Regular Verbs

Regular verbs form one of the most crucial parts of any language. Awareness of verb conjugation rules and understanding when to use them correctly contributes to your mastery of the language. Knowing how to use regular verbs accurately is an essential grammar skill that allows us to communicate articulately and effectively. Here, we will explain the meaning of regular verbs, go over all the forms they can take, and provide examples of how to use them in sentences.

What are regular verbs?

Regular verbs are verbs that follow a specific pattern when conjugated. They are the most common type of verb in English and can be recognized by their base form, which usually ends with -ed or -d. Regular verbs are also known as weak verbs because they do not undergo any changes in spelling when conjugated. In contrast, regular verbs are irregular verbs. While regular verbs are considered weak verbs, most irregular verbs are strong verbs.

Let’s consider the verb “walk” in the twelve tense forms in English grammar.

Tense / Aspect of Time	Simple	Progressive / Continuous	Perfect	Perfect Progressive / Continuous
Present	Kyle walks fast.	Kyle is walking fast.	Kyle has walked fast today.	Kyle has been walking fast ever since I knew him.
Past	Kyle walked fast.	Kyle was walking fast yesterday.	Kyle had walked fast before.	Kyle had been walking fast for a month.
Future	Kyle will walk fast.	Kyle will be walking fast tomorrow.	Kyle will have walked fast to be here on time.	Kyle will have been walking fast for thirty minutes now.

Regular Verbs Rules

Add “d” to regular verbs ending in “e.”

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
Like	Liked	Liked
Dance	Danced	Danced
Share	Shared	Shared
Care	Cared	Cared
Activate	Activated	Activated
Deduce	Deduced	Deduced
Outlive	Outlived	Outlived
Quote	Quoted	Quoted
Pause	Paused	Paused
Ignore	Ignored	Ignored
Tease	Teased	Teased
Wave	Waved	Waved
Vote	Voted	Voted
Massage	Massages	Massages
Lie	Lied	Lied

If a verb ends in “y,” convert it into “i” before adding “-ed.”

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
Supply	Supplied	Supplied
Justify	Justified	Justified
Deny	Denied	Denied
Worry	Worried	Worried
Marry	Married	Married
Occupy	Occupied	Occupied
Study	Studied	Studied
Magnify	Magnified	Magnified
Carry	Carried	Carried
Dry	Dried	Dried
Testify	Testified	Testified
Glorify	Glorified	Glorified
Hurry	Hurried	Hurried
Tally	Tallied	Tallied
Cry	Cried	Cried

Double the last letter before adding the suffix “-ed” on one syllable verbs with the consonant-vowel-consonant pattern except when it ends in ending in “w,” “y,” or “x.”

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
View	Viewed	Viewed
Show	Showed	Showed
Play	Played	Played
Stay	Stay	Stayed
Wax	Waxed	Waxed
Flex	Flexed	Flexed
Trim	Trimmed	Trimmed
Drag	Dragged	Dragged
Stun	Stunned	Stunned
Grip	Gripped	Gripped
Hug	Hugged	Hugged
Flip	Flipped	Flipped
Chat	Chatted	Chatted
Plan	Planned	Planned
Drop	Dropped	Dropped

Double the last letter before adding the suffix “-ed” on a multisyllabic verb if the final syllable is stressed. Otherwise, keep the base form and add “-ed.”

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
Question	Questioned	Questioned
Disappoint	Disappointed	Disappointed
Interact	Interacted	Interacted
Overhaul	Overhauled	Overhauled
Volunteer	Volunteered	Volunteered
Unlock	Unlocked	Unlocked
Refer	Referred	Referred
Compel	Compelled	Compelled
Control	Controlled	Controlled
Input	Inputted	Inputted
Commit	Committed	Committed
Admit	Admitted	Admitted
Permit	Permitted	Permitted

For all other verbs which are not irregular, add “-ed”

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
Walk	Walked	Walked
Smash	Smashed	Smashed
Depart	Departed	Departed
Clean	Cleaned	Cleaned
Jump	Jumped	Jumped
Plant	Planted	Planted
Rush	Rushed	Rushed
Frown	Frowned	Frowned
Ask	Asked	Asked
Harass	Harassed	Harassed
Present	Presented	Presented
Distinguish	Distinguished	Distinguished
Fool	Fooled	Fooled
Spark	Sparked	Sparked

