English is a language of exceptions, where when learning something new grammar rule students are faced with a dozen buts in which this rule does not apply. One of these rules is to use irregular verbs in the past tense. For many English learners, this topic is a nightmare. But you can’t do without them, because these are the realities of English! However, there is good news - modern English is gradually getting rid of irregular verbs, replacing them with regular ones. Why and how - we'll look at it in the article.
Why are English verbs irregular?
Not only foreigners, but also native speakers themselves experience difficulty in using irregular verbs. But nevertheless, for English philologists, the non-standardity of this part of speech is not a drawback, but a reason for pride. They believe that irregular verbs are a cultural monument that perpetuates history English language. The explanation for this fact is the Germanic roots of the origin of irregular verbs, which makes British English a traditional variant of the language. For comparison, Americans are trying hard to get rid of the irregular shape, converting it into the correct one. Therefore, the list of non-standard verbs increases for those who learn both versions of the language. Thus, the incorrect version is ancient, which is reflected in prose and poetry.
How many forms does a verb have in English?
Speaking about verbs in English, it should be noted that they have 3 forms:
- infinitive, aka ;
- I, or Participle I, - this form is used in the simple past tense (Past Simple) and in the 2nd and 3rd cases conditional mood(Conditional of the 2-d and of the 3-d case);
- Past Participle II, or Participle II, for the simple perfect tense of the long past tense ( Past Perfect), passive voice(Passive Voice) and the conditional mood of the 3-d case.
The table "Three in English" is presented later in the article.
What are regular and irregular verbs? Education rules
Regular verbs- these are those in which the past form (Past Simple) and the form Participle II (Participle II) are formed by adding the ending -ed to initial form. The table "Three verb forms in English. Regular verbs" will help you better understand this rule.
There are some features when forming Participle I and Participle II:
- if the verb ends with the letter -e, then adding -ed does not double it;
- The consonant in monosyllabic verbs is duplicated when added. Example: stop - stopped (stop - stopped);
- if the verb ends in -y with a preceding consonant, then y changes to i before adding -ed.
Verbs that do not obey are called irregular general rule during the formation of temporary forms. In English, these include the Past Simple and Participle II verb forms.
Irregular verbs are formed using:
ablauta, in which the root changes. Example: swim - swam - swum (swim - swam - swam);
the use of suffixes different from those accepted in the grammar of the language. Example: do - did - done (do - did - did);
identical or unchangeable form. Example: cut - cut - cut (cut - cut - cut).
Due to the fact that each irregular verb has its own inflection, they should be learned by heart.
There are a total of 218 irregular verbs in the English language, of which approximately 195 are in active use.
Recent research in the field of language shows that rare verbs are gradually disappearing from the language due to the replacement of the 2nd and 3rd forms with forms of the regular verb, that is, the addition of the ending - ed. This fact is confirmed by the table “Three verb forms in English” - the table presents a number of verbs that have both regular and irregular forms.
Table of irregular verbs
The table "Three Forms of Irregular Verbs in English" includes the most frequently used verbs. The table shows 3 forms and translation.
Irregular verbs came to modern English from Old English, which was spoken by the Angles and Saxons - British tribes.
Irregular verbs evolved from so-called strong verbs, each of which had its own type of conjugation.
Researchers from Harvard found that the majority of verbs used are irregular, and they will remain so because they are used more often than others.
There is also a phenomenon in the history of the English language when a regular verb became irregular. For example, sneak, which has 2 forms - sneaked and snuck.
Not only English learners have problems with verbs, but also native speakers, as even they find themselves in awkward situations when it comes to this difficult part of speech.
One of them is Jennifer Garner, who all her life was sure that sneak was the correct verb.
She was corrected by the host of one of the programs in which the actress took part. With a dictionary in hand, he pointed out to Jennifer her mistake.
Therefore, you should not be upset if you make mistakes when using irregular verbs. The main thing is that they do not become systematic.
Regular verbs
The table "Three forms of regular verbs in English with transcription and translation" is compiled on the basis of the most frequently used verbs.
