lecture 11

Irregular Verbs
What Are Irregular Verbs?
Irregular verbs are verbs that don’t take on the regular –d, -ed, or -ied spelling patterns of the past simple (V2) or past participle (V3). Many of the irregular V2 and V3 forms are the same, such as: cut – cut, had – had, let – let, hurt – hurt, fed- fed, sold-sold

Irregular Verb Examples
Irregular verbs are also known as strong verbs. Here are nine that are used more often than the rest. These nine irregular verb examples also happen to be among the most commonly used words in the English language. They are:
• Go
• Get
• Say
• See
• Think
• Make
• Take
• Come
• Know
The following list of examples show how irregular verbs are used in sentences. Some sentences contain more than one example.
1. Go get your brother. It’s time to eat dinner.
? In this example, all three irregular verbs (go, get, and eat) are in base form.
2. I want to build a sand castle like the one we built last year.
? In this example, the irregular verb build is in base form. The irregular verb built is the past simple form of “build”. When you look at the complete list of examples, you’ll notice that built is also the past participle of the irregular verb “build”.
3. He bet me that I couldn’t run five miles without stopping. I proved him wrong; I ran seven miles before I had to catch my breath.
? In this example, bet is a past simple form. When you look at the complete list, you will see that all three forms of “bet” are the same. Next, in the same sentence, the irregular verb run is in base form. In the next sentence, ran is the past simple form of “run” and had is the past simple form of “have.” Meanwhile, catch is base form.
4. I awoke to find that a spider had bitten me. Although the wound didn’t bleed, it itched terribly.
? In this example, the irregular verb awoke is the past simple form of “awake.” Bitten is past participle form of “bite” and bleed is base form.
5. Let’s drink some of this lemonade. I drank some yesterday and found it delicious.
? In this example, the irregular verb drink is in base form. Drank is the past simple form of “drink,” and found is the past simple form of “find.”
For more examples, read our complete list of irregular verbs in the English language.
Irregular Verb Exercises
Fill the blank spaces with the appropriate irregular verb.
1. My dog jumped out of the swimming pool and _____________ himself, causing water to spray everywhere. (shake, shook, shaken)
2. You should have ______________ Trish’s face when she got her surprise. (saw, had seen, seen)
3. We _____________ the whole day lounging on the beach. (spend, spent, had spend)
4. Let’s _____________ a hike on Saturday. (take, took, taken)
5. My brother Mike ______________ his stinky socks on the coffee table. (leave, left, leaving)
6. This is the ninth time that pitcher has _____________ a foul ball (throw, threw, thrown)
7. The water balloon _____________ when it hit its target. (burst, busted, broken)
8. Jesse intentionally ______________ gum in Jeff’s hair. (stick, stuck, sticky)



Confusing Verbs: There are many verbs that sound similar and it’s easy to get confused between them. Here is a list of some of the most common confusing verb pairs, their meanings and examples of how they should be used in a sentence.
Verb Meaning/ Use The Verb in Context
borrow To take a loan Can I borrow $20 from you please?
lend To give a loan I will lend you $20.
say 1. To report someone’s words
2. To ask about how to use a language 1. Did she say anything about me?
2. How do you say “hello” in Spanish?
tell 1. To instruct
2. To narrate 1. Tell him to stop the car.
2. He’s telling a good joke.
do To carry out activities or tasks He needs to do his homework.
make 1. To cause to happen
2. To create or build something 1. Don’t make him angry.
2. Don’t forget to make a list.
can 1. To show ability
2. To request (informal) 1. I can contact the company if you would like me to.
2. Can I help you?
may 1. To express a possibility
2. To request (polite) 1. I may see you later at the party.
2. May I help you?
meet 1. To come into contact with someone
2. To be introduced to someone
3. To arrange to see someone 1. He met her for the first time yesterday.
2. I will meet you in front of the main building.
know 1. To be familiar with someone
2. To understand a fact or truth 1. I’ve known Sheila for a long time.
2. He knows a lot about geography.
waste To fail to use something valuable in an effective way 1. Don’t waste your time watching too much TV.
2. Don’t waste water! We don’t have enough of it.
spend 1. To pay out
2. To pass time 1. I spent a lot of money at the shop yesterday.
2. He spends much of his time at the beach.
lie 1. To recline or to rest
2. To not tell the truth 1. The cat lies in the sun most of the day.
2. The documents are lying on the table now.
3. He lay on his bed in pain last night.
4. He lied to me about the money he’d spent.
lay To put, place or set down 1. He lays his keys on the counter every day.
2. He laid the mail on the table when he came in.
bring To carry towards someone or somewhere He brings me flowers every week.
take To carry away from someone or somewhere He always takes his brother to hockey games.
adopt To take or claim as one’s own They adopted a child from Vietnam last year.
adapt 1. To get used to
2. To change 1. John adapted to the weather in the East quite quickly.
2. That company adapts and resells the ideas of others.
rise 1. To get up
2. To go up 1. He rises at 5:00 every morning
2. Gas prices are steadily rising.
raise to make higher The government is raising the price of fuel.
emigrate To leave a country Joshua emigrated from the UK in 2001.
immigrate To move to another country She immigrated to Canada in 2002.
Exercises – Confusing verbs
Choose the correct word from the parenthesis at the end of the sentence as in the example.
1. As a child, I spent each summer in France with my grandmother. (spent/wasted)
1. I have already ____ to the customs in this new country I live in. (adapted / adopted)
2. Ed ______ Suzanne at a single’s party last month. (met / knew)
3. The girls ____ money from their father to buy their mom a gift. (lent / borrowed)
4. My father _______ the American flag on all US holidays. (raises / rises)
5. He’s ________ down because he doesn’t feel well. (laying / lying)
6. Cho left China and _______ to Australia in 1998. (emigrated / immigrated)
7. I don’t know how to do it, but I’m sure the service department ________ help you. (can / may)
8. I hope you will _______ your job well. (make / do)
9. Anna parties every night. It has started _______ her work. (effecting / affecting)
10. Please turn off the lights. We don’t like to _____ energy. (spend / waste)
Answers:
1. adapted
2. met
3. borrowed
4. raises
5. lying
6. immigrated
7. can
8. do
9. affecting
10. waste