Day 1: begin began begun

In your first day towards learning and studying your irregular verbs, lets start with the category
of the verb begin. It has an (i) in it, and it is this vowel(i) that changes when conjugated to the
simple past or past participle. In the simple past, the (i) changes into an (a), so it becomes
began; in the past participle, the (i) changes to (u), so it becomes begun: the following are the
verbs in the list:
begin began begun
drink dank drunk

ring rang rung

shrink shrank shrunk

sing sang sung

sink sank sunk

spring sprang sprung

stink stank stunk

swim swam swum

An exception to the above category is the verb run because it doesnt have an (i) in the
infinitive, instead, it contains a (u) so the (u) changes in the simple past to (a) as above and
becomes ran but in the past participle it is run as in the infinitive, so the conjugation of the verb
is as follows:
Run ran run
 Day 2: cling clung clung

In the second day, lets look at the category of the verb cling which is similar to the above verbs in the
infinitive but different in the conjugation. It also contains an (i) but when conjugated to the simple past or
past participle, the (i) changes into (u), cling in the infinitive becomes clung in the simple past and the same
in the past participle.
Here are the verbs in the list:
Cling clung clung
Dig dug dug
Fling flung flung
Sling slung slung
Slink slunk slunk
Spin spun spun
Stick stuck stuck
Sting stung stung
Wring wrung wrung

The exceptions are the verbs strike and hang because strike ends with an (e) and hang contains (a) instead
of (i), therefore the verb strike is conjugated as follows:
Strike struck struck
Remember that the (i) changes into (u) while we add (c) before (k) and we remove the (e).
Hang is conjugated as follows:
Hang hung hung
Remember that the simple past and the past participle are the same.
Day 3: break broke broken

Today, our category follows the verb break: the verbs in this category contain (ea), and they change into
two different forms for the simple past and the past participle. So, remember that break in the simple past
changes to broke, and in the past participle, we add (n) to the form of the simple past and it becomes
broken. The other verbs are as follows:
Steal stole stolen

Speak spoke spoken

Weave wove woven
In this same category, there are other verbs that do not have the same form in the infinitive but they follow
the same conjugation in the simple past and past participle:
These verbs are: choose, freeze and wake, they are conjugated as follows:
Choose chose chosen
Freeze froze frozen
Wake woke woken
Remember that they are only different in the infinitive.
Today, our category follows the same conjugation as the verb bear, all the verbs under this category contain
(ea) just as the above verbs, but they are slightly different in conjugation:
Bear bore born
Swear swore sworn
Tear tore torn
Wear wore worn

NB: for the verb bear it has two forms in the past participle, and we can write it as born as we have seen
above or borne by adding the (e).
 Day 5: bleed bled bled

Our category today contains a different type of verbs; they follow the conjugation of the verb bleed, so the
simple past is the same as past participle: all the verbs contain (ee) and in both the simple past and past
participle one (e) is omitted so the verb bleed is conjugated as bled in the simple past and bled in the past
participle. The other verbs are as follows:
Bleed bled bled
Breed bred bred
Feed fed fed Speed
sped sped
Other exceptions to this rule are the verbs flee and lead and these are their conjugation:
Flee fled led
Lead led led
 Day 6: sleep slept slept

Today, our verbs are varied, but they follow the same pattern like the verb sleep in which the simple past is
the same as the past participle. Remember that the verbs are written with (ee) in the infinitive, and they
change by dropping one (e) and adding (t) at the end for both the simple past and the past participle. The list
of the verbs in this category are as follows:
Sleep slept slept

Creep crept crept

Feel felt felt

Keep kept kept

Kneel knelt knelt

Sweep swept swe

Weep wept wept
Today, we will deal with the exceptions that we have for the rules in day 6
The same category includes other verbs that contain (ea) instead of (ee) as we have seen above; these verbs
dont undergo any change apart from adding (t)
Dream dreamt dreamt
Leap leapt leapt
Leave left left
Other verbs that have the same form are
Smell smelt smelt

Spell spelt spelt

Meet met met
Bereave bereft bereft
Mean meant meant
Today, our category follows the verb draw which changes to drew in the simple past by changing the (a) to
(e) and in the past participle, we add (n) to the infinitive without changing anything, and the list of the
verbs is as follows:
Draw drew drawn
Overdraw overdrew overdrawn
Withdraw withdrew withdrawn
The second part of todays verbs follow the category of: blow blew blown
The verbs in this category are the same as above except that they contain an (o) instead of (a) and so goes
the conjugation by changing the (o) to (e) in the simple past and adding (n) to the infinitive in the past
participle. The verbs in this category are as follows:
Blow blew blown

Grow grew grown

Know knew known

Throw threw thrown

The exception to the rule is with the verb fly which is written differently in the infinitive but has the same
conjugation as the above verbs:
Fly flew flown
The verbs in this category have different forms in the infinitive but they have the same conjugation in the
simple past and the past participle. The verbs in this category are as follows:
Bring brought brought
Beseech besought besought
Buy bought bought
Fight fought fought
Seek sought sought

Think thought thought

Exceptions to this rule are the two verbs catch and teach because (instead) of an (o) they take an (a) in the
simple past and past participle:
Catch caught caught
Teach taught taught