Examples of Regular Verbs

Here are 20 sentences using regular verbs:

1. She listened carefully to the instructions.
2. We visited the museum last week.
3. They danced all night long.
4. He cooked dinner for my friends
5. The children laughed at the funny joke.
6. She called her mother every day.
7. We watched the movie together.
8. They stopped at the store on their way home.
9. He painted the walls of his bedroom.
10. The dog barked at the mailman.
11. She cried when she heard the news.
12. We jumped for joy when we won the game.
13. They hugged each other after a long time apart.
14. He kissed her on the cheek.
15. The cat purred when she petted it.
16. They walked to the park together.
17. He talked to his friends on the phone.
18. The audience clapped when the show was over.
19. We hoped for a better tomorrow.
20. His family had committed a crime.

Regular Verbs Exercises with Answers

Change the regular verbs inside parentheses to their correct forms to complete the following sentences.

1. Peach will __________ (attempt) to break the game record.

2. Kiara __________ (apologize) for her blunder yesterday.

3. He __________ (use) a ceramic box to collect and save the coins.

4. Has someone __________ (arrange) a vehicle for Mr. Roberts tomorrow?

5. They will __________ (extend) the warranty since you are a loyal customer.

Answers:

1. attempt

2. apologized

3. uses

4. arranged

5. extend

Regular Verbs List

Base Form	Past Tense	Past Participle
Accept	Accepted	Accepted
Add	Added	Added
Admire	Admired	Admired
Avoid	Avoided	Avoided
Bake	Baked	Baked
Balance	Balanced	Balanced
Bow	Bowed	Bowed
Burn	Burned	Burned
Check	Checked	Checked
Clean	Cleaned	Cleaned
Confuse	Confused	Confused
Connect	Connected	Connected
Consider	Considered	Considered
Decide	Decided	Decided
Describe	Described	Described
Develop	Developed	Developed
Doubt	Doubted	Doubted
Dress	Dressed	Dressed
Enjoy	Enjoyed	Enjoyed
Enter	Entered	Entered
Entertain	Entertained	Entertained
Escape	Escaped	Escaped
Float	Floated	Floated
Form	Formed	Formed
Free	Freed	Freed
Gather	Gathered	Gathered
Gaze	Gazed	Gazed
Glow	Glowed	Glowed
Haunt	Haunted	Haunted
Head	Headed	Headed
Heal	Healed	Healed
Hurry	Hurried	Hurried
Inform	Informed	Informed
Inject	Injected	Injected
Injure	Injured	Injured
Join	Joined	Joined
Joke	Joked	Joked
Judge	Judged	Judged
Kiss	Kissed	Kissed
Knit	Knitted	Knitted
List	Listed	Listed
Listen	Listened	Listened
Live	Lived	Lived
Love	Loved	Loved
Measure	Measured	Measured
Melt	Melted	Melted
Memorize	Memorized	Memorized
Nod	Nodded	Nodded
Note	Noted	Noted
Notice	Noticed	Noticed
Obtain	Obtained	Obtained
Occur	Occurred	Occurred
Offend	Offended	Offended
Peck	Pecked	Pecked
Peel	Peeled	Peeled
Pour	Poured	Poured
Pray	Prayed	Prayed
Queue	Queued	Queued
Reject	Rejected	Rejected
Rejoice	Rejoiced	Rejoiced
Relax	Relaxed	Relaxed
Scratch	Scratched	Scratched
Scream	Screamed	Screamed
Screw	Screwed	Screwed
Smile	Smiled	Smiled
Sob	Sobbed	Sobbed
Terrify	Terrified	Terrified
Test	Tested	Tested
Thank	Thanked	Thanked
Unlock	Unlocked	Unlocked
Unpack	Unpacked	Unpacked
Use	Used	Used
Visit	Visited	Visited
Walk	Walked	Walked
Wash	Washed	Washed
Wink	Winked	Winked
Wipe	Wiped	Wiped
Wish	Wished	Wished
Yawn	Yawned	Yawned
Yell	Yell	Yell
Zoom	Zoomed	Zoomed

Advice for ESL Students & English Language Learners

English grammar, like any language, is a complex subject to study. Understanding and applying grammar rules can be challenging, especially for English language learners. However, your success in learning the language is dependent on your learning plan.

