English List Of Verbs Dictionary

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Dictionary.com is the world’s leading online source for English definitions, synonyms, word origins, audio pronunciations, example sentences, slang phrases, idioms, word games, legal and medical terms, Word of the Day and more. A verb describes what a person or thing does or what happens. For example, verbs describe: an action – run, hit, travel an event – rain, occur a situation – be, seem, have. Common Collocations with Verbs in English Commonly Used Collocations with Verbs: Have, Do, Make, Take, Break, Catch, Pay, Save, Keep, Come, Go, Get.

English grammar
  • Clauses (in English)
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Verbs constitute one of the main parts of speech (word classes) in the English language. Like other types of words in the language, English verbs are not heavily inflected. Most combinations of tense, aspect, mood and voice are expressed periphrastically, using constructions with auxiliary verbs.

Generally, the only inflected forms of an English verb are a third person singular present tense form in -s, a past tense (also called preterite), a past participle (which may be the same as the past tense), and a form ending in -ing that serves as a present participle and gerund. Most verbs inflect in a simple regular fashion, although there are about 200 irregular verbs; the irregularity in nearly all cases concerns the past tense and past participle forms. The copula verb be has a larger number of different inflected forms, and is highly irregular.

For details of the uses of particular verb tenses and other forms, see the article Uses of English verb forms. For certain other specific topics, see the articles listed in the adjacent box.

  • 1Inflected forms
  • 2Syntactic constructions
    • 2.1Expressing tenses, aspects and moods
  • 3Use of verb forms

Inflected forms[edit]

Conjugation of have
PersonSingularPlural
FirstI haveWe have
SecondYou haveYou have
ThirdIt hasThey have

Principal parts[edit]

A regular English verb has only one principal part, from which all the forms of the verb can be derived. This is the base form or dictionary form. For example, from the base form exist, all the inflected forms of the verb (exist, exists, existed, existing) can be predictably derived. The base form is also called the bare infinitive; another common way of referring to verbs is to use the to-infinitive, e.g. 'to exist'.

Most irregular verbs have three principal parts, since the simple past and past participle are unpredictable. For example, the verb write has the principal parts write (base form), wrote (past), and written (past participle); the remaining inflected forms (writes, writing) are derived regularly from the base form. Note that some irregular verbs have identical past tense and past participle forms (as the regular verbs do), as with send–sent–sent.

The infinitive, simple past and past participle are sometimes referred to as First (V1), Second (V2) and Third (V3) form of a verb, respectively. This naming convention has all but disappeared from American and British usage, but still can be found in textbooks and teaching materials used in other countries.[1][2][3][4]

The verbs do, say and have additionally have irregular third person singular present tense forms (see below). The copular verb be is highly irregular, with the forms be, am, is, are, was, were, been and being. On the other hand, modal verbs (such as can and must) are defective verbs, being used only in a limited number of forms. For details on the forms of verbs of these types, see § Copular, auxiliary and defective verbs below.

Base form[edit]

The base form or plain form of a verb is not marked by any inflectional ending. There are certain derivational suffixes that are frequently used to form verbs, such as -ate (formulate), -fy (electrify), and -ise/ize (realise/realize). Many verbs also contain prefixes, such un- (unmask), out- (outlast), over- (overtake), and under- (undervalue).[5] Some verbs are formed from nouns and adjectives by conversion, as with the verbs snare, nose, dry, and calm.

The base form is used in the following ways:

  • It serves as the bare infinitive, and is used in the to-infinitive (e.g. to write); for uses see § Non-finite forms below.
  • It serves as the simple present tense, except in the third person singular: I/you/we/they write regularly (and except for the copula).
  • It is used as an imperative: Write these words.
  • It is used as a subjunctive: I suggested that he write a novel.

For the verb be, which uses different forms for the simple present, and modal verbs, which are not used in the infinitive, imperative or subjunctive, see § Copular, auxiliary and defective verbs below.

Third person singular present[edit]

Almost all verbs have a third person singular present indicative form with the suffix-[e]s. In terms of spelling, it is formed in most cases by adding -s to the verb's base form: runruns. However if the base form ends in one of the sibilant sounds (/s/, /z/, /ʃ/, /ʒ/, /tʃ/, /dʒ/) and its spelling does not end in a silent e, then -es is added: buzzbuzzes; catchcatches. Verbs ending in a consonant plus o also typically add -es: vetovetoes. Verbs ending in a consonant plus y add -es after changing the y to an i: crycries.

In terms of pronunciation, the ending is pronounced as /ɪz/ after sibilants (as in lurches), as /s/ after voiceless consonants other than sibilants (as in makes), and as /z/ otherwise (as in adds). These are the same rules that apply to the pronunciation of the regular noun plural suffix-[e]s and the possessive-'s. The spelling rules given above are also very similar to those for the plural of nouns.

The third person singular present of have is irregular: has/hæz/ (with the weak form/həz/ when used as an auxiliary, also contractable to -'s). The verbs do and say also have irregular forms, does/dʌz/ and says/sɛz/, which however look like regular forms in writing.

For the verb be, modal verbs and other auxiliaries, see § Copular, auxiliary and defective verbs below.

The form described in this section is used with third person singular subjects as the simple present tense (in the indicative mood): He writes novels all the time. (This tense has other uses besides referring to present time; for example, in I'll be glad if he writes, it refers to future time.)

Past tense[edit]

The past tense, or preterite, may be formed regularly or irregularly.

With regular verbs, the past tense is formed (in terms of spelling) by adding -ed to the base form (playplayed). Normal rules for adding suffixes beginning with a vowel apply: If the base form ends in e then only d is added (likeliked); if the base form ends in a consonant followed by y then the y is changed to i before adding the ending (trytried; an exception is the verb sky (a ball), which can form skied or skyed).

Various rules apply for doubling final consonants. If the base form ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant (except h, silent t, w, x and y), then unless the final syllable is completely unstressed, the consonant is doubled before adding the -ed (shipshipped, but fathomfathomed). For most base forms ending in c, the doubled form used is ck, and this is used regardless of stress (panicpanicked; exceptions include zinczincked or zinced, arc → usually arced, specspecced or spec'ed, sync → sometimes synched). In British English, the doubling of l occurs regardless of stress (traveltravelled; but paralleled is an exception), and when two separately-pronounced vowels precede the l (dialdialled, fuelfuelled).

If the final syllable has some partial stress, especially for compound words, the consonant is usually doubled: backflipbackflipped, hobnobhobnobbed, kidnapkidnapped etc. In some cases both alternatives are acceptable, e.g. dialogdialogued or dialogged, gambolgambolled, hiccuphiccupped or hiccuped, programprogramed or programmed. Note however catalogcataloged, pyramidpyramided, formatformatted (but combatcombat(t)ed). Other variations not entirely consistent with these rules include busbused or bussed, biasbiased or biassed and focusfocused or focussed, .

The pronunciation of the past tense ending follows similar rules to those for the third person present tense ending described above: if the base form ends in /t/ or /d/ then a new syllable /ɪd/ or /əd/ is added (as in drifted, exceeded); if the base form ends in an unvoiced consonant sound other than /t/ then the ending is pronounced /t/ (as in capped, passed); otherwise the ending is pronounced /d/ (as in buzzed, tangoed). Consequently, in the 17th and 18th centuries, the latter two pronunciations were routinely spelled -'d, but -ed was later restored.

For the past tense of irregular verbs, see English irregular verbs. Some of these can be classed as Germanic strong verbs, such as sing (past sang), while others are weak verbs with irregularly pronounced or irregularly spelt past forms, such as say (past tense said/sɛd/).

The verb be has two past tense forms: was (first and third person singular) and were (plural and second person).

The past tense (preterite) form is used in what is called the simple past, in sentences such as We lit the fire and He liked to dance. One of the uses of this tense is to refer not to a past situation, but to a hypothetical (present or future) situation in a dependent clause: If I knew that, I wouldn't have to ask. This is sometimes called the 'past subjunctive', particularly in the case of were, which can replace was in such sentences; see English subjunctive.

Past participle[edit]

The past participle of regular verbs is identical to the preterite (past tense) form, described in the previous section.

For irregular verbs, see English irregular verbs. Some of these have different past tense and past participle forms (like sing–sang–sung); others have the same form for both (like make–made–made). In some cases the past tense is regular but the past participle is not, as with show–showed–shown.

For uses of the past participle, see § Non-finite forms below.

