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Irregular verbs
Irregular verbs do not follow the 'ed' rules for forming the past simple:
'walk' + 'ed' = walked [regular verb]
Some irregular verbs stay the same in both forms, others change a vowel and some change completely. Sometimes there are two possible forms for the past simple; the difference is sometimes regional.
Note that the list does not include all the compound verbs because they follow the same rules as the root verb. For example:
| Bare infinitive | Past Simple |
| eat/overeat | ate/overate |
| do/undo | did/undid |
| Bare infinitive | Past Simple |
| babysit | babysat |
| be | was, were |
| beat | beat |
| become | became |
| begin | began |
| bend | bent |
| bet | bet |
| bid [farewell] | bid/bade |
| bid [offer amount] | bid |
| bind | bound |
| bite | bit |
| bleed | bled |
| blow | blew |
| break | broke |
| breed | bred |
| bring | brought |
| broadcast | broadcast/broadcasted |
| build | built |
| burn | burnt/burned |
| buy | bought |
| cast | cast |
| catch | caught |
| choose | chose |
| come | came |
| cost | cost |
| cut | cut |
| deal | dealt |
| do | did |
| draw | drew |
| dream | dreamt/dreamed |
| drink | drank |
| drive | drove |
| eat | ate |
| fall | fell |
| feed | fed |
| feel | felt |
| fight | fought |
| find | found |
| fit | fitted/fit |
| fly | flew |
| forbid | forbade |
| forecast | forecast |
| foresee | foresaw |
| forget | forgot |
| forgive | forgave |
| freeze | froze |
| get | got |
| give | gave |
| go | went |
| grow | grew |
| handwrite | handwrote |
| hang [execute] | hanged 'They hanged the murderer.' |
| hang [other uses] | hung 'They hung a picture on the wall.' |
| have | had |
| hear | heard |
| hide | hid |
| hit | hit |
| hold | held |
| hurt | hurt |
| input | input/inputted |
| keep | kept |
| kneel | knelt/kneeled |
| knit | knitted/knit |
| know | knew |
| lay | laid |
| lead | led |
| lean | leant/leaned |
| leap | leapt/leaped |
| learn | learnt/learned |
| leave | left |
| lend | lent |
| let | let |
| lie [not tell the truth] | lied |
| lie [recline] | lay |
| light | lit/lighted |
| lose | lost |
| make | made |
| mean | meant |
| meet | met |
| mislay | mislaid |
| mislead | misled |
| mistake | mistook |
| overcome | overcame |
| pay | paid |
| put | put |
| quit | quit |
| read | read [sounds like 'red'] |
| rid | rid |
| ride | rode |
| ring | rang |
| rise | rose |
| run | ran |
| say | said |
| see | saw |
| seek | sought |
| sell | sold |
| send | sent |
| set | set |
| shake | shook |
| shave | shaved |
| shine [make something shiny] | shined 'He shined his shoes.' [regular] |
| shine [emit light] | shone/shined 'The sun shone.' |
| shoot | shot |
| shut | shut |
| sing | sang |
| sink | sank |
| sit | sat |
| sleep | slept |
| slide | slid |
| smell | smelt/smelled |
| speak | spoke |
| speed | sped/speeded |
| spell | spelt/spelled |
| spend | spent |
| spill | spilt/spilled |
| split | split |
| spoil | spoilt/spoiled |
| spread | spread |
| spring | sprang/sprung |
| stand | stood |
| steal | stole |
| stick | stuck |
| sting | stung |
| stink | stank/stunk |
| strike | struck |
| sweep | swept |
| swim | swam |
| swing | swung |
| take | took |
| teach | taught |
| tear | tore |
| tell | told |
| think | thought |
| throw | threw |
| troubleshoot | troubleshot |
| understand | understood |
| undertake | undertook |
| upset | upset |
| wake | woke |
| wear | wore |
| weep | wept |
| wet | wet/wetted |
| win | won |
| wind | wound |
| write | wrote |
