In this chapter, you’ll uncover past tense forms, discover the rules that guide them, and equip you with irregular verbs.
Imagine a group of verbs that break away from the ordinary. These are the “Irregular Verbs,” and they have past tense forms that don’t follow the usual pattern of adding -ed.
1. Unveiling the Spelling Rules
Even though irregular verbs don’t follow the regular -ed pattern, there are some patterns within their irregularity. Let’s discover the common ways their past tense forms change:
- Some irregular verbs change their vowel sound in the past tense.
- Some irregular verbs change their entire spelling in the past tense.
- Some irregular verbs stay the same in both the present and past tense.
2. Your Irregular Verbs List
Here are some important irregular verbs to add to your vocabulary.
Change Vowel Sound:
begin (present) → began (past)
sing (present) → sang (past)
drink (present) → drank (past)
swim (present) → swam (past)
Change Entire Spelling:
run (present) → ran (past)
drive (present) → drove (past)
write (present) → wrote (past)
break (present) → broke (past)
Stay the Same:
put (present) → put (past)
cut (present) → cut (past)
cost (present) → cost (past)
hit (present) → hit (past)
Using Irregular Verbs with Confidence
Remember, irregular verbs are like unique puzzle pieces that make your stories vibrant and exciting. Keep these tips in mind.
4. Positive Sentences
Use the past tense forms of irregular verbs in your sentences.
5. Negative Sentences
For negatives, use “did not” (or “didn’t“) before the base form of the verb.
6. Questions
To ask questions about actions, start with “did,” then add the subject and the base form of the verb.
7. Practice Time
Practice using irregular verbs in sentences. Imagine you’re a detective solving the mystery of language!
