Regular and Irregular Verbs For beginners

Learn the difference between regular verbs (like 'walk' – 'walked') and irregular verbs (like 'go' – 'went'). Simple explanations, examples, and exercises included.

"Regular and Irregular Verbs" in English Grammar

What Are Regular Verbs?

Regular verbs follow a consistent pattern when used in different tenses. They usually get '-ed' at the end to form the past tense of the verb. Here is a table of some of the most common regular verbs:

Past Tense

Ask

asked

Talk

talked

Call

called

Play

played

Start

started

Watch

watched

Change

changed

Check out some examples:

Example

She played basketball back then.

She changed the house keys.

We talked to him yesterday.

ThumbnailPhoto

What Are Irregular Verbs?

Irregular verbs do not follow a fixed rule when forming the past tense. Here are some of the most common irregular verbs:

Past Tense

Be

was/were

Do

did

Break

broke

Eat

ate

Get

got

Go

went

Make

made

Now, let's see these verbs in action:

Example

She went to the market yesterday.

I made some tea for myself.

He ate all the cookies.

Quiz:


1.

Which of the following sentences uses a regular verb in the past tense?

A

I broke my phone yesterday.

B

They went to the concert.

C

He played soccer with his friends.

D

She ate breakfast early.

2.

Which verbs are irregular in the past tense? (choose five)

make

change

talk

break

get

go

start

walk

eat

open

3.

Fill the blanks with the past form of the verbs in parentheses.

She

(go) to the party last night.

They

(finish) their homework before the teacher arrived.

We

(watch) a great movie yesterday.

I

(eat) an ice cream in the park.

I

(call) him yesterday.

4.

Match the verbs with their correct past tense forms.

do
be
break
go
get
make
broke
did
went
got
made
was/were
5.

Fill in the blanks with the correct category of each verb: regular/irregular.

verbcategory

ask

break

watch

do

get

start

irregular
regular

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