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:
- She listened carefully to the instructions.
- We visited the museum last week.
- They danced all night long.
- He cooked dinner for my friends
- The children laughed at the funny joke.
- She called her mother every day.
- We watched the movie together.
- They stopped at the store on their way home.
- He painted the walls of his bedroom.
- The dog barked at the mailman.
- She cried when she heard the news.
- We jumped for joy when we won the game.
- They hugged each other after a long time apart.
- He kissed her on the cheek.
- The cat purred when she petted it.
- They walked to the park together.
- He talked to his friends on the phone.
- The audience clapped when the show was over.
- We hoped for a better tomorrow.
- 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

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