Regular and irregular verbs definition

Regular verbs :

In English when we add -ed to the base form of verbs to create past simple and past participle and add will to its base form for future tense such verbs are called regular verbs.

• Peter begs for your help.
• Peter begged for your help.
• Peter will beg for your help.

We convert the -y to -i and add -ed if the verb ends to -y and consonant. As in:

• James reply you.
• James replied you.
• James will reply you.

We just add -d to a verb that ends in -e, as in:

• The clown amuse the children.
• The clown amused the children.
• The clown will amuse the children.

Irregular verbs:

In English, there are roughly 200 irregular verbs. We can categorise them into four groups depanding on the changes in their verbs in the different tenses.

1. Irregular Verbs With Different Forms in Every Tense.
2. Irregular Verbs With the Same Past Tense and Past Participle
3. Irregular Verbs That Only Change in Past Tense.
4. Irregular Verbs That Never Change

In Every Tenses these Irregular Verbs having Different Forms:

It is very difficult to learn those irregular verbs that have different past tense, present tense and past participle forms.

I eat apple. ( in present tense )

I ate apple. ( in past tense )

I have eaten apple. ( past participle )

Irregular Verbs having Same Past Participle and Past Tense:

Some irregular verbs dont change in each tense thus these type of irregular verbs only change once. Their past tense and past participle remains same, which makes deciding how to conjugate them a little easier. For example, the verb to “buy” becomes:

• I buy old books. (in present tense)
• I bought old books. (in past tense.)
• I have bought old books. (in past participle.)

Irregular Verbs always Change to Past Tense.

Few irregular verbs have identical present form and past participial form of tenses, however not the same past tense form. We have only four irregular verbs that follow in this category.

Check the chart below.

Let us consider the verb “come” in all three tenses below.

• They Come together every day. (Come in present tense)
• They Came together last Saturday. (Came in past tense)
• They have Come together for years. (Come in past participle)

Irregular Verbs That Never Change:

Mostly these verbs ends in -t, so they are simpler to spot and easily identify so can cant be confused. Take the example of the verb to ‘cut’ which remains:

• I cut the banana for you. (in present tense)
• I cut the banana yesterday. (in past tense)
• I have cut the banana before. (in past participle)