Present participle[edit]

The present participle form, which is also used for the gerund, is formed by adding the suffix -ing to the base form: gogoing. A final silent e is dropped (believebelieving); final ie changes to y (lielying), and consonant doubling applies as for the past tense (see above): runrunning, panicpanicking.

Some exceptions include forms such as singeing, dyeing, ageing, rueing, cacheing and whingeing, where the e may be retained to avoid confusion with otherwise identical words (e.g. singing), to clarify pronunciation (for example to show that a word has a soft g or ch), or for aesthetic reasons.

In standard English the ending is pronounced /ɪŋ/, although in many regional dialects the final consonant sound is pronounced /n/, sometimes represented in eye dialect by spellings such as huntin' (see g-dropping).

For uses of the present participle and gerund, see § Non-finite forms below.

Copular, auxiliary and defective verbs[edit]

The copular verbbe has multiple irregular forms in the present tense: am for first person singular (which together with the subject pronoun is often contracted to I'm), is for third person singular (often contracted to 's), and are for plural and second person (often contracted to 're chiefly after the pronouns you, we, they). It also has two past tense forms: was for first and third person singular, and were for plural and second person (also used as a past subjunctive with all persons; see English subjunctive). The past participle is been, and the present participle and gerund is the regular being. The base form be is used regularly as an infinitive, imperative and (present) subjunctive. For archaic forms, see the next section.

English has a number of modal verbs which generally do not inflect (most of them are surviving preterite-present verbs), and so have only a single form, used as a finite verb with subjects of all persons and numbers. These verbs are can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must, ought (to), as well as need and dare (when used with a bare infinitive), and in some analyses used (to) and had better. (The forms could, might, should and would are considered to be the past tenses of can, may, shall and will respectively, although they are not always used as such.) These verbs do not have infinitive, imperative or participle forms, although in some cases there exists a synonymous phrase that can be used to produce such forms, such as be able to in the case of can and could. The negation of can is the single word cannot. There are contracted forms 'll and 'd for will and would (in some cases possibly considered to be from shall and should).

Other verbs used as auxiliaries include have, chiefly in perfect constructions (the forms has, have and had can contract to 's, 've and 'd), and do (does, did) in emphatic, inverted and negated constructions (see doTom and jerry cartoon movies. -support).

For more detail of the above, including contractions of negated forms (isn't, won't, etc.), see English auxiliaries and contractions.

Another example of a defective verb is beware, which is used only in those forms in which be remains unchanged, namely the infinitive, subjunctive and imperative.

Archaic forms[edit]

Archaic conjugation of have
PersonSingularPlural
FirstI haveWe have
SecondThou hastYe have
ThirdIt hathThey have

Formerly, particularly in the Old English period, the English language had a far greater degree of verb inflection than it does now (other Germanic languages generally retain a greater variety of inflected forms than English does). Some of the forms used in Early Modern English have now fallen out of use, but are still encountered in old writers and texts (e.g. Shakespeare, the King James Bible) and in archaisms.

One such form was the third person singular form with the suffix -eth[əθ], pronounced as a full syllable. This was used in some dialects rather than the modern -s, e.g. he maketh ('he makes'), he runneth ('he runs'), he goeth ('he goes'). In some verbs, a shortened form -th appears: he hath ('he has'), he doth ('he does'; pronounced as if written duth), he saith or he sayeth ('he says'). The forms hath and doth are found in some proverbs ('Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned', 'The lady doth protest too much').

Another set of forms are associated with the archaic second person singular pronoun thou, which often have the ending -est, pronounced as a full syllable, e.g. thou makest ('you make'), thou leadest ('you lead'). In some verbs, a shortened form -st appears: thou hast ('you have'), thou dost ('you do'; rhymes with must). In the case of the verb be, such forms included art (present tense), wast (past), wert (past subjunctive) and beest (present subjunctive; pronounced as two syllables). In all other verbs, the past tense is formed by the base past tense form of the word (e.g. had, did, listened) plus-'st, not pronounced as a full syllable, e.g. thou had'st ('you had'), thou did'st ('you did'), thou listened'st ('you listened'). Modal verbs except must also have -t or -st added to their form, e.g. thou canst ('you can'), thou wilt ('you will'), thou wouldst ('you would'), thou mightst ('you might'), except may, which is thou mayest ('you may').

For example, several such forms (as well as other archaic forms such as yea for 'yes', thy for 'your', and mine enemies for 'my enemies') appear in Psalm 23 from the King James Bible:

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

For more information see Old English verbs, English subjunctive, and Indo-European copula (for the history of the verb be).

Syntactic constructions[edit]

Expressing tenses, aspects and moods[edit]

Apart from the simple past tense described above, English verbs do not have synthetic (inflected) forms for particular tenses, aspects or moods. However, there are a number of periphrastic (multi-word) constructions with verb forms that serve to express tense-like or aspect-like meanings; these constructions are commonly described as representing certain verb tenses or aspects (in English language teaching they are often simply called tenses). For the usage of these forms, see § Use of verb forms below. More detail can be found in the article Uses of English verb forms.

Simple and progressive[edit]

The progressive (or continuous) aspect is expressed with a form of be together with the present participle of the verb. Thus present progressive (present continuous) constructions take forms like am writing, is writing, are writing, while the past progressive (past continuous, also called imperfect) is was writing, were writing. There is a progressive infinitive (to) be writing and a progressive subjunctivebe writing. Other progressive forms, made with compound forms of be, are described below.

The basic present and past tenses of the verb are called simple present (present simple) and simple past (past simple), to distinguish them from progressive or other compound forms. Thus the simple present of the above verb is write or writes, and the simple past (also called preterite) is wrote.

Perfect[edit]

The perfect aspect is expressed with a form of the auxiliary have together with the past participle of the verb. Thus the present perfect is have written or has written, and the past perfect (pluperfect) is had written. The perfect can combine with the progressive aspect (see above) to produce the present perfect progressive (continuous) have/has been writing and the past perfect progressive (continuous) had been writing. There is a perfect infinitive (to) have written and a perfect progressive infinitive (to) have been writing, and corresponding present participle/gerund forms having written and having been writing. A perfect subjunctive (have written) is also sometimes used. Future and conditional perfect forms are given below.

Future and conditional[edit]

What is often called the future tense of English is formed using the auxiliary will. The simple future is will write, the future progressive (continuous) is will be writing, the future perfect is will have written, and the future perfect progressive (continuous) is will have been writing. Traditionally (though now usually in formal English only) shall is used rather than will in the first person singular and plural; see shall and will.

The conditional, or 'future-in-the-past', forms are made analogously to these future forms, using would (and should) in place of will (and shall).

Expressing passive voice[edit]

The passive voice in English is normally expressed with a form of the copula verb be (or sometimes get) together with the past participle of the main verb. In this context be is not a stative verb, so it may occur in progressive forms. Examples:

  • The house was built last year.
  • The house is being built at the moment.
  • The house will be built by our firm. (a prepositional phrase with by expresses the performer of the action)
  • I was given a blueprint. (here the subject of the passive corresponds to the indirect object of the active)
  • He was said to know the house's dimensions. (special construction related to indirect speech)

For details, see English passive voice.

Imperatives[edit]

Imperatives are expressed with the base form of the verb, normally with no subject: Take this outside! Be good! It is possible to add the second person pronoun you for emphasis: You be good!

More details can be found in the article Imperative mood.

Questions, negation, inversion and emphasis[edit]

Questions are formed by subject–auxiliary inversion (unless the interrogative word is part of the subject). If there is otherwise no auxiliary, the verb do (does, did) is used as an auxiliary, enabling the inversion. This also applies to negation: the negating word not must follow an auxiliary, so do is used if there is no other auxiliary.

Inversion is also required in certain other types of sentences, mainly after negative adverbial phrases; here too do is used if there is no other auxiliary.

The construction with do as auxiliary is also used to enable emphasis to be added to a sentence.

What, so now you want to know what the movie’s about? Abcd 2 movie online. Released June 19th, 2015, 'ABCD 2' stars,,, The movie has a runtime of about 2 hr 32 min, and received a score of (out of 100) on Metacritic, which assembled reviews from respected critics.

For details of the above constructions, see do-support.

Use of verb forms[edit]

This section describes how the verb forms introduced in the preceding sections are used. More detail can be found in the article Uses of English verb forms and in the articles on the individual tenses and aspects.

