Unit 6.2
Past Simple of Irregular Verbs
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Introduction
The past simple is the tense used to express situations that occurred in the past and have now concluded.
Many common verbs have irregular past forms.
Form
There is no rule that explains how to obtain the irregular form of the past simple, we just have to learn these verbs and their past forms by heart.
The most commonly used irregular verbs are:
| Verb | Past Simple |
|---|---|
| become | became |
| break | broke |
| bring | brought |
| buy | bought |
| do | did |
| draw | drew |
| drink | drank |
| eat | ate |
| feel | felt |
| find | found |
| go | went |
| have | had |
| hear | heard |
| keep | kept |
| leave | left |
| read | read |
| run | ran |
| say | said |
| see | saw |
| teach | taught |
| write | wrote |
Example
- I bought a film yesterday.
- He drank wine at church.
- They went to the mountains last week.
- We found the monuments.
- I went to the theatre last weekend.
- She became a famous singer.
- We saw a concert in the park.
Use
We use the irregular past simple in the same way as the regular one, but it is formed differently.
Summary
Many verbs have irregular past simple forms.
The most commonly used are: become ⇒ became, do ⇒ did, go ⇒ went, have ⇒ had, leave ⇒ left, read ⇒ read, see ⇒ saw…
For example:
— “I left my blanket under the tree.” / “I leaved my blanket under the tree.” = The verb leave changes to left, because it is an irregular verb.
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.
Exercises
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