Irregular Verbs in English: A Smarter Way to Learn Them

Hello everyone, it's Alex again. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever seen a long, boring, A-Z list of irregular verbs? The kind that makes you want to close the book and watch a movie instead? I know I have. For a long time, I thought the only way to learn them was through painful memorization. It felt impossible.

But then I discovered something amazing. The alphabetical way is the *wrong* way to learn them! There is a much smarter, easier, and more logical method. The secret is to learn them in **groups based on their patterns**. Today, I'm not giving you a boring list. I'm sharing the method that finally helped me conquer irregular verbs. Think of this as a collection of "memory hacks" that will change the way you see them forever.

The Big Idea: Don't memorize A-Z. Learn in patterns. Your brain loves patterns, and it will remember these groups much more easily!

First, What Are Irregular Verbs Anyway?

Before we start, let's make sure we understand the basics. Most verbs in English are "regular". To make them past tense, you just add "-ed". For example, walk becomes walked. Easy! Regular verbs are predictable and follow the rules.

Irregular verbs are the "rebels" of the English language. They don't follow the "-ed" rule. They have their own special forms for the past simple and past participle. For example, go becomes went, not "goed". That's why we need a special method to learn them.

Group 1: The Unchanging Rebels 🎸 (All 3 Forms are the Same)

This is the easiest group! These verbs are lazy; they never change. The Base Form, Past Simple, and Past Participle are all identical.

💡 Memory Trick: Just remember one word, and you know all three forms! Easy win.

Base Form	Past Simple	Past Participle	Example Sentence
hit	hit	hit	He hit the ball yesterday.
cut	cut	cut	She has cut her hair.
put	put	put	I put the keys on the table.
cost	cost	cost	The ticket cost ten dollars.
shut	shut	shut	He shut the door quietly.

Group 2: The Vowel Switchers 🎶 (i → a → u)

This group has a beautiful, musical pattern. The main vowel changes from 'i' in the present, to 'a' in the past, to 'u' in the participle. It's like singing a song!

💡 Memory Trick: Just sing the vowels: i - a - u. Sing, sang, sung. Drink, drank, drunk. The pattern is your best friend!

Base Form	Past Simple	Past Participle	Example Sentence
sing	sang	sung	She sang a beautiful song.
drink	drank	drunk	I have drunk too much coffee.
swim	swam	swum	We swam in the ocean.
begin	began	begun	The movie has already begun.
ring	rang	rung	The phone rang a minute ago.

Group 3: The -ought & -aught Family 🛒 (Past forms are the same)

These verbs have a very strong and similar sound in the past. They all end with "-ought" or "-aught", and the last two forms are always the same.

💡 Memory Trick: If you can remember one (buy → bought), you can guess the others! The sound is your key. Think of the sound "awt".

Base Form	Past Simple	Past Participle	Example Sentence
buy	bought	bought	I bought a new car.
bring	brought	brought	She has brought a cake.
think	thought	thought	He thought about the problem.
fight	fought	fought	They fought for their freedom.
catch	caught	caught	The police caught the thief.
teach	taught	taught	My father taught me how to drive.

Group 4: The -ew & -own Crew ✈️ (Different Past Participle)

This is another fun group with a clear pattern. The past simple often ends in "-ew", and the past participle ends in "-own".

💡 Memory Trick: Remember the rhyming pattern: fly, fl**ew**, fl**own**. know, kn**ew**, kn**own**. Once you see it, you can't unsee it!

Base Form	Past Simple	Past Participle	Example Sentence
fly	flew	flown	A bird flew past my window.
know	knew	known	I have known him for years.
grow	grew	grown	My plant grew very tall.
throw	threw	thrown	She has thrown the ball.
draw	drew	drawn	The artist drew a portrait.

Group 5: The "All Different" All-Stars ⭐ (No Pattern)

Okay, I'll be honest. Some verbs are just crazy! All three forms are completely different. These are the true rebels. The good news is that they are very common, so you will see and hear them a lot. For these, we have to use pure memory, but because they are so common, it's easier than you think.

💡 Memory Trick: For this group, the best trick is to create a simple, memorable sentence with all three forms. For example: "Today I go, yesterday I went, and I have gone many times."

Base Form	Past Simple	Past Participle	Example Sentence
go	went	gone	She has gone to the store.
do	did	done	I did my homework last night.
see	saw	seen	Have you seen this movie?
eat	ate	eaten	We ate a delicious meal.
take	took	taken	He took a photo of the mountain.

How to Practice These Groups

Just reading this list is not enough. You need to practice! Here is my personal method:

1. Focus on one group per day. Don't try to learn everything at once. Today, just focus on the "Unchanging Rebels". Tomorrow, practice the "Vowel Switchers".
2. Create your own sentences. For each verb, write a simple sentence about your own life. "Yesterday, I drank water." This makes it personal and easier to remember.
3. Say them out loud. Language is about sound. Say the three forms over and over: "sing, sang, sung... sing, sang, sung." This helps build muscle memory.

Memory Challenge: Quick Test!

Let's see if this method works. What is the Past Simple form of these verbs? Click to see the answer.

1. What is the past of buy?

Answer: bought (It's from the -ought family!)

2. What is the past of swim?

Answer: swam (It's a Vowel Switcher: i → a → u)

3. What is the past of put?

Answer: put (It's an Unchanging Rebel!)

My Final Encouragement

Learning irregular verbs is a marathon, not a sprint. But by using this grouping method, you are training smarter, not just harder. I promise you, if you focus on learning these patterns, irregular verbs will stop being a nightmare and will start to feel like a fun puzzle.

Your Turn! 💬

Which group do you think is the easiest? Which one is the most difficult? Share your thoughts in the comments below!