 |
ESL | Past Tense |
|---|---|---|
| Blues | Irregular Verbs |
| IRREGULAR VERB FORMS DIFFERENT IN PAST AND PRESENT PERFECT | ||
| Base form | Past Tense | Past Participle |
| be | was, were | been | beat | beat | beaten |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| come | came | come |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| drive | drove | driven |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forbid | forbade | forbidden |
| forget | forgot | forgotten, forgot |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | gotten, got |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grow | grew | grown | hide | hid | hidden |
| know | knew | known |
| lie (recline) | lay | lain |
| prove | proved | proved, proven |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise (get up) | rose | risen |
| saw | sawed | sawn |
| see | saw | seen |
| shake | shook | shaken |
| show | showed | shown |
| shrink | shrank | shrunk, shrunken |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sink | sank | sunk | slay | slew | slain | speak | spoke | spoken |
| spring | sprang | sprung |
| steal | stole | stolen |
| stink | stank | stunk |
| strike | struck | struck, stricken |
| strive | strove | striven |
| swim | swam | swum |
| take | took | taken |
| tear | tore | torn |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| tread | trod | trodden |
| wake | woke, waked | waked. woken |
| wear | wore | worn |
| write | wrote | written |
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Use the past tense form of the verb
- in affirmative statements:
- She saw the movie and she liked it.
- in questions when the question word (who, what, how much/many, which) is the subject:
- Who saw the accident? What happened exactly? How many people went to hospital?
- in all cases (affirmative, negative, interrogative) with the verb "TO BE"
- -- Were you and Bob at the party?
-- I was there, but bob wasn't.
- -- Were you and Bob at the party?
Use the base form of the verb (the infinitive without "to)
- to form the present tense of most verbs (see quizzes on Present Tense)
- when you use the auxiliary verbs 'do,' 'does,' 'did' to form questions and negatives in the past and present tenses:
- She has a cat but she doesn't have a dog
- -- Did you have fun?
-- Yes, I had a lot of fun. - -- No, I didn't have fun.
(See quizzes on Present Perfect and Passives)