A short lesson on irregular verbs for a basic ESL class.

1. Presented by Mary LaRue

2. You already know how to use
regular verbs when talking about
something you did in the past.
 To make the past forms of regular verbs, just add –ed.
 Examples:
 I walk to school every day.
 I walked to school yesterday.
 I have walked to school every day this year.

3. Yesterday we talked about how the
verb “to be” works. Let’s review it:
 It is totally irregular and you have to memorize it.
 I am now a student at Truman. You are too.
 Last year I was a student in Istanbul. You were too.
 I have been a student for many years. You have been
a student for many years too.

4. The verb “to go” is very irregular.
You need to memorize it.
 I go to the mall every Saturday.
 Last Saturday I went to the mall.
 I have gone to the mall every Saturday this year.

5. The verb “to do” is also very
irregular. You need to memorize it.
 I do my homework every night.
 Last night I did my homework.
 I have done my homework every night this week.

6. The verb “to see” is also very
irregular. You need to memorize it.
 I see a movie with my friends every weekend.
 Last Saturday I saw Star Wars in 3D.
 I have seen a movie every weekend this year.

7. Patterns of Irregular Verbs
 There are a lot of irregular verbs!
 But they come in only a few basic patterns. We’ll look
at seven basic patterns.
 1 2 3 4 5 67

8. Pattern #1: no change
 The verb “to put” doesn’t change in its past forms.
Because of this, you need to use a “time” word to know
when it happened.
 I put my books in my bookbag every night.
 Yesterday I put my books in my bookbag.
 I have put my books in my bookbag every night this
year.
 (Hit also uses this pattern.)
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9. Pattern #2: 3 different sounds:
drink, drank, have drunk
 The verb “To drink” uses this pattern.
 I drink coffee every morning.
 Yesterday I drank two cups of coffee.
 I have drunk coffee every morning for the last 3 years.
 (Sing, ring and swim also use this pattern.)
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10. Pattern #3: eat, ate, have eaten
 I eat pizza every Saturday night.
 Last Saturday night I ate pizza.
 I have eaten pizza every Saturday night for the last 10
years.
 (Give and many other verbs use this pattern.)
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11. Pattern #4: write, wrote, have
written
 I write English sentences in class.
 Yesterday I wrote English sentences in class.
 I have written English sentences in class every day
this year.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

12. Pattern #5: lose, lost, have lost
 I lose my keys sometimes.
 Yesterday I lost my keys and my mother was angry.
 I have lost my keys five times this year.
(Keep/kept also uses this pattern.)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

13. Pattern #6: make, made, have
made
 I make dinner for my family sometimes.
 Yesterday I made spaghetti for dinner.
 I have made dinner many times this year.
(Say/said and hear/heard also use this pattern.)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

14. Pattern #7: bring, brought, have
brought
 I bring my books to school every day.
 Yesterday I brought my books to school.
 I have brought my books to school every day this
year.
(Think/thought and catch/caught also use this pattern.)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

15. These are the most common
patterns of English irregular verbs.
Use your handouts of this
slideshow and see how well you
can do!

16. More practice pg. 1
Write the correct form of the verb in each sentence.
Take your time!
1. I ________________________ (go) to Philadelphia
last weekend.
2. I have________________________ (go) to
Philadelphia three times this year.
3. I ________________________ (do) my homework
early last night.
4. I have _____________________ (do) my homework
every night this year.

17. More practice pg. 2
Write the correct form of the verb in each sentence.
Take your time!
5. I ________________________ (drink) tea instead of
coffee this morning.
6. I ________________________ (put) my clothes in the
washing machine last night.
7. You ________________________ (eat) five slices of
pizza last night!
8. I have _____________________ (write) six letters to
my grandparents in Russia this year.

18. More practice pg. 3
Write the correct form of the verb in each sentence.
Take your time!
9. My sister ________________________ (lose) her
bookbag yesterday.
10. My brother and I ________________________
(make) chocolate chip cookies last night. Delicious!
11. You ________________________ (bring) the wrong
book to class today!
12. You have not _____________________ (brought)
your homework to school all week.