What are irregular verbs and how to learn them

A verb always has an initial form (V – infinitive). You can ask the question "What to do?". Depending on the tense, person or number, it can change. Regular and irregular verbs are used to form tenses used to describe past events.

Contents

1. Regular and irregular verbs in English
2. Patterns of irregular verbs in tables
    2.1. Rhyming
    2.2. Exceptions
    2.3. Dual forms
3. The history of irregular verbs
4. How to memorize the words quickly

Regular and irregular verbs in English

With regular verbs, everything is simple. To form the past tense, you add the ending -ed.

• To hate – hated
• To help – helped
• To want – wanted

However, there are a few spelling rules to consider when forming regular verbs:

Irregular verbs are formed bypassing grammatical rules. There are different opinions about the number of irregular verbs in English, but the approximate number varies between 450 and 600. Irregular verb forms should be memorized using tables. However, you can find some logic in their formation, especially if you pay attention to pronunciation and rhyming sounds.

Patterns of irregular verbs in tables

The table of irregular verbs below shows patterns, not rules. So if you are not sure about the forms, you should look it up in a dictionary.

Rhyming

Group 1 (all three forms are the same):

Exception: read [riːd] – read [red] – read [red]. The three forms of the irregular verb in the table are identical in spelling, but V2 and V3 have different transcriptions and therefore different pronunciations.

Group 2 (the ending "ought" / "aught" appears in V2 and V3):

Group 3 (vowels in verb roots are changed to "o", and in V3 the ending "en" / "n" is added):

Group 4 (change of root vowels to "o" only in V3, and in V3 the ending "en" / "n" is added):

Group 5 (in V2 the ending "ew", and in V3 – "own"):

Group 6 (change of "ee" to "e" in V2 and V3 + change of pronunciation):

Group 7 (alternation of vowels "i", "a", "u" in the word root):

Exceptions

Some irregular verbs don't follow any of the logic or rhyming patterns that were given in the tables above. They are just worth memorizing:

Dual forms

There are irregular verbs that have a double second or third form. In general, it is recommended to learn the form that sounds more familiar, but there is no grammatical difference. Here are some of them:

The history of irregular verbs

English itself is the result of communication between ancient peoples. On the one hand, these were the Celtic and British languages, and on the other hand, the languages of Germanic tribes such as the Angles, Saxons, and Utes who conquered these territories.

When the Vikings came to the British Isles, they tended to simplify the language in their communication. However, in 1066, when the Norman Duke William the Conqueror seized power, the warriors brought with them the Norman dialect of French, which became the main language in the country for several centuries. This led to the formation of irregular verb tables that have remained in English to this day.

This is how irregular verbs have changed over the centuries and continue to change today.

How to memorize the words quickly

1. Create a context
Try writing short stories in the past using irregular verbs. This will help you use these words in context and apply them to real-life situations.

2. Create your own flashcards
Turn the irregular verb charts into flashcards. Write the basic form on one side and the V2, V3 and translation on the other. Then use these flashcards for self-testing and revision. There are already sets of flashcards available on Quizlet.

3. Use online resources
There are many apps and websites specifically designed for language learning where you can practice using irregular verb tables.

4. Create associations
Try to associate irregular verbs with specific images or situations. This will make them easier to remember.