First, know that there are different levels of language proficiency. Knowing your status allows you to align it with your study materials and learning strategy. To keep your motivation, select beginner-friendly materials instead of university textbooks when starting. In doing so, you will feel less intimidated by the topics you should learn.

Second, focus on the basics: nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Learn how to use them correctly in sentences and understand their meaning. It will help you build a strong foundation for your English language learning journey. Divide those topics into subtopics and learn each concept and rule one by one.

Third, find a reliable source of learning materials. Online resources such as websites, blogs, and YouTube videos are mostly free. LillyPad’s blog, for example, is a great resource for English language learning materials. Additionally, you can find books and other printed materials in your local library or bookstore.

Fourth, practice speaking the language with native speakers or other English learners. It will help you understand how to use the language correctly in conversations and improve your pronunciation.

Finally, be patient with yourself and don’t give up. Learning a language takes time and effort, so set realistic goals and celebrate your achievements along the way.

Additionally, it is important for learners to properly understand irregular verbs, conditional mood, subjunctive mood and verbs definition and examples.

Common Errors Made by English Learners

Learning a new language can be difficult, and English is no exception. Even experienced English learners make mistakes when speaking or writing in the language. Here are some of the most common mistakes made by English learners:

Common Mistake	Why it Happens	Correction	Examples
Using the base form when expressing a statement in the perfect aspect of verbs	Twelve verb tenses in English grammar make it confusing to study. Some learners find it hard to memorize all of the formulas of the twelve verb tenses.	The perfect aspect of verbs uses the past participle instead of its base form. Following a grammar chart that summarizes the formula of verb tenses would help learners understand and memorize them better. Compared to irregular verbs, the past tense and past participle of regular verbs are the same, making them easier to remember.	Present Perfect Tense Incorrect: I have talk to my mother about the party. Correct: I have talked to my mother about the party. Past Perfect Tense Incorrect: Zoey had pass her clinical exam yesterday. Correct: Zoey had passed her clinical exam before she migrated. Future Perfect Tense Incorrect: He will have live in Brazil for two years next month. Correct: He will have lived in Brazil for two years next month.
Converting irregular verbs using regular verb rules	In most English as Second Language materials, regular verbs are taught first before irregular verbs. As such, some students get used to converting verbs following the regular rules and carry it subconsciously when learning irregular verbs.	One of the best ways to avoid this mistake is memorizing irregular verbs. You can do this by familiarizing yourself with the top 10 most common irregular verbs first: 1. be 2. say 3. go 4. come 5. know 6. get 7. give 8. become 9. find 10. think.	1. be – was / were – been 2. say – said -said 3. go – went – gone 4. come – come -come 5. know- knew – known 6. get – got – gotten 7. give – gave – given 8. become – became -become 9. find – found – found 10. think – thought – thought

Learning Linking Verbs Strategies and Best Practices

A holistic approach to learning a language makes it easier to understand and remember. The five macro skills, reading, listening, viewing, speaking, and writing, should be developed and used in the learning process for better language acquisition. The table below lists activities you can do when learning linking verbs:

Learning Strategies
Reading	– Use flashcards to know basic English sight words and their meaning. – Search for material that contains translations of common expressions from your native language to English. – Select study materials appropriate for your language proficiency.
Listening	– Listen to an audiobook or a song and write what you hear to improve your retention of English words. – Compare and contrast two audio materials like TV ads and a speech. – Summarize a podcast, movie, audiobook, and other English audio materials.
Viewing	– Observe how native speakers speak and try to mimic it. – Watch English movies, interviews, and tutorials. – Use pictographs to learn and remember new words.
Speaking	– Join a community of English language learners and communicate with them to improve and gain feedback. – Integrate the language into your daily life and try to speak using English. – Participate in speech organizations (e.g. debate clubs, theatre groups)
Writing	– Write a journal of your learning journey in English. – Answer practice tests and create your own sentences. – Create a reflection essay on the media you watch or listen to.

Regular Verbs Frequently Asked Questions