The good news is that the past forms of English are incredibly easy! The simple rule for making a verb into its past form is to add a ‘d’ or ‘ed’ to the end of the word:
+ ‘d’
like –> liked
rhyme –>rhymed
+ ‘ed’
play –> played
watch –> watched
You can apply this rule to almost every english verb and instantly have the past form. No study required. No memorisation necessary. But… and there’s a big ‘but’…. Beware the irregular verbs. These will require learning, memorising, and a bit of head scratching. They are listed in the chart below.
However, if you’d like an easier way to learn, try it on my Quizlet collection. It’s faster, easier, and a lot more fun. Click the links below to try.
In this Quizlet game, simply match the verb to its past simple form. You can use the drop down menu to choose different games.
Match or use the drop down menu to choose a different game
If you like the above study games, Click below to go to the Study Set page, or even better, join my Quizlet Class.
| V1 Base Form | V2 Past Simple | V3 Past Participle |
|---|---|---|
| awake | awoke | awoken |
| be | was, were | been |
| beat | beat | beaten |
| become | became | become |
| begin | began | begun |
| bend | bent | bent |
| bet | bet | bet |
| bid | bid | bid |
| bite | bit | bitten |
| blow | blew | blown |
| break | broke | broken |
| bring | brought | brought |
| broadcast | broadcast | broadcast |
| build | built | built |
| burn | burned or burnt | burned or burnt |
| buy | bought | bought |
| catch | caught | caught |
| choose | chose | chosen |
| come | came | come |
| cost | cost | cost |
| cut | cut | cut |
| dig | dug | dug |
| do | did | done |
| draw | drew | drawn |
| dream | dreamed or dreamt | dreamed or dreamt |
| drive | drove | driven |
| drink | drank | drunk |
| eat | ate | eaten |
| fall | fell | fallen |
| feel | felt | felt |
| fight | fought | fought |
| find | found | found |
| fly | flew | flown |
| forget | forgot | forgotten |
| forgive | forgave | forgiven |
| freeze | froze | frozen |
| get | got | got (UK) gotten (US) |
| give | gave | given |
| go | went | gone |
| grow | grew | grown |
| hang | hung | hung |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
| hide | hid | hidden |
| hit | hit | hit |
| hold | held | held |
| hurt | hurt | hurt |
| keep | kept | kept |
| know | knew | known |
| lay | laid | laid |
| lead | led | led |
| learn | learned or learnt | learned or learnt |
| leave | left | left |
| lend | lent | lent |
| let | let | let |
| lie | lay | lain |
| lose | lost | lost |
| make | made | made |
| mean | meant | meant |
| meet | met | met |
| pay | paid | paid |
| put | put | put |
| read | read | read |
| ride | rode | ridden |
| ring | rang | rung |
| rise | rose | risen |
| run | ran | run |
| say | said | said |
| see | saw | seen |
| sell | sold | sold |
| send | sent | sent |
| show | showed | shown |
| shut | shut | shut |
| sing | sang | sung |
| sink | sank | sunk |
| sit | sat | sat |
| sleep | slept | slept |
| speak | spoke | spoken |
| spend | spent | spent |
| stand | stood | stood |
| stink | stank | stunk |
| swim | swam | swum |
| take | took | taken |
| teach | taught | taught |
| tear | tore | torn |
| tell | told | told |
| think | thought | thought |
| throw | threw | thrown |
| understand | understood | understood |
| wake | woke | woken |
| wear | wore | worn |
| win | won | won |
| write | wrote | written |
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