Past Participle I and II |
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ask | |||
answer | |||
allow | |||
agree | |||
borrow, borrow | |||
copy, rewrite | |||
prepare | |||
close | |||
carry, drag | |||
call, call | |||
discuss | |||
decide, decide | |||
explain | explain | ||
slide | |||
cry, scream | |||
finish, complete, end | |||
shine | |||
rub | |||
grab | |||
help | |||
happen, happen | |||
manage | |||
look | |||
like | |||
move, move | |||
manage | |||
to be necessary, to need | |||
open | |||
recall | |||
suggest | sadgesture | ||
study, learn | |||
stop, cease | |||
start off | |||
travel | |||
speak | |||
transfer | translate | ||
try, try | |||
use | |||
worry | |||
walk, walk | |||
look | |||
work |
Examples of using 3 forms of verbs with translation
Above we looked at 3 forms of verbs in English. A table with examples of use and translation will help reinforce the topic.
Here, for each grammatical construction, two examples are given - one with regular and one with irregular verbs.
Grammar design | Example in English | Translation |
| Past Simple |
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| Present Perfect Tense |
|
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| Past Perfect Tense |
|
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| Passive Voice |
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| Conditional |
|
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Exercises
To better memorize irregular verbs, you need not only to learn them by heart and repeat them, but also to perform various exercises.
Exercise 1. Here is the table "Three verb forms in English. Irregular verbs." Fill in one of the three missing forms.
Exercise 2. Here is the table "Three verb forms in English. Regular verbs." Insert forms Participle I and II.
Exercise 3. Using the tables, translate the following sentences into English.
- I was reading a book.
- We saw them yesterday.
- The Smiths lived in London until 2000. They then moved to Manchester.
- Alice was a university student in 2014.
- They worked in the same company two years ago.
- He just finished training.
- When we were children, my mother often took us to this park.
- I drove a toy car as a child.
Answers to exercises
Exercise 1.
Exercise 2.
asked, borrowed, closed, decided, explained, helped, started, traveled, used, worked.
Exercise 3.
- I read a book.
- We saw them yesterday.
- The Smiths lived in London till 2000. Then they moved to Manchester.
- Alice was a student of Univercity in 2014.
- They worked in the same company two years ago.
- He has just finished training.
- When we were children we took for a walk to this park.
- I drove a toy car in my childhood.
Make it a habit to periodically repeat the basic forms of the English verb. A table with irregular verbs, doing exercises and periodic repetition will help you quickly cope with the difficulties of the English language.
Regular verbs (Regular Verbs) are verbs that have forms past tense And CommunionII are formed according to the same rule: by simply adding the ending - ed To basic form of a given verb (this is how they differ from, in which these forms can be formed in different ways). For example:
love – loved – loved.
roll – rolled – rolled.
That is, love is the base form, loved is the past tense form, or participle II. Most verbs in English are regular verbs.
All verbs in English (including irregular verbs and be, do, have) have 5 forms. We'll talk a little about all of them, but for starters it's enough to know what they are. basic form (or 1st form), as well as forms past tense(or 2nd form) and CommunionII(or 3rd form), that is, those forms that determine correct verbs.
Basic form
Basic Form/Present Form (Base Form or Present Form or Infinitive without particle to or Dictionary form) is a simple notation of verbs, this is how they look in dictionaries. It is to this that they add, for example, the ending - ed, if they want to form a tense (thus the verb acquires a 2nd form), but this form can also be used independently, most often in tense:
I love what I do.
I love what I do.I call her every day.
I call her every day.
Sometimes the verb form with the ending - s, which is used only with the pronouns OH (He), SHE (She), IT (It). Examples:
She/He/It loves him
She/He/It loves himHe/She/It calls me every day.
He/She/It calls me every day.
Past tense form
Past tense form (Past Simple or Past Indefinite or 2nd form of regular verb) – forms formed using the ending - ed by adding it to the base form. Used for education simple time. It is a defining form, that is, this form is found only in regular verbs (but there are rare exceptions).
He loved her.
He loved her.She killed him.
She killed him.
Past participle form
Past participle form/Participle II (Past Participle or Participle II) – looks and is formed by regular verbs the same as the 2nd form (which makes life easier for us), but is used to form all three time groups (present, past and future). It is the defining form of regular verbs.
He isloved.
He (is) loved.He was loved.
He was loved.He will be loved.
He will be loved.
ed the ending becomes the subject (definition/subject or person experiencing the result of a certain action):
paint – painted.
paint - painted.A killed soldier.
Killed soldier.
Infinitive
Infinitive (Infinitive or Infinitive) – the same as the base form of the verb, but with a particle to before it - for this reason it received the name infinitive. This form is formed in the same way for all verbs (including be, do, have).
