What Are the Principal Parts of Common Irregular Verbs

In the English language, all verbs have different forms or tenses. These can include present tense, simple past tense, and past participle. Irregular verbs, also known as strong verbs, are deemed irregular because they do not follow the system of adding -d, -ed, or  -ied at the end to form the past tense. No pattern of spelling an irregular verb in past tense is predictable, which means these spellings must be memorized. Irregular Verbs in Present Tense, Past Tense, and Past Participle Fly-flew-flown: I can fly the kite by myself. I flew the kite by myself. I have flown the kite by myself before.Rise-rose-risen: Let him rise on his own. He  rose  too soon. He had  risen before they told him not to.Shrink-shrank-shrunk: The cotton material will shrink. The cotton material  shrank. The cotton material had shrunk in the dryer.Sink-sank-sunk: The boat might sink in the Gulf of Mexico.  The boat sank in the Gulf of Mexico.  The boat had  sunk in the Gulf of Mexico.Feel-felt-felt: I feel wonderful today. I  felt wonderful yesterday. I had felt great until yesterday.Bite-bit-bitten: The dog might bite you. The dog bit your hand. The dog has bitten many people in the past.Come-came-come: Please come to my house. She came to my house. All of my teammates have come to my house.Catch-caught-caught: I can catch the ball in the air. I caught the ball in the air. I have caught all of the balls in the air.Draw-drew-drawn: I can draw the picture. I drew the picture . I have drawn many pictures.Drive-drove-driven: I can drive there easily. I drove there easily. I might have driven there easier if I had the correct directions.Eat-ate-eaten: Lets eat the large pizza. We ate the large pizza. We have eaten many large pizzas.Fall-fell-fallen: I fall every time I stand up. I fell when I stood up. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.Go-went-gone: Go back home tonight. She went home tonight. They have gone home tonight.Hang-hung-hung: Hang your hat here. He hung his hat on the bench. Many have hung from the gallows in the medieval fortress.Lay-laid-laid: Lay the boxes on the table. He laid the boxes on the table. He has laid the boxes on the table and left the room. Principal Parts of Irregular  Verbs In the table below, you will find the principal parts of some of the most common irregular verbs in English. To find the correct past or past participle form of a verb not included in the list, check your dictionary. If the dictionary gives only the present form of the verb, presume that the verb is regular and forms the past and past participle by adding -d or -ed. PRESENT PAST PAST PARTICIPLE arise arose arisen be were (singular was) been beat beat beaten (or beat) become became become begin began begun bend bent bent bite bit bitten bleed bled bled blow blew blown break broke broken bring brought brought build built built burst burst burst buy bought bought cast cast cast catch caught caught choose chose chosen cling clung clung come came come cost cost cost cut cut cut deal dealt dealt dig dug dug dive dived (or dove) dived do did done draw drew drawn drink drank drunk drive drove driven eat ate eaten fall fell fallen feed fed fed feel felt felt fight fought fought find found found fly flew flown forget forgot forgotten freeze froze frozen get got got (or gotten) give gave given go went gone grow grew grown Continue with: List of Irregular Verbs: H-SList of Irregular Verbs: S-W