Finite forms[edit]

In referring to an action taking place regularly (and not limited to the future or to the past), the simple present is used: He brushes his teeth every morning. For an action taking place at the present time, the present progressive construction is used: He is brushing his teeth now. With some verbs expressing a present state, particularly the copula be and verbs expressing a mental state, the present simple is generally used: They are here; I know that. However other state verbs use the present progressive or present simple depending on whether the state is considered temporary or permanent: The pen is lying on the table; Paris lies on the Seine.

For past actions or states, the simple past is generally used: He went out an hour ago; Columbus knew the shape of the world. However, for completed actions for which no past time frame is implied or expressed, the present perfect is normally used: I have made the dinner (i.e. the dinner is now ready). For an action in the course of taking place, or a temporary state existing, at the past time being referred to (compare uses of the present progressive above), the past progressive is used: We were sitting on the beach when.. For an action that was completed before the past time being referred to, the past perfect is used: We had sat down on the blanket when..

For actions or events expected to take place in the future, the construction with will can be used: The president will arrive tomorrow. Future events are also often expressed using the be going to construction: She is going to arrive tomorrow. Planned events can also be referred to using the present progressive (She is arriving tomorrow) or, if precisely scheduled, the simple present (She arrives tomorrow). The future progressive and future perfect can be used analogously to the past equivalents: We will be sitting on the beach this afternoon; We will have left the house by 4 o'clock. However, in subordinate clauses expressing a condition or a time reference, present forms are used rather than the forms with will: If/When you get (not will get) there..

When expressing actions or events lasting up to a specified time, the appropriate perfect construction is used (with the progressive if expressing a temporary state that would generally be expressed with a progressive form): We have been having some problems lately; I have lived here for six years; We had been working since the previous evening; We will have been working for twelve hours by the time you arrive.

The use of tense and aspectual forms in condition and conditional clauses follows special patterns; see conditional mood. For use of tenses in indirect speech, see sequence of tenses. For the use of subjunctive forms, see English subjunctive.

Non-finite forms[edit]

The bare infinitive, identical to the base form of the verb, is used as a complement of most modal verbs and certain other verbs (I can write; They made him write; I saw you write), including in negated and inverted sentences formed using do-support (He doesn't write; Did you write?).

Preceded by to, it forms the to-infinitive, which has a variety of uses, including as a noun phrase (To write is to learn) and as the complement of many verbs (I want to write), as well as with certain adjectives and nouns (easy to ride; his decision to leave), and in expressions of purpose (You did it to spite me).

The past participle has the following uses:

  • It is used with the auxiliary have in perfect constructions: They have written; We had written before we heard the news. (With verbs of motion, an archaic form with be may be found in older texts: he is come.)
  • It is used as a passive participle, with be or get, to form the passive voice: This book was written last year; Trees sometimes get gnawed down by beavers.
  • It is used to form passive participial phrases, which can be used adjectivally or adverbally (a letter written on his computer; Beaten to a pulp, he was carried away) and as complements of certain verbs (I got my car mended; They had me placed on a list).
  • It may be used as a simple adjective: as a passive participle in the case of transitive verbs (the written word, i.e. 'the word that is written'), and as a perfect active participle in the case of some intransitive ones (a fallen tree, i.e. 'a tree that has fallen').

The present participle has the following uses:

  • It is used with forms of be, in progressive (continuous) constructions: He is writing another book; I intend to be sitting on the beach.
  • It can form participial phrases, which can be used adjectivally or adverbally: The man sitting over there is drunk; Being a lawyer, I can understand this; I saw her sitting by the tree.
  • It can serve as a simple adjective: It is a thrilling book.

The same form used as a gerund has the following uses:

  • It forms verbal phrases that are then used as nouns: Lying in bed is my favorite hobby.
  • It forms similar phrases used as a complement of certain verbs: He tried writing novels.

The logical subject of a phrase formed with a gerund can be expressed by a possessive, as in I do not likeyour/Jim'sdrinking wine, although a non-possessive noun or pronoun is often used instead, especially in informal English: I do not likeyou/Jimdrinking wine. The latter usage, though common, is sometimes considered ungrammatical or stylistically poor; it is given names like fused participle[6] and geriple[7] since it is seen to confuse a participle with a gerund. For more information see fused participle.

Gerund forms are often used as plain verbal nouns, which function grammatically like common nouns (in particular, by being qualified by adjectives rather than adverbs): He did some excellent writing (compare the gerund: He is known for writing excellently). Such verbal nouns can function, for instance, as noun adjuncts, as in a writing desk.

Objects and complements[edit]

Verbs are used in certain patterns which require the presence of specific arguments in the form of objects and other complements of particular types. (A given verb may be usable in one or more of these patterns.)

A verb with a direct object is called a transitive verb. Some transitive verbs have an indirect object in addition to the direct object. Verbs used without objects are called intransitive. Both transitive and intransitive verbs may also have additional complements that are not considered objects.

A single (direct) object generally follows the verb: I love you. If there is an indirect object, it precedes the direct object (I gave him the book), although an indirect object can also be expressed with a prepositional phrase following the direct object (and this method is usual when the direct object is a personal pronoun): I gave the book to John; I bought them for you.

Other complements may include prepositional phrases, non-finite clauses and content clauses, depending on the applicable verb pattern. These complements normally follow any objects. For example:

  • I insist on coming. (this use of the verb insist involves a prepositional phrase with on)
  • I expect to arrive tomorrow. (this use of expect involves a to-infinitive phrase)
  • I asked him whether he was coming. (this use of ask involves a direct object (him) and an interrogative content clause)

More examples can be found at Verb patterns with the gerund.

English has a number of ergative verbs: verbs which can be used either intransitively or transitively, where in the intransitive use it is the subject that is receiving the action, and in the transitive use the direct object is receiving the action while the subject is causing it. An example is sink: The ship sank (intransitive use); The explosion sank the ship (transitive use). Other common examples include open, sink, wake, melt, boil, collapse, explode, freeze, start, sell.

For more details on how verbs are built up into clauses, see English clause syntax.

Phrasal verbs[edit]

Many English verbs are used in particular combinations with adverbial modifiers such as on, away, out, etc. Often these combinations take on independent meanings. They are referred to as phrasal verbs. (This term may also include verbs used with a complement introduced by a particular preposition that gives it a special meaning, as in take to (someone).)

The adverbial particle in a phrasal verb generally appears close after the verb, though it may follow the object, particularly when the object is a pronoun: Hand over the money or Hand the money over, but Hand it over. Linkin park lyrics.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^'English irregular verbs'(PDF).
  2. ^'1000 Forms of Verbs – 1st form, 2nd form, 3rd form'.
  3. ^'How to Change a Verb Into 2nd and 3rd Form?'.
  4. ^'Verb Forms'.
  5. ^Carter & McCarthy 2006, p. 301
  6. ^H.W. Fowler, A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, 1926
  7. ^Penguin guide to plain English, Harry Blamires (Penguin Books Ltd., 2000) ISBN978-0-14-051430-8 pp.144-146

References[edit]

  • Gilman, E. Ward (editor in chief) Merriam Webster's Dictionary of English Usage (Merriam-Webster, 1989) ISBN0-87779-132-5
  • Greenbaum, Sidney. The Oxford English Grammar. (Oxford, 1996) ISBN0-19-861250-8
  • McArthur, Tom, The Oxford Companion to the English Language (Oxford, 1992) ISBN0-19-863136-7
  • Carter, Ronald; McCarthy, Michael (2006). Cambridge grammar of English : a comprehensive guide ; spoken and written English grammar and usage ; [Cambridge international corpus]. Cambridge University Press. ISBN9783125343313.

External links[edit]

For a list of words relating to English verbs, see the English verbs category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Look up Appendix:English verbs in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
The Wikibook English/English in use has a page on the topic of: Verbs
  • Sequence of Tenses at the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=English_verbs&oldid=892784619'

This is a list of irregular verbs in the English language.

Past tense irregular verbs[edit]

For each verb listed, the citation form (the bare infinitive) is given first, with a link to the relevant Wiktionary entry. This is followed by the simple past tense (preterite), and then the past participle. If there are irregular present tense forms (see below), these are given in parentheses after the infinitive. (The present participle and gerund forms of verbs, ending in -ing, are always regular. In English, these are used as verbs, adjectives, and nouns.) In the case of modal verbs the present and preterite forms are listed, since these are the only forms that exist.

The right-hand column notes whether the verb is weak or strong and whether it belongs to a subclass, and links to descriptions elsewhere. Information about the development of these verbs generally can be found at English irregular verbs; details of the etymology and usage of specific verbs can be found by consulting Wiktionary.