We can talk about the infinitive for a long time, the main thing that will be useful for us to know is simple form words with particle " TO", which tells us that a given word denotes an action (that is, a verb). Particle " TO"in Russian is always translated as " TH".
An image for clarity: a man is walking down the street, and in order to name what he is doing we will say - in Russian it is called " WALK", but an American will say - it's called " TO GO". The same can be said about the verb be: " TO BE" is just a designation/name of an action " BE"and it can be said to be no different from simple" BE", unless, of course, you consider that the infinitive Not used in speech, otherwise it would look like this - I walk today to a friend... but still in some cases it is appropriate:
I like to play.
I love play.I want to open any interesting book.
I want open some interesting book.
Determining this case (whether an infinitive is needed or not) is very simple - translate this sentence into Russian.
The main thing to remember is that this form is neutral and simply means an action, it does not describe any time period and does not indicate the person who this action commits. In other words, the infinitive is not used in any specific period of time, but is mainly used to denote the name of an action. Also associate the particle "TO" with the Russian "Ть" at the end of the verb, which in English is placed before the verb.
Present participle
Present participle form/Participle I (Present Participle or Participle I or Gerund) – is formed using the ending - ing by adding it to the base form of the verb. Most often the participle I is used to form continued time (for example, ). This form looks the same for all verbs (including irregular and be, do, have).
He is touching a book.
He touches the book.He was touching a book.
He was touching the book.
Please note that in most cases the verb with - ing the ending becomes a noun:
smoke – smoking.
smoke – smoking.run – running.
run - run.
The value of the knowledge gained
Perhaps you will say: “Yes, everything is very interesting, but... why do I need to know this?” Well, at least in order to understand what the names Infinitive, Participle and so on mean in tables designed for learning regular verbs and verbs.
They are often written as follows: Infinitive (or Present), Past Simple (or Indefinite), Past Participle (or Participle II) and then below them are verbs with this form. An example of a table of frequently occurring regular verbs:
| Base Form | Past Simple | Past Participle |
| accept | accepted | accepted |
| agree | agreed | agreed |
| attack | attacked | attacked |
| clear | cleared | cleared |
| blame | blamed | blamed |
| contain | contained | contained |
Greetings to all lovers of English and grammar in particular:-P. Today you will find an interesting and useful selection again. Anyone might think that important for correct speech irregular, modal and phrasal verbs, that's all you need to know. You are deeply mistaken if you think that studying regular verbs is a useless task, since everyone knows the simple mechanism when a word in the past is added [-ed]. Regular verbs of the English language In fact, regular verbs are just like irregular verbs and any others. They display the noun. If you have a noun Cook, then you also have a verb to cook. Just like when there was an ordinary word “google”, which was used to mean “search engine”, but today the English language has given us “to google”, which has come to mean “search in the google search engine”.
Thus, by studying regular English verbs, you learn this unit, the noun, and the grammar of the formation of the past tense - three in one. Any English language course includes the study of these words in its program. Therefore, having studied difficult irregular, modal, phrasal verbs, you should not ignore ordinary regular verbs. These words are an important part of expressing emotions and feelings and constructing sentences.
Everyone knows that regular verbs are formed by adding the ending to the second participle and the past tense [-ed]: Paint - painted - drawish b, however, following this rule, it is necessary to take into account several important nuances:
- If the word ends in “e”, then we do not duplicate it and add only the ending [-d]: Like - liked - like
- If the lexeme ends with a voiceless or hissing consonant, then the ending [-ed] is pronounced like “t”: Polish - polished - ["pɒlɪʃt] - polish, S top — stopped — - stop. Please note that when Education Past Simple in one-syllable verbs the last consonant is doubled
- In the case when a unit ends with a voiced consonant or vowel, the familiar [-ed] takes on the sound “d”: Destroy - destroyed - - to destroy. By the way, when a lexeme ends in “y” and is preceded by a consonant letter, then when [-ed] is added, the sound “y” is reduced and “i” appears in its place: Study - studied - ["stʌdɪd] - to study. In the case where there is a vowel before “y”, no additional changes occur
- If the word ends in “d” or “t”, then [-ed] is pronounced as “id”: Pretend - pretended - pretend, Start - Started - - start, begin
Regular English verbs do not cause any particular difficulties, since the scheme of their formation is quite simple and transparent.
