Irregular Verbs List

Here is an irregular verbs list that includes commonly used verbs. We must memorize the principal parts of irregular verbs. To test yourself, cover the past and past participle forms on the irregular verbs list, then try to write or say the past and past participle for each verb.

VERB

beat
bite
bring
build
burst
buy
catch
come
cost
dive
drag
draw
drown
drive
eat
fall
feel
fight
find
flee
flow
fly
forsake
forget
forgive
get
give
go
hang (execute)
hang (suspend)
hide
hold
keep
lay (place)
lead
lend
lie (recline)
lie (deceive)
lose
make
mistake
put
ride
rise
run
see
sell
set
shake
shine (light)
shine (polish)
shut
sit
slay
sleep
spring
stand
strive
swim
swing
take
teach
tell
think
wake
weave
wring
write

PAST

beat
bit
brought
built
burst
bought
caught
came
cost
dove or dived
dragged
drew
drowned
drove
ate
fell
felt
fought
found
fled
flowed
flew
forsook
forgot
forgave
got
gave
went
hanged
hung
hid
held
kept
laid
led
lent
lay
lied
lost
made
mistook
put
rode
rose
ran
saw
sold
set
shook
shone
shined
shut
sat
slew
slept
sprang or sprung
stood
strove
swam
swung
took
taught
told
thought
woke
wove
wrung
wrote

PAST PARTICIPLE

(has) beaten
(has) bitten
(has) brought
(has) built
(has) burst
(has) bought
(has) caught
(has) come
(has) cost
(has) dived
(has) dragged
(has) drawn
(has) drowned
(has) driven
(has) eaten
(has) fallen
(has) felt
(has) fought
(has) found
(has) fled
(has) flowed
(has) flown
(has) forsaken
(has) forgotten
(has) forgiven
(has) gotten
(has) given
(has) gone
(has) hanged
(has) hung
(has) hidden or hid
(has) held
(has) kept
(has) laid
(has) led
(has) lent
(has) lain
(has) lied
(has) lost
(has) made
(has) mistaken
(has) put
(has) ridden
(has) risen
(has) run
(has) seen
(has) sold
(has) set
(has) shaken
(has) shone
(has) shined
(has) shut
(has) sat
(has) slain
(has) slept
(has) sprung
(has) stood
(has) striven
(has) swum
(has) swung
(has) taken
(has) taught
(has) told
(has) thought
(has) woken
(has) woven
(has) wrung
(has) written

Errors to Avoid

People sometimes treat a regular verb as if it were irregular. For example, the past tense of drag is dragged, not "drug." The past tense of drown is simply drowned, not "drownded." Avoid these errors by memorizing the irregular verbs list and consulting a dictionary when in doubt. If the dictionary does not list the verb's principle parts, the verb is regular.

Examples 1

Write the past and past participle forms of each verb. Refer to the irregular verbs list if necessary.

1. burst
4. draw
7. flee
10. ride
13. make
16. hang (execute)
19. think
22. stand

2. forsake
5. catch
8. dive
11. go
14. lie (recline)
17. hang (dangle)
20. swim
23. swing

3. eat
6. fly
9. see
12. give
15. lie (deceive)
18. write
21. sleep
24. wring

Solutions

We refer to the irregular verbs list to find the past tense and past participle of each verb.

  1. burst, burst, (has) burst
  2. forsake, forsook, (has) forsaken
  3. eat, ate, (has) eaten
  4. draw, drew, (has) drawn
  5. catch, caught, (has) caught
  6. fly, flew, (has) flown
  7. flee, fled, (has) fled
  8. dive, dove, (has) dived
  9. see, saw, (has) seen
  10. ride, rode, (has) ridden
  11. go, went, (has) gone
  12. give, gave, (has) given
  13. make, made, (has) made
  14. lie, lay, (has) lain
  15. lie, lied, (has) lied
  16. hang, hanged, (has) hanged
  17. hang, hung, (has) hung
  18. write, wrote, (has) written
  19. think, thought, (has) thought
  20. swim, swam, (has) swum
  21. sleep, slept, (has) slept
  22. stand, stood, (has) stood
  23. swing, swung, (has) swung
  24. wring, wrung, (has) wrung

Examples 2

Write the correct verb form for each sentence. Refer to the irregular verbs list if necessary.

  1. I (fleed, fled) out the door with a lump in my throat.
  2. The last day had (come, came) too soon.
  3. It had (catched, caught) us by surprise.
  4. Tennessee Williams (came, come) to be regarded as one of the foremost dramatists of the twentieth century.
  5. Some critics (feeled, felt) that A Streetcar Named Desire was the best play ever written by an American.
  6. Unfortunately, the dramatist (fell, fallen) under the influence of drugs and alcohol in his later years.
  7. George Mason (brang, brought, brung) his thoughts together in the Fairfax Resolves.
  8. He had not (forsook, forsaken, forsake) his conscience.
  9. George Mason (draw, drew, drawn) up the Fairfax Resolves knowing that war was almost inevitable.
  10. The sun (rised, rose) at six a.m.
  11. Oh dear, I've (losed, lost) my homework again!
  12. Abraham Lincoln (run, ran) for office several times before he was elected.
  13. Despite criticism, William Wordsworth (hold, held) to his belief that poetry should draw from the scenes and events of everyday life.
  14. He (seen, saw) beauty everywhere in nature.
  15. George Mason (give, gave, given) his reasons for opposing the Constitution.
  16. George Washington had (mistake, mistook, mistaken) the honest intentions of George Mason.
  17. By the end of the bath, Fido had (shook, shaken) water all over the place!
  18. Salina has (wove, woven) some pretty baskets.
  19. She (swang, swung) the bat for strike two.
  20. A grateful person (thinked, thought) that the Unknown Soldier should be honored.
  21. The enemy had (slew, slain) this soldier.
  22. The soldier (stood, standed) for others who lost their lives in the war.

Solutions

We refer to the irregular verbs list for the following answers:

  1. I fled out the door with a lump in my throat.
  2. The last day had come too soon.
  3. It had caught us by surprise.
  4. Tennessee Williams came to be regarded as one of the foremost dramatists of the twentieth century.
  5. Some critics felt that A Streetcar Named Desire was the best play ever written by an American.
  6. Unfortunately, the dramatist fell under the influence of drugs and alcohol in his later years.
  7. George Mason brought his thoughts together in the Fairfax Resolves.
  8. He had not forsaken his conscience.
  9. George Mason drew up the Fairfax Resolves knowing that war was almost inevitable.
  10. The sun rose at six a.m.
  11. Oh dear, I've lost my homework again!
  12. Abraham Lincoln ran for office several times before he was elected.
  13. Despite criticism, Wordsworth held to his belief that poetry should draw from the scenes and events of everyday life.
  14. He saw beauty everywhere in nature.
  15. George Mason gave his reasons for opposing the Constitution.
  16. George Washington had mistaken the honest intentions of George Mason.
  17. By the end of the bath, Fido had shaken water all over the place!
  18. Salina has woven some pretty baskets.
  19. She swung the bat for strike two.
  20. A grateful person thought that the Unknown Soldier should be honored.
  21. The enemy had slain this soldier.
  22. The soldier stood for others who lost their lives in the war.