-ought bring · brought · brought — carry or accompany to a location
-ought think · thought · thought — hold an opinion or mental idea
-ought teach · taught · taught — educate or guide someone in skills
-ept keep · kept · kept — retain in custody or possession
-ept sleep · slept · slept — rest in natural unconscious state
-ept feel · felt · felt — sense emotionally or physically
-ept leave · left · left — depart or abandon a place
o-o-en speak · spoke · spoken — express words vocally
o-o-en break · broke · broken — fracture into parts by force
o-o-en wake · woke · woken — awaken from sleep
o-o-en choose · chose · chosen — select by preference
ew-own know · knew · known — have facts or certainty in mind
ew-own grow · grew · grown — expand in size or maturity
ew-own throw · threw · thrown — launch through the air with arm
ew-own fly · flew · flown — travel through skies with wings
no change put · put · put — place in a particular position
no change cut · cut · cut — slice or divide with a blade
no change cost · cost · cost — require a set price or amount
no change hit · hit · hit — make forceful contact with
irreg go · went · gone — move or travel to a place
irreg have · had · had — possess, hold, or experience
irreg do · did · done — perform or complete an activity
irreg see · saw · seen — view with the physical eyes
irreg eat · ate · eaten — consume solid nourishment
irreg take · took · taken — reach out, seize, or carry
Ben flew to Cartagena last winter. The ticket cost a fortune!
Kenji drank Colombian coffee a week ago and thought it was perfect.
Sofía wrote three reports last night and slept only four hours.
Abuela Carmen rode a horse to school and swam in the river.
I bought a new phone two days ago.
I didn't sleep well last night.
They didn't go to the party yesterday.
Sofía didn't drink coffee this morning.
We couldn't swim in the sea; the water was too cold.
Did you sleep well last night?
Where did Ben go last winter?
What did you eat yesterday?
Could you swim when you were five?
Did you drink coffee this morning? Yes, I did.
Did Ben fly to Cartagena? Yes, he did.
Could Abuela Carmen ride a horse? Yes, she could.
Did they go to the party? No, they didn't.
Practice
Ben ___ to Cartagena last winter. (flew, flied, flyed)
Which verb does NOT change in the past? (cut, drink, write)
The past of 'buy' is ___. (bought, buyed, brought)
'Drink, drank, drunk' follows the i-a-u pattern, like 'sing' and 'swim'.
The past of 'can' is 'could' or 'was able to'.
Kenji ___ (drink) Colombian coffee a week ago.
Sofía ___ (write) three reports last night.
The ticket ___ (cost) a fortune last winter.
Unscramble: Abuela, Carmen, rode, a, horse, to, school
Unscramble: did, you, sleep, well, last, night
Find the mistake: I buyed a new phone yesterday.
Find the mistake: Ben flied to Cartagena last winter.
Find the mistake: She didn't slept well.
Ben flew to Cartagena. — Write the negative form.
Kenji drank coffee this morning. — Write the yes/no question.
Did they go to the party? — Answer with a short answer (No).
I slept well last night. — Write the negative form.
They didn't eat breakfast. — Write the affirmative form.
Did you go to school yesterday? (short answer)
Could you swim when you were five? (short answer)
Listening
Kenji: Ben, I heard you went to the beach yesterday!
Ben: Yes! I swam all morning. Then I ate fish and drank fresh juice.
Sofía: Did you take photos?
Ben: I took hundreds! But then I made a classic Ben mistake...
Kenji: Oh no. What did you do?
Ben: I left my phone on the bus. I had to buy a new one.
Abuela Carmen: Don't worry, Ben. When I was young, we couldn't even take photos!
Reading
Abuela Carmen grew up in a small town near the river. Life was simple: she rode a horse to school, swam in the river every summer, and drank fresh milk from her grandfather's farm. She couldn't travel much — a trip to the city cost a lot of money — but she never felt poor. 'We made our own fun,' she says. 'I sang with my sisters every night, and my mother taught me hundreds of songs. I forgot many things in my life, but I never forgot those songs.'
Abuela Carmen rode a horse to school.
She swam in the sea every summer.
A trip to the city was cheap.
Her mother taught her hundreds of songs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many irregular verbs are there in English?
There are roughly 200 commonly used irregular verbs in modern English. Instead of memorizing alphabetical lists, the most effective method is learning them in 7 mnemonic patterns (e.g. no-change verbs like cut/cut/cut, vowel melody verbs like sing/sang/sung, -ought/-aught verbs like buy/bought/bought).
Do irregular verbs change in negative sentences or questions?
No! In negatives and questions, the auxiliary 'did / didn't' takes the past tense, so the main verb stays in the base infinitive: 'Did you see Ben?' (not 'did you saw') and 'I didn't go' (not 'I didn't went').