Irregular Tenses to Figure out Writing Easily

 By: TOEFL consultant

In general, to figure out irregular tenses, students face the difficulties. Here, we give the lists according to order of the sameness among the present (1), the past (2), and the participle (3).

1.      The present (1), past (2), and participle (3) are same.

	B	Beset	Beset	Beset
		Bet	Bet	Bet
		Bid	Bid	Bid
		Broadcast	Broadcast	Broadcast
		Burst	Burst	Burst
	C	Cast	Cast	Cast
		Cost	Cost	Cost
		Cut	Cut	Cut
	F	Forecast	Forecast	Forecast
	H	Hit	Hit	Hit
		Hurt	Hurt	Hurt
	K	Knit	Knit	Knit
	L	Let	Let	Let
	P	Put	Put	Put
	R	Read	Read	Read
		Rid	Rid	Rid
	S	Set	Set	Set
		Shed	Shed	Shed
		Shut	Shut	Shut
		Slit	Slit	Slit
		Spilt	Split	Split
		Spread	Spread	Spread
	T	Trust	Trust	Trust
	U	Undercut	Undercut	Undercut
		Upset	Upset	Upset
	W	Wed	Wed	Wed

2.      The present and the past are same.

B

Beat

Beat

Beaten

3.      The present (1) and the participle (3) are same.

	B	Become	Became	Become
	C	Come	Came	Come
	O	Overcome	Overcame	Overcome

4.      The past (2) and the participle (3) are same.

	B		Bend		Bent		Bent
			Beseech		Besought		Besought
			Bind		Bound		Bound
			Bleed		Bled		Bled
			Breed		Bred		Bred
			Bring		Brought		Brought
			Build		Built		Built
			Burn		Burnt		Burnt
			Buy		Bought		Bought
	C		Catch		Caught		Caught
			Cling		Clung		Clung
			Creep		Crept		Crept
	D		Deal		Dealt		Dealt
			Dig		Dug		Dug
			Dream		Dreamt		Dreamt
			Dwell		Dwelt		Dwelt
	F		Feed		Fed		Fed
			Feel		Felt		Felt
			Fight		Fought		Fought
			Find		Found		Found
			Flee		Fled		Fled
			Fling		Flung		Flung
			Foretell		Foretold		Foretold
	G		Get		Got		Got
			Grind		Ground		Ground
	H		Hang		Hung		Hung
			Have		Had		Had
			Hear		Heard		Heard
			Hold		Held		Held
	K		Keep		Kept		Kept
			Kneel		Knelt		Knelt
	L		Lay		Laid		Laid
			Lead		Led		Led
			Lean		Leant		Leant
			Leap		Leapt		Leapt
			Learn		Learnt		Learnt
			Leave		Left		Left
			Lend		Lent		Lent
			Light		Lit		Lit
			Lose		Lost		Lost
	M		Make		Made		Made
			Mean		Meant		Meant
			Meet		Met		Met
			Mislay		Mislaid		Mislaid
			Mislead		Misled		Misled
			Misspell		Misspelled		Misspelled
			Misunderstand		Misunderstood		Misunderstood
			Mow		Mowed		Mowed
		O	Outshine	Outshone		Outshone
			Overhang	Overhung		Overhung
			Overhear	Overheard		Overheard
			Overshoot	Overshot		Overshot
			Oversleep	Overslept		Overslept
		P	Pay	Paid		Paid
	R		Repay		Repaid		Repaid
			Rewind		Rewound		Rewound
	S		Saw		Sawed		Sawed
			Say		Said		Said
			Seek		Sought		Sought
			Sell		Sold		Sold
			Send		Sent		Sent
			Shear		Sheared		Sheared
			Shine		Shone		Shone
			Shit		Shat		Shat
			Shoe		Shod		Shod
			Shoot		Shot		Shot
			Show		Showed		Showed
			Shrink		Shrunk		Shrunk
			Sit		Sat		Sat
			Sleep		Slept		Slept
			Slide		Slid		Slid
			Sling		Slung		Slung
			Slink		Slunk		Slunk
			Smell		Smelt		Smelt
			Sow		Sowed		Sowed
			Speed		Sped		Sped
			Spell		Spelt		Spelt
			Spend		Spent		Spent
			Spill		Spilt		Spilt
			Spin		Spun		Spun
			Spit		Spat		Spat
			Spoil		Spoilt		Spoilt
			Stand		Stood		Stood
			Stave		Stove		Stove
			Stick		Stuck		Stuck
			Stink		Stunk		Stunk
			Strike		Struck		Struck
			String		Strung		Strung
			Sweep		Swept		Swept
			Swell		Swelled		Swelled
			Swing		Swung		Swung
	T		Teach		Taught		Taught
			Tell		Told		Told
			Think		Thought		Thought
			Thrive		Thrived		Thrived
		U	Understand	Understood		Understood
			Unwind	Unwound		Unwound
	W		Waylay		Waylaid		Waylaid
			Weep		Wept		Wept
			Win		Won		Won
			Wind		Wound		Wound
			Withhold		Withheld		Withheld
			Withstand		Withstood		Withstood
			Wring		Wrung		Wrung

References

 

Azar, Betty Schrampfer. 1989. Understanding and Using English Grammar. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc.

Voiles, Price R. 1993. Modern Business English. Singapore: McGraw-Hill Book Co.