Common Irregular Verbs

Why This Matters

Irregular verbs refuse to follow the standard "-ed" pattern that makes regular verbs so predictable. On grammar and usage tests, you're not just being asked to recall that "go" becomes "went." You're being tested on your understanding of verb tense formation, auxiliary verb functions, and how these verbs operate in complex grammatical structures like perfect tenses and reported speech.

These fifteen verbs appear constantly in writing and speech, which means errors with them stand out immediately to readers and graders. Mastering their forms isn't about memorization alone. It's about recognizing why certain verbs function as auxiliaries, how linking verbs differ from action verbs, and when to use past participles versus simple past forms. Don't just memorize the principal parts; know what grammatical role each verb plays and how its irregularity affects sentence construction.

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Auxiliary Verbs: The Grammar Workhorses

These verbs do double duty. They carry meaning on their own and help form tenses, questions, and negatives for other verbs. Their auxiliary functions make them essential for constructing complex sentences.

Be (am, is, are, was, were, been)

• Most irregular verb in English. It changes form completely based on person, number, and tense.
• Functions as both linking verb and auxiliary. As a linking verb, it connects subjects to complements (She is tired). As an auxiliary, it forms progressive tenses (She is running) and passive voice (She was seen).
• Being serves as the present participle, completing the full set of principal parts needed for all tense formations.

Have (had)

• Primary auxiliary for perfect tenses. It combines with past participles to show completed action (I have eaten, She had left).
• Indicates possession when used as a main verb (I have a question), though this function appears less frequently on grammar tests.
• Had functions as both simple past and past participle, which simplifies its irregular pattern to just one form you need to learn.

Do (did, done)

• Essential for forming questions and negatives. It provides the auxiliary support that main verbs need (Do you understand?, I didn't go).
• Creates emphasis in affirmative statements when stressed (I do believe you).
• Done appears only as a past participle; never use it as simple past (I did it, not I done it).

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Verbs of Motion and Direction

These verbs describe physical movement and share a common challenge: their past forms bear no resemblance to their base forms, making them frequent sources of errors.

Go (went, gone)

• "Went" comes from a completely different Old English verb (wendan). This suppletive form makes go one of the most irregular verbs in the language.
• "Gone" requires an auxiliary. It cannot stand alone as a past tense (She has gone, not She gone).
• Appears in countless idioms (go figure, go ahead), making its correct forms essential for natural expression.

Come (came, come)

• The past participle matches the base form. This pattern causes real confusion: She has come, not She has came.
• Indicates movement toward the speaker, contrasting with go's movement away.
• The vowel change pattern (come → came) carries over to related verbs like become and overcome.

Take (took, taken)

• Forms follow a vowel-shift pattern. The base a becomes oo in the past, then a returns with the -en suffix in the participle.
• Requires "taken" with auxiliaries in perfect tenses (I have taken, never I have took).
• Pairs naturally with "give" in discussions of transfer and exchange.

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Verbs of Perception and Cognition

These verbs describe mental processes: seeing, knowing, thinking. Their irregular forms often involve vowel changes that follow recognizable patterns.

See (saw, seen)

• Describes visual perception but extends to understanding (I see what you mean).
• "Seen" never stands alone as past tense. It always requires an auxiliary (I have seen, not I seen).
• The vowel pattern (ee → aw → ee + n) is similar to verbs like eat (ate, eaten), where the participle partially returns toward the base vowel sound.

Know (knew, known)

• Indicates familiarity or awareness, covering both factual knowledge (I know the answer) and personal acquaintance (I know her).
• Follows the ow → ew → own pattern, also seen in grow (grew, grown) and throw (threw, thrown).
• The past participle "known" frequently functions as an adjective (a known fact), which is worth recognizing on tests.

Think (thought)

• Past and past participle are identical, which simplifies usage once you learn the single irregular form.
• "Thought" shares its ending with bring (brought), buy (bought), and catch (caught).
• Commonly appears in reported speech and opinion expressions, making correct form essential for academic writing.

Find (found)

• Another verb with identical past and participle forms, reducing the memorization burden.
• The vowel change pattern (i → ou) mirrors bind (bound) and wind (wound).
• Extends beyond physical discovery to include realization and judgment (I found it interesting).

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Verbs of Transfer and Creation

These verbs describe giving, receiving, and making. They appear constantly in both everyday language and formal writing.

Give (gave, given)

• Describes transfer of possession and often appears in ditransitive constructions with two objects (She gave him the book).
• The vowel pattern (i → a → i + en) matches forgive (forgave, forgiven).
• "Given" frequently functions as a preposition meaning "considering" (Given the circumstances).

Get (got, gotten/got)

• American English uses "gotten" as the past participle; British English uses "got" for both past and participle.
• Extremely versatile. It appears in phrasal verbs (get up, get over) and causative constructions (get it done).
• "Have got" means "have" in British English (I've got a car), adding another layer of usage complexity.

Make (made)

• Past and participle forms are identical, so there's just one irregular form to learn.
• Functions in causative constructions: make + object + base verb (She made him apologize). Note that the verb following the object takes its base form, not the infinitive with "to."
• Appears in numerous fixed expressions (make sense, make do, make up).

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Verbs of Communication and Change

These verbs describe speaking and transformation. They frequently appear in reported speech constructions and descriptions of development.

Say (said)

• Primary verb for reported speech. It introduces direct and indirect quotations.
• The irregular form "said" is pronounced /sɛd/, so the spelling doesn't match the pronunciation.
• Differs from "tell" in that say doesn't require an indirect object (She said hello vs. She told him the news).

Become (became, become)

• A linking verb indicating transformation. It connects the subject to a new state or condition.
• The past participle matches the base form, the same pattern as come (from which it derives).
• Followed by nouns or adjectives, never adverbs (She became successful, not She became successfully).

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Quick Reference Table

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Self-Check Questions

1. Which two verbs share the pattern where the past participle matches the base form, and what common origin explains this similarity?

2. Identify three verbs from this list that have identical past tense and past participle forms. What advantage does this pattern offer for usage?

3. Compare and contrast have and do as auxiliary verbs. What grammatical functions does each serve, and when would you use one versus the other?

4. A student writes: "I seen the movie yesterday" and "She has went home." Identify the error pattern in both sentences and explain the correct forms.

5. If asked to write about a transformation or change in state, which verb from this list would be most appropriate, and what grammatical category does it belong to? What must follow this verb, and what cannot?