Table of 50 regular English verbs
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50 correct English verbs |
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| Word | Transcription | Translation |
| Ask | ɑːsk | Ask |
| Answer | ˈɑːnsə | Reply |
| Allow | əˈlaʊ | Let |
| Agree | əˈɡriː | Agree |
| Borrow | ˈbɒrəʊ | Occupy |
| Believe | bɪˈliːv | Believe |
| Copy | ˈkɒpi | Copy |
| Cook | kʊk | Prepare |
| Close | kləʊz | Close |
| Change | tʃeɪndʒ | Change |
| Carry | ˈkæri | Wear |
| Call | kɔːl | Call |
| Discuss | dɪˈskʌs | Discuss |
| Decide | dɪˈsaɪd | Decide |
| Explain | ɪkˈspleɪn | Explain |
| slip | slɪp | Slide |
| cry | kraɪ | Scream |
| Finish | ˈfɪnɪʃ | End |
| admit | əd"mɪt | Accept |
| glow | gləʋ | Shine |
| grate | grɪt | Rub, Grow |
| grip | grɪp | Grab |
| Help | help | Help |
| Happen | ˈhæpən | Happen |
| handle | "hændəl | Manage |
| Look | lʊk | Look |
| Live | lɪv | Live |
| Listen | ˈlɪsn | Listen |
| Like | laɪk | Like |
| Move | muːv | Move |
| manage | "mænɪdʒ | Lead |
| Need | niːd | Need |
| Open | ˈəʊpən | Open |
| Remember | rɪˈmembə | Remember |
| Promise | ˈprɒmɪs | Promise |
| Play | pleɪ | Play |
| Suggest | səˈdʒest | Suggest |
| Study | ˈstʌdi | Study |
| Stop | stɒp | Stop |
| Start | stɑːt | Start off |
| Travel | ˈtrævl | Travel |
| Talk | tɔːk | Speak |
| translate | trænz"leɪt | Transfer |
| Try | traɪ | Try |
| Use | juːz | Use |
| Worry | ˈwʌri | Worry |
| Work | wɜːk | Work |
| Watch | wɒtʃ | Look |
| Walk | wɔːk | Walk |
| Wait | wet | Wait |
You can download and print this table
Verbs( verbs) occupy a central place in any sentence of the English language. That's why it's so important to pay special attention this part of speech. All verbs in English can be divided into 2 groups: regular and irregular. Forms of regular and irregular verbs are used to form the past tense (Past Simple) and participle II (Participle II). What is the difference between regular and irregular verbs in English?
Regular verbs in English: regular verbs
Regular verbs in English ( regular verbs) - verbs in which the past tense form is formed by adding the ending -ed to the stem. For example:
- Look (look) - looked (looked).
- Paint (draw) - painted (drew).
- Call (call) - called (called).
- If the verb ends in an unpronounceable -e, then add only the letter -d:
- Improve (improve) - improved (improved).
- Like (like) - liked (liked).
- Ending -ed pronounced as /t/ if the verb ends with a sibilant or voiceless consonant:< >Stop (stop) - stopped (stopped). Polish (polish) - polished (polished). The ending -ed is pronounced as /d/ if the verb ends with a vowel or a voiced consonant:
- Study (to study) - studied (studied).
- Travel (to travel) - traveled (travelled).
- The ending -ed is pronounced /id/ if the verb ends in -t or -d:
- Report (report) - reported (reported).
- Pretend (pretend) - pretended (pretended).
Irregular verbs in English: irregular webs
Irregular verbs in English ( irregular verbs) differ in that they do not form past tense forms according to the rule. These verbs need to be remembered.
The table of irregular verbs in English is like the multiplication table in mathematics. Basics! Do you want to speak the language fluently? Learn English verbs by heart (by heart).
How many irregular verbs does a modern person need to know?
There are about 470 irregular verbs in English, but don't be alarmed, most of them are outdated and not used nowadays.
Beginners just need to learn 50 irregular verbs.
Those who want to get closer to the level of the average native English speaker will have to learn about 200 irregular verbs.
Top 50 irregular verbs
Frequency of use of these 50 verbs in English speech is 87%
Top 200 irregular verbs
For those who want to get closer to the level of a native speaker - the 200 most popular irregular verbs in English.
To study you can use:
List of irregular verbs with pronunciation: http://www.irregularverbs.ru/table/
More good way learning irregular verbs using rhyming poems.