In some cases, there are two or more possibilities for a given form. In the table, the preferred or more common usage is generally listed first, though for some words the usage is nearly equal for the two choices. Sometimes the usage depends on the dialect. In many cases, such as spell (spelt vs. spelled), learn (learnt vs. learned), and spill (spilt vs. spilled), American English normally uses the regular form, while British English tends to favor the irregular. In other cases, such as dive (dived vs. dove) and sneak (sneaked vs. snuck), the opposite is true. Australian, New Zealand and South African English tend to follow the British practice, while Canadian English often sides with the American usage.

The table includes selected archaic or dialectal forms, marked * (some of these forms may also be present in specialist uses).

Verb formsVerb class and notes
ache/*ake – ached/*oke – ached/*akenStrong, class 6; now regular.
bake – baked/*book – baked/*bakenStrong, class 6; now regular except in Northern English dialects.
be (am, is, are/*be) – was, were – beenSuppletive. See Indo-European copula.
bear – bore/*bare – borne/born
forbear – forbore/*forbare – forborne/forborn
*misbear – *misbore/*misbare – *misborne/misborn
overbear – overbore/*overbare – overborne/overborn
underbear – underbore/*underbare – underborne/underborn
Strong, class 4. The spelling born is used in passive or adjectival contexts relating to birth.
beat – beat – beaten/beat
browbeat – browbeat – browbeaten/browbeat
overbeat – overbeat – overbeaten/overbeat
Strong, class 7
become – became – become
misbecome – misbecame – misbecome
Strong, class 4
*beget – begot/*begat – begot/begotten
misbeget – misbegot/*misbegat – misbegotten/misbegot
Strong, class 5
begin – began – begunStrong, class 3
bend – bent/*bended – bent/*bended
overbend – overbent/*overbended – overbent/*overbended
unbend – unbent/*unbended – unbent/*unbended
Weak with coalescence of dentals
beseech – beseeched/*besought – beseeched/*besoughtWeak with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law (now regularized)
bet – bet/betted – bet/betted
underbet – underbet/underbetted – underbet/underbetted
Weak with coalescence of dentals
betide – betided/*betid – betided/*betidWeak with vowel shortening and coalescence of dentals (or regular)
beware – (no other forms)Defective; formed from be with predicate adjective, used as infinitive, imperative and subjunctive only. Inflected forms (bewares, bewared, bewaring) are considered obsolete.
bid[in auctions etc.] – bid – bid
outbid – outbid – outbid
overbid – overbid – overbid
rebid – rebid – rebid
underbid – underbid – underbid
Weak with coalescence of dentals
bid[meaning to request or say] – bid/*bade – bid/*biddenStrong, class 5
bide – bided/bode – bided/bidden
abide – abided/*abode – abided/*abidden
Strong, class 1
bind – bound – bound/*bounden
unbind – unbound – unbound/*unbounden
underbind – underbound – underbound/*underbounden
Strong, class 3
bite – bit – bitten
frostbite – frostbit – frostbitten
Strong, class 1
bleed – bled – bledWeak with vowel shortening and coalescence of dentals
blend – blended/*blent – blended/*blentWeak with devoiced ending (or regular)
bless – blessed/*blest – blessed/*blestWeak, regular with alternative (archaic) spelling
blow – blew – blown
overblow – overblew – overblown
Strong, class 7
break – broke/*brake – broken/*broke
outbreak – outbroke – outbroken
rebreak – rebroke – rebroken
Strong, class 4
breed – bred – bred
inbreed – inbred – inbred
interbreed – interbred – interbred
overbreed – overbred – overbred
Weak with vowel shortening and coalescence of dentals
bring – brought – broughtWeak with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
build – built – built
overbuild – overbuilt – overbuilt
rebuild – rebuilt – rebuilt
underbuild – underbuilt – underbuilt
Weak with coalescence of dentals and devoiced ending
burn – burned/burnt – burned/burnt
sunburn – sunburned/sunburnt – sunburned/sunburnt
Weak with devoiced ending (or regular)
burst – burst/*brast – burst/*burstenStrong, class 3
bust – busted/bust – busted/bustStrong, class 3 (or regular)
buy – bought – bought/*boughten
*abuy – *abought – *abought
overbuy – overbought – overbought
underbuy – underbought – underbought
Weak with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
can[auxiliary verb] – could – (none)Preterite-present, defective. See English modal verbs
cast – cast – cast
broadcast – broadcast – broadcast
downcast – downcast – downcast
forecast – forecast – forecast
miscast – miscast – miscast
overcast – overcast – overcast
podcast – podcast – podcast
precast – precast – precast
recast – recast – recast
simulcast – simulcast – simulcast
telecast – telecast – telecast
typecast – typecast – typecast
undercast – undercast – undercast
upcast – upcast – upcast
webcast – webcast – webcast
Weak with coalescence of dentals. Many of the prefixed forms can also take -ed.
catch – caught/*catched – caught/*catchedWeak, French loanword conjugated perhaps by analogy with teach–taught; regular forms are now dialectal.
chide – chided/chid/*chode – chided/chid/chiddenStrong, class 1
choose – chose – chosen
mischoose – mischose – mischosen
Strong, class 2
clad – clad – cladDeveloped from clad, the past form of clothe (see below).
clap – clapped/*clapt – clapped/*clapt
cleave[meaning to split] – cleft/clove/cleaved/*clave – cleft/cloven/cleavedStrong, class 2, sometimes switching to weak with vowel shortening. When meaning 'adhere' the verb is regular.
*clepe – cleped/clepen/*clept – cleped/*clept/*clepen/*ycleptWeak with vowel shortening, or regular. Obsolete or dialectal.
cling – clung/*clang – clungStrong, class 3
clothe – clad/clothed – clad/clothed
overclothe – overclad/overclothed – overclad/overclothed
unclothe – unclad/unclothed – unclad/unclothed
underclothe – underclad/underclothed – underclad/underclothed
Weak; the regular clothed is from OE claþian, while clad (weak with coalescence of dentals) is from OE clæþan (both OE verbs having similar meaning).[1]
comb – combed – combed/kempt
come – came – come/comen
forthcome – forthcame – forthcome
overcome – overcame – overcome/overcomen
(see also under become)
Strong, class 4
cost[intransitive sense] – cost/costed – cost/costedWeak with coalescence of dentals. Regular when meaning 'calculate the cost of'.
creep – crept/creeped/*crope – crept/creeped/*cropenOriginally strong, class 2; switched to weak with vowel shortening (or regular)
crow – crowed/crew – crowed/*crownStrong, class 7. Now usually regular, but crew can still be used of a cock's crowing.
cut – cut – cut
clearcut – clearcut – clearcut
crosscut – crosscut – crosscut
*forcut – *forcut – *forcut
intercut – intercut – intercut
recut – recut – recut
undercut – undercut – undercut
Weak with coalescence of dentals
dare (dares/dare) – dared/*durstdaredPreterite-present, now regular except in the use of dare in place of dares in some contexts. See English modal verbs
deal – dealt – dealt
misdeal – misdealt – misdealt
redeal – redealt – redealt
Weak with vowel shortening and devoiced ending
dig – dug/*digged – dug/*digged
underdig – underdug – underdug
Originally weak; past form dug developed by analogy with stick–stuck[2]
dive – dived/dove – dived/doveWeak, the alternative dove (found mainly in American usage) arising by analogy with strong verbs
do (does /dʌz/) – did – done
bedo (bedoes) – bedid – bedone
*fordo (fordoes) – *fordid – *fordone
misdo (misdoes) – misdid – misdone
outdo (outdoes) – outdid – outdone
overdo (overdoes) – overdid – overdone
redo (redoes) – redid – redone
underdo (underdoes) – underdid – underdone
undo (undoes) – undid – undone
Irregular since Proto-Germanic: past tense formed by reduplication. Past participle from Old Englishgedon. Related to deed.
dow – dowed/dought – dowed/doughtRelated to doughty.
drag – dragged/*drug – dragged/*drugStrong, class 6, now usually regular; drug is used in some dialects
draw – drew – drawn
*adraw – adrew – adrawn
bedraw – bedrew – bedrawn
downdraw – downdrew – downdrawn
outdraw – outdrew – outdrawn
overdraw – overdrew – overdrawn
redraw – redrew – redrawn
*umbedraw – umbedrew – umbedrawn
underdraw – underdrew – underdrawn
updraw – updrew – uprawn
withdraw – withdrew – withdrawn
Strong, class 6; related to draft/draught
dream – dreamed/dreamt/*drempt – dreamed/dreamt/*drempt
bedream – bedreamed/bedreamt – bedreamed/bedreamt
Weak with vowel shortening and devoiced ending (or regular)
dress – dressed/*drest – dressed/*drestWeak with alternative (archaic) spelling
drink – drank/*drunk/*drinked – drunk/*drank/*drinked/*drunken
outdrink – outdrank/*outdrunk/*outdrinked – outdrunk/*outdrank/*outdrinked/*outdrunken
overdrink – overdrank/*overdrunk/*overdrinked – overdrunk/*overdrank/*overdrinked/*overdrunken
Strong, class 3; related to drench
drive – drove/*drave – driven
bedrive – bedrove – bedriven
overdrive – overdrove/*overdrave – overdriven
test-drive – test-drove/*test-drave – test-driven
Strong, class 1; related to drift
dwell – dwelt/dwelled – dwelt/dwelled
bedwell – bedwelt/bedwelled – bedwelt/bedwelled
outdwell – outdwelt/outdwelled – outdwelt/outdwelled
Weak with devoiced ending (or regular)
earn – earned/earnt – earned/earntWeak with devoiced ending (or regular)
