Irregular verbs behave like a rude boss for many students.
They don’t follow the standard +ed rule, so they require pure memorization.Here is a breakdown of the most common irregular verbs categorized by their patterns, which often makes them easier for students to learn.
1. The “No-Change” Verbs
These are the easiest (and sometimes the most confusing) because the base, past, and participle are identical.
| Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle |
| Cost | Cost | Cost |
| Cut | Cut | Cut |
| Hit | Hit | Hit |
| Let | Let | Let |
| Put | Put | Put |
| Read | Read (pronounced “red”) | Read (pronounced “red”) |
2. The “I-A-U” Pattern
These follow a vowel-shift pattern that is very rhythmic.
| Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle |
| Begin | Began | Begun |
| Drink | Drank | Drunk |
| Sing | Sang | Sung |
| Swim | Swam | Swum |
3. The “O-E-N” Pattern
In these verbs, the past participle usually ends in “n.”
| Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle |
| Drive | Drove | Driven |
| Give | Gave | Given |
| Ride | Rode | Ridden |
| Speak | Spoke | Spoken |
| Write | Wrote | Written |
4. The “Thought/Bought” Group
These are notorious for their spelling but follow a consistent “ought/aught” sound in the past and participle forms.
| Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle |
| Bring | Brought | Brought |
| Buy | Bought | Bought |
| Catch | Caught | Caught |
| Fight | Fought | Fought |
| Teach | Taught | Taught |
| Think | Thought | Thought |
5. The “Wildcards” (High Frequency)
These are the most used verbs in the English language and, naturally, they are the most irregular.
| Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle |
| Be | Was / Were | Been |
| Do | Did | Done |
| Go | Went | Gone |
| Have | Had | Had |
| Say | Said | Said |
| See | Saw | Seen |
Pro-Tip for your Students:
When teaching these, I recommend grouping them by the sound (like the “Ought” group) rather than alphabetically. The brain remembers patterns much faster than a random list!
Do you like the pattern matching of irregular verbs. Share your views in the comment section.