And finally, a moment of humor. This video has long become super popular, and its author, MC Fluency, is a celebrity widely known among English lovers. Enjoy watching.
Today we will talk about regular and irregular verbs - which have spoiled a lot of blood for students of the English language. You will not find a list of irregular verbs here (although there are links to such lists at the end of the article), but you will find answers to other questions: what are irregular verbs and why are they needed? How many are there anyway? Do we need to teach them (spoiler: we do) and how? And even if by the end of the article you don’t like irregular verbs, then you will know much more about them.
Before we plunge headlong into the world of irregular verbs, let’s take a look around to see what’s happening in other languages. Irregular verbs are not inventions of the English language. Verbs that change without following simple rules - which is what makes a verb irregular - exist in many languages. In Italian and French, in Spanish and German. By the way, in German verbs are divided not into regular and irregular, but into weak and strong - you immediately feel a different attitude.
There are irregular verbs in Russian too. Here's an example: verbs ending in -at - read and play - are regular verbs. It's enough to know a couple simple rules, to get other forms: I read, I play, I read, I play, I read, I play – and so on. But, for example, to draw is also a verb in -at, but it forms completely different forms: I draw, you draw. Why is it like this, why don’t I draw, do you draw? Or give: I give, you give. Why don’t I give it, will you? Well, why, you say, because they don’t say that. But a foreigner doesn’t know what they say and what they don’t say. He will have to learn all these forms. If you look at the tables of irregular verbs in the Russian language textbook, there are four times more irregular verbs than regular ones. So it's still not that bad in English.
So, let's return to English. What are these irregular verbs?
Let's start from the stove - what forms can a verb take in English? A verb in English can be in one of five forms:
- Infinitive, infinitive. In Russian this is called the infinitive form of the verb. The verb will appear in this form in the dictionary. She, like Stirlitz with a parachute, can be easily recognized by the particle to before the verb: to start, to drive(start, lead)
- Simple present, present tense form. Looks the same as the infinitive, only without the to: start, drive. In 3rd person singular the verb looks different, at the end -s is added to it: starts, drives. We talked about this when we studied Present Simple
- Simple Past, past tense form. This form of the verb is used when we talk about the past: started, drove
- Past Participle, past participle: started, driven
- Present Participle, present participle. Formed by adding -ing: starting, driving
All these five forms are used to form certain times. In the Soviet school, they were all numbered - the infinitive was the zero form, then the first, second, third, and everything ended with the fourth, -ing form of the verb. It seems to me that numbering the forms of the verb - great idea. But in English grammar, verb forms are not numbered, so if you tell your interlocutor about the “second form of the verb,” be prepared to stumble upon a wall of misunderstanding.
And now the most important thing: look at how the verbs changed in the Simple Past and Past Participle forms (or in the second and third forms, as school textbooks bequeathed). One of the verbs simply added -ed, and the second behaved unpredictably - it either changed the vowel at the root, or added a consonant at the end. This is exactly what the difference between regular and irregular verbs looks like. The correct ones will add -ed and that will be the end of it, the incorrect ones will not obey any rules.
How regular verbs change
Now let's look at these changes even more closely; and let's start with regular verbs. I have already said that regular verbs add -ed and the difficulties seem to end there. This is almost true - but there are still some nuances. I’ll say right away - if you are just getting acquainted with what irregular and regular verbs are, feel free to skip this part and go straight to irregular verbs.
So, returning to regular verbs: the rules by which regular verbs change are confusing, and in real life are rarely useful - after reading enough books, you yourself will feel how to form the past tense correctly, and you can safely skip the rules and move on to the next part.
Are you still reading? Still wondering how regular verbs change? Okay, but I warned you - these rules are not for the faint of heart. So, let's go (in parentheses there is a translation of the indefinite form, so that you are not distracted by looking in the dictionary. Now we are not talking about meanings, but about the formation of verb forms):
- ordinary regular verbs. Add -ed. Ready. want – wanted(want), look – looked(look)
- the verb already ends in e. In this case, you don't need to add another e, just add -d. like – liked(like), move – moved(move)
- the verb ends with a consonant followed by y. In this case, y changes to i, and -ed is added to it: study – studied(study), carry – carried(carry)
- but if the verb ends with a vowel followed by y, then no replacement occurs: stay – stayed(stay), play - played(play)
- the most interesting thing. If a verb consists of one syllable and ends with a consonant-vowel-consonant, then the last consonant is doubled. It sounds scary, but with examples it’s not so bad: plan – planned(plan), drop – dropped(drop). However, this does not work correctly if the last letter is x, y or w: mix – mixed(mix), bow – bowed(bow)
- Did you think that was all? But no. Now the situation is the same: the verb ends with a consonant-vowel-consonant, but it has several syllables. The last consonant is doubled if the last syllable is stressed. prefer – preferred(prefer). And it does not double if the last syllable is unstressed: listen – listened(listen)
- Did you think that’s it for sure now? Well, what kind of rule is this without exceptions? In British English words travelled(to travel) and canceled(cancel) are written with a double vowel, although according to the rules it seems they shouldn’t. There is no doubling in American English.