eat – ate/*et – eaten
forfret – forfretted – forfretted/forfretten
fret – fretted/frate – fretted/fretten
outeat – outate – outeaten
overeat – overate/*overet – overeaten
undereat – underate/*underet – undereaten
Strong, class 5. Past tense usually /eɪt/, sometimes /ɛt/ in British English.
fall – fell/*felled – fallen/*felled
befall – befell/*befelled – befallen/*befelled
*misbefall – misbefell/*misbefelled – misbefallen/*misbefelled
*misfall – misfell/*misfelled – misfallen/*misfelled
outfall – outfell – outfallen
Strong, class 7
feed – fed – fed
bottle-feed – bottle-fed – bottle-fed
breastfeed – breastfed – breastfed
force-feed – force-fed – force-fed
hand-feed – hand-fed – hand-fed
misfeed – misfed – misfed
overfeed – overfed – overfed
self-feed – self-fed – self-fed
spoon-feed – spoon-fed – spoon-fed
underfeed – underfed – underfed
Weak with vowel shortening and coalescence of dentals
feel – felt – felt
forefeel – forefelt – forefelt
Weak with vowel shortening and devoiced ending
fight – fought – fought/*foughten
befight – befought – befought
outfight – outfought – outfought
Strong, class 3
find – found/*fand – found/*founden
refind – refound/*refand – refound/*refounden
Strong, class 3
fit – fitted/fit – fitted/fit
misfit – misfitted/misfit – misfitted/misfit
Weak with coalescence of dentals
flee – fled – fledOriginally strong, class 2, switched to weak with vowel shortening
fling – flung – flungBy analogy with strong, class 3
fly – flew – flown
outfly – outflew – outflown
overfly – overflew – overflown
test-fly – test-flew – test-flown
Strong, class 2. Regular when used for hitting a fly ball in baseball.
forbid – forbid/forbade/forbad – forbiddenStrong, class 5
forget – forgot/*forgat – forgotten/*forgotStrong, class 5
*forlese – forlore – forlornPast participle remains in use adjectivally.
forsake – forsook – forsakenStrong, class 6
freeze – froze – frozen
quick-freeze – quick-froze – quick-frozen
refreeze – refroze – refrozen
unfreeze – unfroze – unfrozen
Strong, class 2
get – got/*gat – got/gotten
*beget – begot/*begat – begot/begotten
forget – forgot/*forgat – forgotten/*forgot
*misget – misgot/*misgat – misgot/misgotten
*overget – overgot/*overgat – overgot/overgotten
*underget – undergot/*undergat – undergot/undergotten
Strong, class 5. Past participle is got in British usage (except in fossilized phrases such as 'ill-gotten'), and gotten in American (but see have got).
gild – gilded/gilt – gilded/giltWeak with coalescence of dentals and devoiced ending (or regular)
gird – girded/*girt – girded/*girt
undergird – undergirded/*undergirt – undergirded/*undergirt
Weak with coalescence of dentals and devoiced ending (or regular)
give – gave – given
forgive – forgave – forgiven
misgive – misgave – misgiven
overgive – overgave – overgiven
Strong, class 5
go – went – gone
*bego – bewent – begone
forego – forewent – foregone
forgo – forwent – forgone
*overgo – overwent – overgone
undergo – underwent – undergone
*withgo – withwent – withgone
Suppletive. See article on the verb go.
*grave – grove/graved – graven/gravedStrong, class 6. Past participle graven remains in use adjectivally, as in graven images in archaic language, e.g. from the 17th century. The verb engrave is regular.
grind – ground/grinded – ground/grinded/*groundenStrong, class 3
grow – grew/*growed – grown/*growed
outgrow – outgrew/*outgrowed – outgrown/*outgrowed
overgrow – overgrew/*overgrowed – overgrown/*overgrowed
regrow – regrew/*regrowed – regrown/*regrowed
undergrow – undergrew/*undergrowed – undergrown/*undergrowed
upgrow – upgrew/*upgrowed – upgrown/*upgrowed
Strong, class 7
hang – hung/hanged – hung/hanged
overhang – overhung/overhanged – overhung/overhanged
underhang – underhung/underhanged – underhung/underhanged
uphang – uphung/uphanged – uphung/uphanged
Strong, class 7. Regularized alternative hanged was influenced by OE causativehangian, and is used chiefly for hanging as a means of execution.
have (has) – had – had Weak; had results from contraction, from OE haefd. Third person present has also a result of contraction.
hear – heard – heard
behear – beheard – beheard
forehear – foreheard – foreheard
mishear – misheard – misheard
outhear – outheard – outheard
overhear – overheard – overheard
rehear – reheard – reheard
unhear – unheard – unheard
Weak, originally with vowel shortening (the modern pronunciation of heard in RP has the long vowel /ɜː/)
heave – heaved/*hove – heaved/*hove/*hoven
upheave – upheaved/*uphove – upheaved/*uphove/*uphoven
Strong, class 6, now usually regular except in nautical uses
help – helped/*holp – helped/*holpenOriginally strong, class 6, but now weak.
hew – hewed/*hew – hewed/hewn
*underhew – underhewed/*underhew – underhewed/underhewn
Strong, class 7 (or regular)
hide – hid – hidden/*hidWeak with vowel shortening and coalescence of dentals, influenced by strong verbs
hit – hit – hit
mishit – mishit – mishit
overhit – overhit – overhit
underhit – underhit – underhit
Weak with coalescence of dentals
hoist – hoisted/hoist – hoisted/hoistWeak, hoist was originally the past form of the now archaic verb hoise
hold – held – held/*holden
behold – beheld – beheld/*beholden
inhold – inheld – inheld/*inholden
mishold – misheld – misheld/*misholden
uphold – upheld – upheld/*upholden
withhold – withheld – withheld/*withholden
Strong, class 7
hurt – hurt – hurtWeak with coalescence of dentals
keep – kept – kept
miskeep – miskept – miskept
overkeep – overkept – overkept
underkeep – underkept – underkept
Weak with vowel shortening
ken – kenned/kent – kenned/kent
beken – bekenned/bekent – bekenned/bekent
foreken – forekenned/forekent – forekenned/forekent
misken – miskenned/miskent – miskenned/miskent
outken – outkenned/outkent – outkenned/outkent
Northern and Scottish dialect word. Weak with devoiced ending (or regular)
kneel – knelt/kneeled – knelt/kneeled Weak with vowel shortening and devoiced ending (or regular)
knit – knit/knitted – knit/knitted
beknit – beknit/beknitted – beknit/beknitted
hand-knit – hand-knit/hand-knitted – hand-knit/hand-knitted
Weak with coalescence of dentals (or regular); related to knot
know – knew – known/*knowen
*acknow – acknew – acknown/*acknowen
foreknow – foreknew – foreknown/*foreknowen
misknow – misknew – misknown/*misknowen
Strong, class 7
lade – laded – laden/laded
overlade – overladed – overladen/overladed
Strong, class 6, often regularized (past participle laden is common adjectivally)
laugh – laughed/*laught/*laugh'd/*low – laughed/*laught/*laugh'd/*laughenOriginally strong, now weak, regular, with alternative (archaic) spelling
lay – laid/*layed – laid/*layed
belay – belaid/*belayed – belaid/*belayed
*forelay – forelaid/*forelayed – forelaid/*forelayed
*forlay – forlaid/*forlayed – forlaid/*forlayed
inlay – inlaid/*inlayed – inlaid/*inlayed
interlay – interlaid/*interlayed – interlaid/*interlayed
mislay – mislaid/*mislayed – mislaid/*mislayed
onlay – onlaid/*onlayed – onlaid/*onlayed
outlay – outlaid/*outlayed – outlaid/*outlayed
overlay – overlaid/*overlayed – overlaid/*overlayed
re-lay – re-laid/*re-layed – re-laid/*re-layed
underlay – underlaid/*underlayed – underlaid/*underlayed
unlay – unlaid/*unlayed – unlaid/*unlayed
*uplay – uplaid/*uplayed – uplaid/*uplayed
waylay – waylaid/*waylayed – waylaid/*waylayed
Weak, irregular in spelling only
lead – led – led
*belead – beled – beled
*forthlead – forthled – forthled
inlead – inled – inled
mislead – misled – misled
offlead – offled – offled
onlead – onled – onled
outlead – outled – outled
overlead – overled – overled
underlead – underled – underled
*uplead – upled – upled
Weak with vowel shortening and coalescence of dentals
lean – leaned/leant – leaned/leantWeak with vowel shortening and devoiced ending (or regular)
leap – leaped/leapt/*lept/*lope – leaped/leapt/*lopen
beleap – beleaped/beleapt/*belept/*belope – beleaped/beleapt/*belopen
forthleap – forthleaped/forthleapt/*forthlept/*forthlope – forthleaped/forthleapt/*forthlopen
outleap – outleaped/outleapt/*outlept/*outlope – outleaped/outleapt/*outlopen
overleap – overleaped/overleapt/*overlept/*overlope – overleaped/overleapt/*overlopen
Originally strong, class 7, now weak with vowel shortening (or regular)
learn – learned/learnt – learned/learnt
mislearn – mislearned/mislearnt – mislearned/mislearnt
overlearn – overlearned/overlearnt – overlearned/overlearnt
relearn – relearned/relearnt – relearned/relearnt
unlearn – unlearned/unlearnt – unlearned/unlearnt
Weak with devoiced ending (or regular)
leave – left – left/*laft
beleave – beleft – beleft/*belaft
*forleave – forleft – forleft/*forlaft
overleave – overleft – overleft/*overlaft
Weak with vowel shortening and devoiced ending
lend – lent – lent
*forlend – forlent – forlent
Weak with coalescence of dentals and devoiced ending
let – let/*leet – let/*letten
*forlet – forlet/*forleet – forlet/*forletten
sublet – sublet/*subleet – sublet/*subletten
*underlet – underlet/*underleet – underlet/*underletten
Strong, class 7
lie – lay – lain
*forelie – forelay – forelain
*forlie – forlay – forlain
overlie – overlay – overlain
underlie – underlay – underlain
Strong, class 5. Regular in the meaning 'tell an untruth'.
light – lit/lighted – lit/lighted
alight – alit/alighted – alit/alighted
