Once upon a time, English had gazillions of what we now call “irregular” verbs. Now, however, only a couple of hundred remain.
With irregular verbs in the process of change, some speakers put -ed past tense endings on them, while others continue to use the “irregular” forms. Only time will tell if the older forms of these verbs will disappear.
Some irregular verbs, however, are so much a part of the current language that their misuse is seen as a major fault.
Error prevention: The best way to avoid mistakes with the use of irregular verbs is to familiarize yourself with the words in the following lists:
23 verbs like “cut”
61 verbs like “find”
65 verbs like “begin”
28 verbs with regularity issues
Pay special attention to the past participle forms. The most common mistake made with these verbs is to use the past participle form as the simple past. Many irregular verbs have different past and past participle forms. These are the ones that are the source of verb errors. If necessary, drill yourself by reciting the forms in this order:
write wrote (have) written
come came (have) come
sing sang (have) sung
go went (have) gone
Be sure to say the “have” with the past participle form.
