Regular and irregular verbs Explained with definition and Examples

Regular and irregular verbs are two important types of verbs in English. Regular verbs follow a simple rule: they form their past tense by adding -ed to the base form, like walk becoming walked.

However, irregular verbs don’t follow this pattern, and their past forms can change completely, like go becoming went. Understanding the difference between regular and irregular verbs helps in using the correct past forms while speaking and writing.

What Are Regular Verbs?

Regular verbs follow a simple and predictable pattern when forming their past tense and past participle. To create the past forms of regular verbs, you simply add -ed or d to the base form of the verb.

Examples of Regular Verbs:

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
play	played	played
walk	walked	walked
dance	danced	danced
clean	cleaned	cleaned
study	studied	studied

Key Points to Remember:

Regular verbs are consistent in forming their past tense by adding -ed or -d to the base verb.
If the verb ends with a consonant + y, you change y to i before adding -ed. For example, study becomes studied.

Example Sentences:

She walked to the store yesterday.
They have played football all day.

What Are Irregular Verbs?

Irregular verbs, on the other hand, do not follow a fixed pattern when forming their past tense or past participle. Instead of adding -ed, the verb changes form in different ways, and there’s no single rule to memorize.

Examples of Irregular Verbs:

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
go	went	gone
eat	ate	eaten
take	took	taken
have	had	had
see	saw	seen

Key Points to Remember:

Irregular verbs change form unpredictably. You need to memorize the past forms since they don’t follow the regular -ed rule.
Many irregular verbs are commonly used in English, so practicing them is essential.

Example Sentences:

She went to the park last week.
I have seen that movie before.

Regular & Irregular Verbs with examples

Differences Between Regular and Irregular Verbs

Understanding the differences between regular and irregular verbs is crucial for building grammatically correct sentences. Here’s a simple comparison:

Aspect	Regular Verbs	Irregular Verbs
Past Tense Formation	Add -ed or -d to the base form	Change form in various ways
Predictability	Always follow the same rule	No fixed rule; must be memorized
Examples	play → played	go → went
Past Participle Formation	Same as past tense (played)	May differ from past tense (gone)

Common Mistakes When Using Regular and Irregular Verbs

Many ESL learners make mistakes when using regular and irregular verbs, especially with irregular forms. Let’s look at a few common errors and how to avoid them.

**Mistake 1: Using -ed with Irregular Verbs**

Since irregular verbs do not follow the regular -ed rule, adding -ed to an irregular verb is incorrect.

Incorrect: She goed to the store.
Correct: She went to the store.

Mistake 2: Mixing Up Past Tense and Past Participle Forms

Sometimes learners confuse the past tense with the past participle forms of irregular verbs.

Incorrect: I have saw that movie.
Correct: I have seen that movie.

Mistake 3: Forgetting Spelling Changes in Regular Verbs

Remember, some regular verbs require spelling changes before adding -ed.

Incorrect: She studyed all night.
Correct: She studied all night.

How to Identify Regular and Irregular Verbs

If you’re unsure whether a verb is regular or irregular, here are some quick tips:

Check the Past Tense and Past Participle Forms: If the past tense ends with -ed (like played), it’s a regular verb. If it changes form completely (like went), it’s irregular.
Memorize Common Irregular Verbs: Start by learning the most commonly used irregular verbs. With practice, you’ll begin to recognize them easily.

List of Common Regular and Irregular Verbs

Here’s a quick list of some regular and irregular verbs to help you get started:

Regular Verbs:

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
call	called	called
look	looked	looked
live	lived	lived
open	opened	opened
start	started	started

Irregular Verbs:

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
come	came	come
drink	drank	drunk
write	wrote	written
break	broke	broken
sing	sang	sung

Advanced Concepts: Mixed Verbs

Some verbs can be both regular and irregular depending on how they are used. These verbs are known as mixed verbs.

Example:

Burn: In British English, burn can be both regular and irregular:
- Regular: He burned the toast.
- Irregular: He burnt the toast.

Example Sentences of Regular & Irregular Verbs

Regular Verbs (Sentence)	Irregular Verbs (Sentence)
She played tennis with her friend.	He ate a big breakfast.
We talked about the meeting.	She went to the market yesterday.
He opened the window to let fresh air in.	They took the bus to school.
They watched TV after dinner.	He ran five miles this morning.
I worked on my assignment last night.	We saw a beautiful rainbow.
She cleaned the kitchen after cooking.	They came home late last night.
He jumped over the small fence.	I bought a new phone last week.
They laughed at the funny joke.	She drove to the office early.
We called him to ask for help.	He taught the class today.
She started her new job yesterday.	They swam in the pool for hours.
He fixed the broken chair.	I wrote a letter to my friend.
They lived in a small village.	She took a photo of the sunset.
We visited the museum last weekend.	He gave her a nice gift.
She danced all night at the party.	They sang their favorite song.
He waited for the bus for an hour.	I read the book last month.
I watched a movie before bed.	She fell off the bike and got hurt.
She helped her brother with homework.	He drank a glass of water.
They walked to the park together.	We found the missing keys.
We asked the teacher for extra help.	They met at the café for lunch.
I played the piano for my friends.	He broke his phone yesterday.