backlight – backlit/backlighted – backlit/backlighted
green-light – green-lit/green-lighted – green-lit/green-lighted
relight – relit/relighted – relit/relighted
Weak with vowel shortening and coalescence of dentals (or regular)
lose – lost – lostOriginally strong, class 2, now weak with vowel shortening and devoiced ending
make – made – made
remake – remade – remade
unmake – unmade – unmade
Weak; made formed by contraction from 'maked'
may – might – (none)Preterite-present, defective. See English modal verbs
mean – meant – meantWeak with vowel shortening and devoiced ending
meet – met – metWeak with vowel shortening and coalescence of dentals
melt – melted/*molt – melted/moltenStrong, class 3. Now regularized, but molten survives in adjectival uses.
mix – mixed/*mixt – mixed/*mixtWeak, regular, with alternative (mostly archaic) spelling
mow – mowed – mowed/mownStrong, class 7. Now regularized in past tense and sometimes in past participle.
must – (no other forms)Defective; originally a preterite. See English modal verbs
need (needs/need) – neededneededWeak, regular except in the use of need in place of needs in some contexts, by analogy with can, must, etc.[3] See English modal verbs
ought – (no other forms)Defective; originally a preterite. See English modal verbs
pay – paid/*payed – paid/*payed
overpay – overpaid/*overpayed – overpaid/*overpayed
prepay – prepaid/*prepayed – prepaid/*prepayed
repay – repaid/*repayed – repaid/*repayed
underpay – underpaid/*underpayed – underpaid/*underpayed
Weak, irregular in spelling only. The spelling payed is used in the meaning of letting out a rope etc.
pen – penned/pent – penned/pentWeak with devoiced ending, but usually regular; pent is sometimes used when the verb has the meaning 'to enclose', and mainly adjectivally
plead – pled/pleaded – pled/pleadedFrench loanword, weak with vowel shortening and coalescence of dentals. In North America, this verb is usually irregular.
prove – proved – proved/proven
reprove – reproved – reproved/reproven
French loanword, weak, with the alternative past participle proven by analogy with some strong verbs
put – put – put/*putten
input – input – input/*inputten
output – output – output/*outputten
*underput – *underput – *underput/*underputten
Weak with coalescence of dentals. Past participle form putten is characteristic for Yorkshire and Lancashire dialects.
*queath/*quethe – queathed/quethed/quoth/quod – queathed/quethed/quoth/quethen
bequeath – bequeathed/bequethed/bequoth/bequod – bequeathed/bequethed/bequoth/bequethen
Strong, class 5. Past tense quoth is literary or archaic; other parts of that verb are obsolete. Bequeath is normally regularized in -ed.
quit – quit/quitted – quit/quittedFrench loanword, weak, with coalescence of dentals (or regular)
reach – reached/*raught/*rought/*retcht – reached/*raught/*rought/*retchtWeak, now regular (archaic raught from original conjugation like teach)
read/riːd/read/rɛd/read/rɛd/ / *readen
*foreread – foreread – foreread/*forereaden
lipread – lipread – lipread/*lipreaden
misread – misread – misread/*misreaden
proofread – proofread – proofread/*proofreaden
reread – reread – reread/*rereaden
sight-read – sight-read – sight-read/*sight-readen
Weak with vowel shortening and coalescence of dentals
*reave – reaved/reft – reaved/reft
bereave – bereaved/bereft – bereaved/bereft
Weak with vowel shortening and devoiced ending. The verb bereave is usually regular, but bereft survives as past participle, with distinct meanings.
rend – rent – rentWeak with coalescence of dentals
rid – rid/ridded – rid/ridden/riddedWeak with coalescence of dentals, or regular; ridden by analogy with strong verbs.
ride – rode/*rid – ridden/*rid
outride – outrode/*outrid – outridden/*outrid
override – overrode/*overrid – overridden/*overrid
Strong, class 1
ring – rang/*rung – rungBy analogy with strong, class 3. Regular when meaning 'surround', etc.
rise – rose – risen
arise – arose – arisen
uprise – uprose – uprisen
Strong, class 1
rive – rived/rove – rived/rivenFrom Old Norse, originally followed pattern of strong class 1, later regularized.[4] Now rarely used.
run – ran – run
*forerun – foreran – forerun
outrun – outran – outrun
overrun – overran – overrun
rerun – reran – rerun
underrun – underran – underrun
Strong, class 3
saw – sawed – sawed/sawnWeak; sawn by analogy with strong verbs[5]
say (says /sɛz/) – said – said
*forsay – forsaid – forsaid
*gainsay – gainsaid – gainsaid
missay – missaid – missaid
*naysay – naysaid – naysaid
soothsay – soothsaid – soothsaid
*withsay – withsaid – withsaid
Weak, with vowel shortening in said/sɛd/ and in the third person present says/sɛz/
see – saw – seen
*besee – besaw – beseen
foresee – foresaw – foreseen
missee – missaw – misseen
oversee – oversaw – overseen
sightsee – sightsaw – sightseen
undersee – undersaw – underseen
Strong, class 5
seek – sought – sought
beseek – besought – besought
Weak with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
seethe – seethed/*sod – seethed/*soddenStrong, class 2. Now regular, but sodden survives in some adjectival uses.
sell – sold – sold
outsell – outsold – outsold
oversell – oversold – oversold
resell – resold – resold
undersell – undersold – undersold
upsell – upsold – upsold
Weak with Rückumlaut
send – sent – sent
missend – missent – missent
resend – resent – resent
Weak with coalescence of dentals
set – set – set/*setten
beset – beset – beset/*besetten
handset – handset – handset/*handsetten
inset – inset – inset/*insetten
misset – misset – misset/*missetten
offset – offset – offset/*offsetten
overset – overset – overset/*oversetten
preset – preset – preset/*presetten
reset – reset – reset/*resetten
upset – upset – upset/*upsetten
*withset – withset – withset/*withsetten
Weak with coalescence of dentals
sew – sewed – sewn/sewed/*sewen
handsew – handsewed – handsewn/handsewed/*handsewen
oversew – oversewed – oversewn/oversewed/*oversewen
Weak; sewn by analogy with strong verbs
shake – shook – shaken
overshake – overshook – overshaken
Strong, class 6
shall – should – (none)Preterite-present; defective. See English modal verbs, and shall and will
shape – shaped/*shope – shaped/*shapen
*forshape – forshaped/*forshope – forshaped/*forshapen
misshape – misshaped/*misshope – misshaped/*misshapen
Originally strong, class 6, now regular, but with misshapen (and archaically shapen) still used adjectivally
shave – shaved/*shove – shaved/shavenStrong, class 6, now regular, but shaven sometimes used adjectivally
shear – sheared/shore – shorn/sheared Strong, class 4 (or regular)
shed – shed – shedStrong, class 7
shine – shone/shined – shone/shined
*beshine – beshone/beshined – beshone/beshined
outshine – beshone/beshined – beshone/beshined
overshine – beshone/beshined – beshone/beshined
Strong, class 1
shit – shit/shitted/shat – shit/shitted/shat/*shitten
shite – shited/shit – shited/shit
Strong, class 1. The form shite is chiefly Scottish and Irish.
shoe – shod/shoed – shodden/shod/shoed
reshoe – reshod/reshoed – reshodden/reshod/reshoed
Weak with vowel shortening (or regular); shodden by analogy with strong verbs
shoot – shot – shot/*shotten
misshoot – misshot – misshot/*misshotten
overshoot – overshot – overshot/*overshotten
reshoot – reshot – reshot/*reshotten
undershoot – undershot – undershot/*undershotten
Strong, class 2
show – showed/*shew – shown/showed/*shewed
foreshow – foreshowed/*foreshew – foreshown/foreshowed/*foreshewed
reshow – reshowed/*reshew – reshown/reshowed/*reshewed
Weak, with participle shown perhaps by analogy with sown (from sow)
shrink – shrank/shrunk – shrunk/shrunken
overshrink – overshrank/overshrunk – overshrunk/overshrunken
Strong, class 3; shrunken is mostly used adjectivally
*shrive – shrived/*shrove – shrived/*shrivenStrong, class 1
shut – shut – shut
reshut – reshut – reshut
Weak with coalescence of dentals
sing – sang – sung/*sungen
resing – resang – resung/*resungen
Strong, class 3
sink – sank/sunk – sunk/sunkenStrong, class 3. The form sunken appears in some adjectival uses.
sit – sat/*sate – sat/*sitten
babysit – babysat/*babysate – babysat/*babysitten
housesit – housesat/*housesate – housesat/*housesitten
resit – resat/*resate – resat/*resitten
*withsit – withsat/*withsate – withsat/*withsitten
Strong, class 5
slay – slew/slayed – slain/slayedStrong, class 6 (or regular)
sleep – slept – slept
oversleep – overslept – overslept
undersleep – underslept – underslept
Originally strong, class 7, now weak with vowel shortening
slide – slid – slid/slidden
backslide – backslid – backslid/backslidden
overslide – overslid – overslid/overslidden
Strong, class 1
sling – slung/*slang – slungStrong, class 3
slink – slunk/slinked/slank – slunk/slinked/slankStrong, class 3
slip – slipped/*slipt – slipped/*slipt
*overslip – *overslipped/*overslipt – *overslipped/*overslipt
Regular, with alternative (archaic) spelling
slit – slit – slit/slittenStrong, class 1
smell – smelled/smelt – smelled/smeltWeak with devoiced ending (or regular)
smite – smote/*smit – smitten/smittedStrong, class 1. Largely archaic; smitten is quite commonly used adjectivally.
sneak – sneaked/snuck – sneaked/snuck/*snuckedWeak, alternative form snuck (chiefly American) by analogy with strong verbs
sow – sowed/*sew – sown/sowedStrong, class 7, with regularized past tense sowed
