UU.4 Form and use irregular past tense
What is verb tense?
Verb tense tells when an action happens. It can show something that happens now, happened in the past, or will happen in the future.
- Present: I run to school.
- Past: I ran to school.
- Future: I will run to school.
Pay attention to the verb to know when the action takes place.
What are irregular past tense verbs?
Irregular past tense verbs are verbs that do not follow the usual rule of adding -ed to show past time.
- go → went
- see → saw
- eat → ate
Irregular verbs change in different ways, so they must be learned and practiced.
How irregular verbs change
Irregular past tense verbs can change spelling, change completely, or stay the same.
- Change spelling: sing → sang
- Change completely: is → was
- Stay the same: cut → cut
There is no single rule for irregular verbs, so careful reading and listening help.
Using irregular past tense in sentences
When writing or speaking about the past, choose the correct irregular past tense verb.
- Yesterday, I found my lost book.
- She gave her friend a gift.
- They took the bus to the museum.
Ask yourself: did the action already happen? If yes, use the past tense form.
Common irregular past tense verbs to know
Some irregular verbs are used often and are important to recognize and use correctly.
- begin → began
- bring → brought
- buy → bought
- come → came
- drink → drank
- run → ran
- write → wrote
Practice these verbs by using them in your own sentences.