Not totally irregular verbs

1. Complete the tables and the rules.

Group 1: vowel changes

Infinitive Past simple Past participle Translation
begin
swim swam
ring rung

1. ‘ i’ changes to ___ for the past simple and ___ for the past participle

Infinitive Past simple Past participle Translation

blow blown
grow grew
know

2. ‘o’ and ‘a’ change to ___ for the past simple; the past participle ends with ___

Infinitive Past simple Past participle Translation

speak spoken
break broke
choose

3. ‘double vowel’ changes to ___ for the past simple and past participle; the past participle ends with ___

Infinitive Past simple Past participle Translation

write
drive drove driven

4. ‘ i’ changes to ___ for the past simple; the ‘ i’ sound is long in the infinitive and short in the past
participle; the past participle ends with ___

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Not totally irregular verbs

2. Add the following verbs to the Group 1 tables.

swear drink wear ride throw sing steal shrink draw

Group 2: the same infinitive, past simple and past participle

3. Find two more verbs to complete the table.

Infinitive Past simple Past participle Translation

hit

Group 3: the same infinitive and past participle but different past simple

4. Complete the table with the verb run.

Infinitive Past simple Past participle Translation

come come

Group 4: the same past simple and past participle

5. Complete the table with send, win, make, think, teach and shine.

Infinitive Past simple Past participle Translation

catch caught caught
hear heard heard
leave left left
lose lost lost

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Not totally irregular verbs

Teacher’s notes and answer key

Level: elementary to intermediate
Aim: to identify some of the rules for forming irregular verbs
Duration: 30–45 minutes (with follow-up game)

This isn’t a definitive guide to the irregular verb forms (there are 600!), but it covers most of them
and practises some of the more common irregular verb groups. Students might find learning these
easier if they are learnt as groups not just as lists.
Exercise 1
Students are only working with the verbs they have in the table at the moment. The other spaces will be completed
in exercise 2.
Answer key:
begin began begun
swim swam swum
ring rang rung
‘i’ changes to a for the past simple and u for the past participle

blow blew blown

grow grew grown
know knew known
‘o’ and ‘a’ change to e for the past simple; the past participle ends with n

speak spoke spoken

break broke broken
choose chose chosen
‘double vowel’ changes to o for the past simple; the past participle ends with (e)n

write wrote written

drive drove driven
ride rode ridden
‘double vowel’ changes to o for the past simple; the past participle ends with (e)n

Exercise 2
Answer key:
Group 1
sing sang sung
drink drank drunk
shrink shrank shrunk

throw threw thrown

draw drew drawn

swear swore sworn

wear wore worn
steal stole stolen

ride rode ridden

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Not totally irregular verbs
Exercise 3
If students have a list of irregular verbs, ask them to try and do this on their own. Possibilities include: cost, cut, let,
put, set.
N.B. They are all one-syllable verbs ending in ‘-t’, but not all one-syllable verbs ending in ‘-t’ follow the rule, e.g.
get, sit.

Exercise 4
Answer: run, ran, run

Exercise 5
Answer key:
send sent sent
win won won
make made made
think thought thought
teach taught taught
shine shone shone

Follow-up: noughts and crosses

 After completing the tables, practice is essential.
 Play noughts and crosses by putting nine squares on the board with nine verbs in the infinitive.
 Split class into two and have the first group make a sentence using the correct past simple or participle.
 If it’s right they win the square; if not the other team has a go.

Sample verb combination:

grow send ride

drink steal
shine

break hit ring

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