Irregular Verbs Patterns: Are There Any Rules?

Many English learners ask:

“Are there any rules for irregular verbs?”

The short answer: Irregular verbs in English mostly have no strict rules, but there are patterns and groups that can help you learn them faster. Understanding these patterns makes memorization easier and improves speaking, writing, and exam performance.

What Are Irregular Verbs?

Irregular verbs are verbs that do not form the past simple (V2) and past participle (V3) by adding –ed.

Examples:

• go → went → gone

• eat → ate → eaten

• write → wrote → written

Unlike regular verbs (work → worked → worked), irregular verbs change unpredictably, but many follow recognizable patterns.

Common Irregular Verb Patterns

1. Verbs That Don’t Change

Some verbs remain the same in all forms.

• put – put – put

• cut – cut – cut

• hit – hit – hit

• let – let – let

Tip: These are easy to remember and appear often in daily English.

2. Verbs with Vowel Changes (a → u, i → a, e → o)

Many irregular verbs follow similar vowel patterns.

• sing – sang – sung

• ring – rang – rung

• drink – drank – drunk

• swim – swam – swum

Tip: Group verbs by vowel changes to memorize faster.

3. Verbs Ending in –t, –d, or –ght

Some irregular verbs change by adding –t or –ght in past forms.

• bring – brought – brought

• buy – bought – bought

• think – thought – thought

• catch – caught – caught

Tip: These often have a predictable sound pattern.

4. Verbs Changing Completely

A few irregular verbs change completely in past forms.

• go – went – gone

• be – was/were – been

• do – did – done

• eat – ate – eaten

Tip: These must be memorized individually.

5. Patterned Past Participles (-en or -n)

Some verbs have past participles ending in –en.

• write – wrote – written

• drive – drove – driven

• speak – spoke – spoken

• choose – chose – chosen

Tip: Recognizing these endings helps with perfect tense usage.

Are There Rules for Irregular Verbs?

✅ Patterns exist, but most verbs must be memorized.
✅ Grouping verbs by sound, vowel change, or ending improves retention.
✅ Practicing in contextual sentences is far more effective than memorizing lists.

How to Master Irregular Verbs Faster

1. Learn in groups by pattern – vowel changes, endings, unchanged verbs

2. Use verbs in sentences – writing and speaking reinforce memory

3. Practice consistently – spaced repetition works best

4. Combine with exercises and quizzes – test your recall

📘 Irregular Verbs Exercises on TutorSpeak

🔗 British Council – Irregular Verbs

Featured Answer

While irregular verbs have no strict rules, many follow recognizable patterns. Some verbs don’t change (cut–cut–cut), some have vowel changes (sing–sang–sung), some add –t or –ght (bring–brought–brought), and others change completely (go–went–gone). Grouping verbs by pattern, practicing in sentences, and using exercises can help learners master them faster.