Regular and Irregular Verbs
Verbs can be classified as regular verbs and irregular verbs.
Regular Verbs
To form simple past tense verbs from simple present tense verbs, just add "-d" or "-ed" to the verb.
Examples
- shock + ed = shocked
- call + ed= called
- reach + ed = reached
- shout + ed = shouted
- walk + ed = walked
- enjoy + ed = enjoyed
- ask + ed = asked
- warn + ed = warned
- want + ed = wanted
- repair + ed = repaired
- happen + ed = happened
- cook + ed = cooked
- enjoy + ed = enjoyed
- cheat + ed = cheated
- work + ed = worked
- live + d = lived
- dive + d = dived
- like + d = liked
These verbs are regular verbs because they have "-d" or "-ed" endings as a regular feature in the past tense.
Irregular Verbs
They do not end in "-d" or "-ed". In some verbs there is a change in spellings in the past tense.
Examples
| Simple Present Tense | Simple Past Tense |
| take | took |
| throw | threw |
| catch | caught |
| run | ran |
| hear | heard |
| bring | brought |
| deal | dealt |
| bind | bound |
| hide | hid |
| go | went |
| think | thought |
| hold | held |
| give | gave |
| draw | drew |
| forgive | forgave |
| drive | drove |
| meet | met |
| swim | swam |
| shake | shook |
| ring | rang |
| bear | bore |
| lead | led |
| write | wrote |
| eat | ate |
| seek | sought |
| come | came |
Some verbs remain the same in the past tense as they are in the present tense.
Examples: put, let, cut, shut, cost, hurt