Ufff, that's it now. The last three points, of course, are more like mockery than rules - and the syllables need to be counted, and determine where the vowels are, where the consonants are, where the stressed ones are, where the unstressed ones are... At some point it seems that it’s better than with such rules without them. And, frankly, it’s possible without them - I learned about the existence of all these rules only when I was writing this article - and for the previous decades, like Moliere’s hero, I doubled or did not double consonants without thinking at all about the grammatical science behind it. However, enough about regular verbs, now let's look at how irregular verbs change.
How irregular verbs change
Since the verbs are irregular, then complete chaos will reign in their forms. Yes, but not quite like that. Even among all these non-standard forms, certain patterns can be traced. Let's see what options there are for changing irregular verbs - having learned these patterns, it will be easier for you to learn the forms of irregular verbs. I apologize in advance for using Soviet system with numbering - but in this case it’s really more clear.
The second and third forms are the same
In almost half of the irregular verbs, the past tense form and the past participle (i.e., the second and third forms) are the same. have – had – had(have), keep – kept – kept(keep), leave – left – left(leave), say – said – said(speak). Not just irregular verbs, but some kind of waltz...
The first and third forms are the same
For these irregular verbs, the past tense form looks non-standard, and the participle looks the same as original form verb. Those. the first and third forms coincide. There are few such verbs - I counted only three: come – came – come(come), become – become – have become(become), run - run - run(run).
All shapes match
The next group of verbs decided not to bother at all and use one form wherever possible. Often (but not always) these are verbs consisting of one syllable and ending with a consonant, for example: cut – cut – cut(cut), put – put – put(put) shut – shut – shut(close).
Be careful with the verb to read(read): it may seem that it does not change ( read – read – read), but this is not entirely true; in the second and third forms the pronunciation changes, so that this verb rather belongs to the group “2=3”.
Nothing matches
Well, all the other verbs – they all have different forms. So where there are no rules, there are no rules: begin – began – begun(start off), do – did – done(do), eat – ate – eaten(There is), see – saw – seen(see) and so on.
How many irregular verbs are there and is it necessary to know them all?
Now let's assess the scale of the problem. How many irregular verbs are there in total? And coming with more practical side– is it necessary to know them all? Let's figure it out.
Most full list of irregular verbs, which I could find on the Internet, consists of 638 verbs. It looks like this is really the most comprehensive list. But every verb in this list is some kind of dinosaur, for example, blin-blan-blun(this is not a joke, this is actually one of the verbs from the list). What the hell are these words? I have to admit, I don’t know. I have never encountered such words in all the years of using the English language.
I think you already guessed that the values for ordinary person such a list is hardly representative. No, you definitely don’t need to learn 600+ irregular verbs.
How much do you need?
Trying to answer this question, I followed the path that is familiar to me from other work - as an analyst. I found a list of the 5000 most used English words, sorted by popularity; 1000 of them turned out to be verbs; In addition, I downloaded a list of irregular verbs - and compared the two lists with each other. What can you see? Among frequently used verbs there are much more irregular ones than among rare ones. If, for example, in the top 100 English verbs every second is irregular, in the next hundred every fifth is already irregular. And among the remaining 800, on average, only one in ten is incorrect.
That is, it turns out that if your vocabulary consists of 5000 words (and this is a confident upper-intermediate level, the level of if not “fluent”, then certainly “confident” language proficiency), approximately 1000 of them will be verbs, and about 140-150 of these verbs will be irregular. It is this number that you need to focus on - unless, of course, you are at the Upper-Intermediate level. This is exactly how many (or maybe a little more - up to 200) words you will find in most lists of irregular verbs scattered across the Internet.
Do I need to learn irregular verbs?