speak – spoke/*spake – spoken/*spoke
bespeak – bespoke/*bespake – bespoken/*bespoke
*forespeak – forespoke/*forespake – forespoken/*forespoke
*forspeak – forspoke/*forspake – forspoken/*forspoke
misspeak – misspoke/*misspake – misspoken/*misspoke
Strong, class 5
speed – sped/speeded – sped/speededWeak with vowel shortening and coalescence of dentals (or regular)
spell – spelled/spelt – spelled/spelt
misspell – misspelled/misspelt – misspelled/misspelt
Weak with devoiced ending (or regular)
spend – spent – spent
*forspend – *forspent – *forspent
misspend – misspent – misspent
outspend – outspent – outspent
overspend – overspent – overspent
Weak with coalescence of dentals
spill – spilled/spilt – spilled/spilt
overspill – overspilled/overspilt – overspilled/overspilt
Weak with devoiced ending (or regular)
spin – spun/*span – spun
outspin – outspun/*outspan – outspun
Strong, class 3
spit – spat/spit – spat/spitWeak with coalescence of dentals (for past form spit, which is common in America), or spat by analogy with strong verbs. (In the meaning of roast on a spit, the verb is regular.)
split – split – splitWeak with coalescence of dentals
spoil – spoiled/spoilt – spoiled/spoiltWeak with devoiced ending (or regular)
spread – spread/*spreaded – spread/*spreaded
*bespread – bespread/*bespreaded – bespread/*bespreaded
*forspread – forspread – forspread
outspread – outspread – outspread
overspread – overspread – overspread
underspread – underspread – underspread
Weak with coalescence of dentals
spring – sprang/sprung – sprung/*sprang
handspring – handsprang/handsprung – handsprung/*handsprang
Strong, class 3
stand – stood – stood/*standen
forstand – forstood – forstood/*forstanden
misunderstand – misunderstood – misunderstood/*misunderstanden
overstand – overstood – overstood/*overstanden
understand – understood – understood/*understanden
upstand – upstood – upstood/*upstanden
withstand – withstood – withstood/*withstanden
Strong, class 6
starve – starved/*starf/*storve – starved/*storvenStrong, class 3
stave – stove/staved – stove/staved/*stovenOriginally weak; irregular forms developed by analogy with strong verbs.[6]
stay – stayed/*staid – stayed/*staidRegular, with alternative spelling staid (now limited to certain adjectival uses)
steal – stole – stolenStrong, class 4
stick – stuck/*sticked – stuck/*stickedOriginally weak, irregular forms by analogy with strong verbs
sting – stung/*stang – stungStrong, class 3
stink – stank/stunk – stunkStrong, class 3
stretch – stretched/*straught/*straight – stretched/*straught/*straightWeak, now regular; obsolete past form straught as with teach–taught
strew – strewed – strewn/strewed
bestrew – bestrewed – bestrewn/bestrewed
overstrew – overstrewed – overstrewn/overstrewed
Originally weak, irregular forms by analogy with strong verbs
stride – strode/*strided – stridden/*strode/*strid/*stridded
bestride – bestrode/*bestrided – bestridden/*bestrode/*bestrid/*bestridded
outstride – outstrode/*outstrided – outstridden/*outstrode/*outstrid/*outstridded
overstride – overstrode/*overstrided – overstridden/*overstrode/*overstrid/*overstridded
Strong, class 1
strike – struck – struck/stricken
overstrike – overstruck – overstruck/overstricken
Strong, class 1. The form stricken is limited to certain adjectival and specialist uses.
string – strung/*stringed – strung/*stringed
hamstring – hamstrung/*hamstringed – hamstrung/*hamstringed
overstring – overstrung/*overstringed – overstrung/*overstringed
Originally weak, irregular forms developed by analogy with strong verbs
strip – stripped/stript – stripped/stript
strive – strove/strived – striven/strived
outstrive – outstrove – outstriven
overstrive – overstrove – overstriven
Strong, class 1 (or regularized)
swear – swore – sworn
forswear – forswore – forsworn
outswear – outswore – outsworn
Strong, class 6
sweat – sweated/sweat – sweated/sweatWeak, usually regular, possible past form sweat with coalescence of dentals
sweep – swept/*sweeped – swept/*sweeped
upsweep – upswept/*upsweeped – upswept/*upsweeped
Weak with vowel shortening
swell – swelled/*swole/*swelt – swollen/swelled
upswell – upswelled/*upswole/*upswelt – upswollen/upswelled
Strong, class 3, with regularized forms
*swelt – swelted/*swolt – swelted/*swoltenStrong, class 3 (or regularized). Archaic
swim – swam/*swum – swum
outswim – outswam/*outswum – outswum
Strong, class 3
swing – swang/swung – swung/*swungen
overswing – overswang/overswung – overswung/*overswungen
Strong, class 3
*swink – swank/swonk/*swinkt/swinked – swunk/swunken/swonken/*swinkt/swinked
*forswink – forswank/forswonk – forswunk/forswunken
*toswink – toswank – toswunk/toswunken
Strong, class 3
take – took/*taked – taken
betake – betook/*betaked – betaken
intake – intook/*intaked – intaken
mistake – mistook/*mistaked – mistaken
overtake – overtook/*overtaked – overtaken
partake – partook/*partaked – partaken
retake – retook/*retaked – retaken
undertake – undertook/*undertaked – undertaken
*uptake – uptook/*uptaked – uptaken
*withtake – withtook – withtaken
Strong, class 6
teach – taught/*teached – taught/*teachedWeak with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
tear – tore – torn
uptear – uptore – uptorn
Strong, class 4
*tee – teed/tow – teed/town
betee – beteed/betow – beteed/betown
fortee – forteed/fortow – forteed/fortown
tell – told/*telled – told/*telled
foretell – foretold/*foretelled – foretold/*foretelled
forthtell – forthtold – forthtold
mistell – mistold – mistold
*outtell – outtold/*outtelled – outtold/*outtelled
retell – retold/*retelled – retold/*retelled
Weak with Rückumlaut; related to tale
think – thought/*thinked – thought/*thinked
outthink – outthought/*outthinked – outthought/*outthinked
rethink – rethought/*rethinked – rethought/*rethinked
Weak with Rückumlaut and Germanic spirant law
thrive – throve/thrived/*thrave – thriven/thrivedOf Old Norse origin; followed strong class 1 (now archaic) or weak (regular) pattern[7]
throw – threw/*throwed – thrown/*throwed
misthrow – misthrew/*misthrowed – misthrown/*misthrowed
outthrow – outthrew/*outthrowed – outthrown/*outthrowed
overthrow – overthrew/*overthrowed – overthrown/*overthrowed
underthrow – underthrew/*underthrowed – underthrown/*underthrowed
upthrow – upthrew/*upthrowed – upthrown/*upthrowed
Strong, class 7
thrust – thrust/*thrusted – thrust/*thrusted
outthrust – outthrust/*outthrusted – outthrust/*outthrusted
Weak, with coalescence of dentals (or regular)
tread – trod/*tread/*treaded/*trodden – trodden/trod/*tread/*treaded
retread – retrod/*retread/*retreaded/*retrodden – retrodden/retrod/*retread/*retreaded
Strong, class 5 (or regularized)
vex – vexed/*vext – vexed/*vext
wake – woke/*waked – woken/*waked
awake – awoke/*awaked – awoken/*awaked
Strong, class 6
wax – waxed/*wex – waxed/*waxenStrong, class 7, now regularized
wear – weared/wore – weared/worn
*forwear – forweared/forwore – forweared/forworn
outwear – outweared/outwore – outweared/outworn
overwear – overweared/overwore – overweared/overworn
Originally weak, fell into a strong pattern by analogy with bear
weave – wove – woven
interweave – interwove – interwoven
*unweave – unwove – unwoven
Strong, class 7
wed – wed/wedded – wed/wedded
miswed – miswed/miswedded – miswed/miswedded
rewed – rewed/rewedded – rewed/rewedded
Weak with coalescence of dentals (or regular)
weep – wept/weeped – wept/weeped
*beweep – bewept/beweeped – bewept/beweeped
Originally strong, class 7, now weak with vowel shortening
wend – wended/*went – wended/*wentWeak, once with coalescence of dentals and devoiced ending, but now regular; went is used as the past of go
wet – wet/wetted – wet/wetted
overwet – overwet/overwetted – overwet/overwetted
Weak with coalescence of dentals (or regular)
will – would – (none)Preterite-present, defective. See English modal verbs, and shall and will. (In non-auxiliary uses the verb is regular.)
win – won – wonStrong, class 3
wind – wound – wound
rewind – rewound – rewound
unwind – unwound – unwound
Strong, class 3. (The identically spelt verb wind/wɪnd/, with meanings connected with air flow and breathlessness, is regular.)
work – worked/*wrought – worked/*wrought
overwork – overworked/*overwrought – overworked/*overwrought
Weak, now regular, formerly with Rückumlaut and metathesis of r and o
*worth – worth/worthed – worth/worthed/worthenStrong, class 3, or regularized
wreak – wreaked/*wrought/*wrack/*wroke – wreaked/*wrought/*wreaken/*wrokenWeak, usually regular; wrought (which is in fact from work) has come sometimes to be identified with this verb (perhaps by analogy with seek–sought). Other forms by analogy with strong verbs.
wring – wrang/wrung/*wringed – wrung/*wringedStrong, class 3
write – wrote/*writ – written/*writ
cowrite – cowrote/*writ – cowritten
ghostwrite – ghostwrote/*ghostwrit – ghostwritten/*ghostwrit
handwrite – handwrote/*handwrit – handwritten/*handwrit
miswrite – miswrote/*miswrit – miswritten/*miswrit
overwrite – overwrote/*overwrit – overwritten/*overwrit
rewrite – rewrote/*rewrit – rewritten/*rewrit
underwrite – underwrote/*underwrit – underwritten/*underwrit
Strong, class 1
writhe – writhed/*wrothe – writhed/*writhenStrong, class 1, now regularized
zinc – zinced/zinked/zincked – zinced/zinked/zincked

