Irregular verbs are frequently tested in PSLE (in Grammar MCQ, Grammar Cloze, Editing, Comprehension Cloze and Transformation) and do not follow the typical rules of verb conjugation. Students cannot assume that adding ~ed is going to work everytime. Knowing them by heart helps students avoid errors when forming the past participle.
There are many ways to organise the patterns in these irregular verbs and I chose to organise them by the changes to the past participle forms. Here is an essential list:
Vowel change | ||
|---|---|---|
begin | began | begun |
drink | drank | drunk |
sing | sang | sung |
swim | swam | swum |
ring | rang | rung |
~en | ~n | |
arise | arose | arisen |
awake | awoke | awoken |
bid | bade | bidden |
break | broke | broken |
choose | chose | chosen |
draw | drew | drawn |
drive | drove | driven |
eat | ate | eaten |
fall | fell | fallen |
fly | flew | flown |
forbid | forbade | forbidden |
forsake | forsook | forsaken |
foresee | foresaw | foreseen |
give | gave | given |
know | knew | known |
see | saw | seen |
speak | spoke | spoken |
steal | stole | stolen |
take | took | taken |
withdraw | withdrew | withdrawn |
write | wrote | written |
~ne | ||
do | did | done |
go | went | gone |
tricky ones! | ||
slay | slew | slain |
sow | sowed | sown |
swear | swore | sworn |
come | came | come |
become | became | become |
lie | lay | lain |
lie | lied | lied |
lay | laid | laid |
Take a look at this question type in Transformation. That's two marks. Another question type that tests students on the past participle forms of verbs is the one that begins with Having~
Crystal did her homework. Then, she read her favourite book. |
Having done her homework, Crystal read her favourite book. |
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