Even if you focus only on the most popular 140 verbs, the scope of work opens up rather large - after all, for each verb you need to know not only the basic form, but also the second and third forms - and now in total several hundred new words have come up. Are these irregular verbs so important, is it possible to put your efforts to better use? Will they really not understand me without all these grammatical problems?
That's right, they will understand. But you are unlikely to come across as someone with whom you can have a meaningful conversation. Remember the examples of irregular verbs from the Russian language that I gave at the beginning of our conversation? What would you think of a person saying “I draw”, “I give”, together “I draw”, “I give”? Yes, you can praise your efforts, but it will be difficult to take such an interlocutor seriously. Your speech will look exactly the same to an English speaker if you start ignoring irregular verbs. In a word, if you have even the slightest serious plans for using the English language, you cannot do without irregular verbs.
How to learn irregular verbs
Are there any ways to learn irregular verbs faster and more reliably? I don't think there is one recipe that will guarantee success, but I have selected a few tips that may help. Some of them may be contradictory to each other, because, I repeat, universal system does not exist - try each one and use the ones that suit you.
Teach in groups
We have already seen above that entire groups of irregular verbs immediately change according to similar patterns. Use this - learn a group of irregular verbs at once. Often this helps save energy - instead of remembering all the forms, you, for example, will remember that this one does not change at all, or that its second and third forms are the same. And the right answer will come to your mind.
Learn by frequency
Perhaps you shouldn't learn irregular forms of verbs you don't know. 140-150 irregular verbs is level B2, but what if you are only at B1 or A2? There is no need to run ahead of the locomotive; in this case, it is enough to know only those verbs that correspond to your level. However, don’t forget to come back regularly and learn new verbs as you progress.
There are several lists on the Internet organized by frequency, but I found them all inconvenient, so I made my own - link at the end of the article.
Use programs/applications/games
No one has canceled technological progress and the conveniences it brings with it. There are a countless number of applications, sites, programs, games that help you learn irregular verbs. In my humble experience, not all of them can bring real benefits, but this does not mean that they should not be used at all. Search for them in Google and Yandex, install applications on phones and tablets. Even if the application turns out to be complete nonsense, there is a chance that while trying to figure out how it works, you will learn a couple of verbs - this is already a benefit.
Learn all new verbs with three forms at once
From now on, if you come across a new verb in a lesson, in a book, in a conversation - and open the dictionary to find out the meaning of this new verb (in the case where this makes sense, see “ “) - at the same time look at the correct he or not; if incorrect, how does it change. This will give you a chance to learn both the new word and the forms it takes.
Build sentences
Learn irregular verbs like a rhyme - old, proven, but not the best effective way. Maybe you, like me, are not particularly talented at memorizing poetry; the right line will fall out of your head at the most inopportune moment. Instead, treat new forms like new words - build sentences with second and third forms of the verb, come up with associations and stories, draw pictures - in short, do everything we talked about in the article ““.
Pay attention to irregular verbs when reading or listening
Now that you know about the existence of irregular verbs, pay attention to them in the texts you read, in the films you watch, in the speech you hear. At first, just take a split second to realize: you just heard one of the forms of the irregular verb, you remember its meaning and all the other forms. Of course, you don't have to spend too much effort on this - especially if you end up forgetting what the other person said. But after you encounter a verb several times in a real situation and pay attention to it, it is unlikely to be forgotten in the foreseeable future.
How to determine verb forms using a dictionary
And one last thing. What do regular and irregular verbs look like in English dictionaries? What’s interesting is that there will be no direct indication of whether such and such a verb is correct or incorrect in the dictionary. Apparently because the boundary between regular and irregular verbs is not very clear. There are, for example, verbs that behave as irregular in American English and as regular in British.
In addition, each dictionary has its own characteristics - for example, they do not look like anything in the Oxford online dictionary; it assumes that you already know how irregular and regular verbs change. Here's another example - online dictionary learningdictionary.com (which I highly recommend if you don't already use it). If you open the definition of a verb, right before the definition all its existing forms will be listed - starting with the -s form and ending with the -ing form. Between them - one or two, depending on whether they are the same or different - there will be either an -ed form, or forms for the past tense and for the past participle. Therefore, feel free to look into this dictionary if you want to know for sure how to do it correctly.
At this point, it’s time to end the story about regular and irregular verbs - and move on to what all this torment was for - to the tenses of the verb. We will talk about this in future articles.