Present tense irregular verbs[edit]

Though the list of verbs irregular in the preterite or past participle is long, the list of irregular present tense verbs is very short. Excepting modal verbs like 'shall', 'will', and 'can' that do not inflect at all in the present tense, there are only four (only two if pronunciation is ignored):

  • be: I am, thou art, you are, he is, we are, they are.
  • do (and compounds such as 'undo' and 'redo'): I do, you do, he does, we do, they do where 'does' is pronounced /ˈdʌz/ in contrast to /ˈd/, the pronunciation of the infinitive and the other present tense forms.
  • have: I have, you have, he has, we have, they have.
  • say (and compounds such as 'gainsay' and 'naysay'): I say, you say, he says, we say, they say where 'says' has the standard pronunciation /sɛz/ (in contrast to the /s/ used for the infinitive and other present tense forms).

References[edit]

  1. ^Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, entries for 'clothe' and 'clad'.
  2. ^The strong-type past form dug arose as a past participle in the 16th century, by analogy with stuck, and was used as a past tense from the 18th century. See Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, entry for 'dig'.
  3. ^The use of need for needs, which has become the norm in contexts where the verb is used analogously to the modal verbs, became common in the 16th century. See Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, entry for 'need' (verb).
  4. ^Regularized (weak-type) forms of this verb are found from the 16th century onward. There is also an obsolete verb rive meaning arrive, for which weak-type forms are attested earlier. See Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, entries for 'rive'.
  5. ^Strong-type past forms of this verb were sometimes used in the 15th century; the past participle sawn is a survival of this. See Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, entry for 'saw'.
  6. ^The forms stove and stoven are found from the 18th century onward. See Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, entry for 'stave'.
  7. ^The strong-type past forms leading to thrave (Northern) and throve are attested from the 13th and 14th centuries onward, and weak forms (leading to thrived) from the 14th. See Oxford English Dictionary, Second Edition, entry for 'thrive'.

External links[edit]

  • Complete List of 638 English Irregular Verbs with their forms in different tenses.
  • Mind Our English: Strong and weak by Ralph Berry
  • English Irregular Verb List A comprehensive list of English irregular verbs, including their base form, past simple, past participle, 3rd person singular, and the present participle / gerund.
  • TheIrregularVerbs All the irregular verbs of the English language. Conjugation, pronunciation, translation and examples.
  • verbbusters Searchable reference of English irregular verbs and cognates, with audio.
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This entry was posted on 4/14/2019.