | You have | You had | You had | |
| He, she, it has | They have | He, she, it, had | They had | |
| To do | I do | We do | I did | We did |
| You do | You do | You did | You did | |
| He, she, it does | They do | He, she, it, did | They did | |
Irregular verbs usually change spelling in the past tense.
| Root Word | Past Tense |
|---|---|
| come | came |
| think | thought |
| make | made |
| give | gave |
| do | did |
| get | got |
| leave | left |
| speak | spoke |
| read | read |
| have | had |
| go | went |
| keep | kept |
| hurt | hurt |
| know | knew |
| lay | laid |
| leave | left |
Although, for many irregular verbs, the spelling does not change.
| Present Tense ~ Root Verb | Past Tense ~ Root Verb |
|---|---|
| beat | beat |
| bet | bet |
| burst | burst |
| cast | cast |
| cost | cost |
| cut | cut |
| hit | hit |
| hurt | hurt |
| let | let |
| put | put |
| quit | quit |
| read | read |
| set | set |
| shed | shed |
| shut | shut |
| split | split |
| spread | spread |
Writing Tip: Walk away from your writing. Take a break from your work. Come back refreshed ready to proofread your writing and you will come back with a new prospective.