Note that there is difference between think and teach, they are often confused:
Teach taught taught
Think thought thought
Today, our category is the verb drive, in the simple past the (i) changes to (o) and in the past participle, we
add n to the infinitive so here is the full list:
Drive drove driven
Rise rose risen
Shrive shrove shriven
Strive strove striven
Note that in the following verbs we double the consonant (t) or (d) in the past participle.
Smite smote smitten
Write wrote written Ride
rode ridden
Stride strode stridden
 Day 11: a) bend bent bent

Our category of verbs for today ends with (d) : in the simple past as well as the past participle the (d)
changes into (t) and the list of the other verbs that follow this category are as follows:

Bend bent bent

Lend lent lent
Rend rent rent
Send sent sent

Spend spent spent

Today, we will see two categories of verbs that dont change the first group follows the verb bet. All of the
verbs are one syllable they contain (e) in the middle, and they dont change, so here is the list:
Bet bet bet
Let let let

Set let let

Shed shed shed

The second c category follows the verb cut, they are the same as the above but instead of (e)
they contain (u). Here is the list :
Cut cut cut
Burst burst burst
Hurt hurt hurt
Put put put
Shut shut shut
Thrust thrust thrust
 Day13: hit hit hit

Today, our list of verbs follows the verb hit, they also dont change, so the simple past and the past
participle are the same as the infinitive without to. The list goes as follows:

Hit hit hit Knit

knit knit Rid rid
rid Slit slit slit
Split split split
 Day 14: a) cost cost cost

Today, we will study two categories of verbs, the first one follows the model of the verb cost, so the verbs
are the same as the above verbs, no change occurs and here is the list:
Cost cost cost
Cast cast cast
Read read read
Spread spread spread
b) sell sold sold
The second category for today follows the model of the verb sell; in the simple past and past participle the
(e) in the infinitive changes to (o), and (l) changes to (d); here is the list:
Sell sold sold
Tell told told
 Day 15: bite bit bitten

Today, our list of verbs contains a category that follows bite: in the simple past we delete the (e) and in the
past participle we double the last consonant and add (n) to the infinitive, so here is the list:
Bite bit bitten
Chide chid chidden
Hide hid hidden
Note that chide can have a regular form so it can also be written as follows:
Chide chided chided

The second category for today follows the verb bid, so it changes to bade in the simple past and bidden in
the past participle:
Bid bade bidden
Forbid forbade forbidden
Forgive forgave forgiven
 Day 16: take took taken

Today, our category follows the verb take: in the simple past it changes to took, and in the past participle it
changes to taken by adding (n) to the infinitive:
Here is the list of the verbs:

Take took taken

Mistake mistook mistaken
Forsake forsook forsaken

Partake partook partaken

Shake shook shaken
 DAY 17: hew hewed hewn

Today, our category follows the verb hew: in the simple past we add (ed) and in the past participle we add
(n):
Remember that the verbs in this category dont look the same in the infinitive but they have the same
conjugation, here is the list:

Hew hewed hewn

Mow mowed mown
Sew sewed sewn
Show showed shown
Saw sawed swan
Strew strewed strewn
The first category for today follows the verb lay which has the same form for both the simple past and the
past participle:
Lay laid laid
Mislay mislaid mislaid
say said said
pay paid paid
NB: many learners confuse the verb lay and lie
Here are the two conjugations:
Lay laid laid
Lie lay lain
Consult a dictionary to find the difference in their meanings.
The second category for today follows the verb hear, we only add the (d) for both the simple past as well as
the past participle:
Hear heard heard
Overhear overheard overheard
From today we have some verbs that belong to either small categories or no category at all; I am going to
provide you with the list that can be studies throughout one day, so here are the lists of the first category:
a) hold held held behold beheld beheld
withhold withheld withheld

b) stand stood stood

understand understood understood
withstand withstood withstood

c) come came come become became

become overcome overcame
overcome
Our second variety for today contains three categories of verbs that are as follows:

Do did done

Outdo outdid outdone

Go went gone
Undergo underwent undergone

got
get got (gotten)
forget forgot forgotten
 Day21: Variety three

Our variety for today share one thing in common which is that the simple and past participle same
so you can only learn one form without the other:

Lose lost lost

Make made made

Shine shone shone

shoot shot shot
slide slid slid
swell swelt swelt
Today, we have two small lists of verbs here is the list of the first one with three verbs;

tread trod trodden

see saw seen
rot rotted rotten

And here is the second list with only two verbs

sit sat sat
spa
spit spat t
Our variety for today contains five verbs each one has a different conjugation, study them slowly and you
will remember them:

Abide abode abode

Beat beat beaten
Build built built
Burn burnt burnt

Note that some verbs may have more than one form, I included only the most common ones so as not to
confuse you, once you learn all these, you can find the other forms easily.
I choose to put the verb to be as the last one in the list for its importance and because I have noticed the
difficulty that students have while dealing with the verb to be; I hope everybody will benefit from it and
study it attentively so that they can retain it:
Here is the form of the verb to be, not only the simple past like above but also all its irregular forms:
Simple present I am
He/she/it is You/We
/they are Simple past
V he / she /it/ was
You/we/they were Past
participle been
 Final Thoughts

The lists included in this book are not exhaustive, but they contain the most important verbs that learners of
English need even in their advanced levels, some forms of verbs are not included because they are either,
not in use anymore, or because one form is used and its the most common one.