Regular Verbs

Regular verbs are action words that follow a predictable pattern when they change tense. They don’t do anything funky when you switch from past to present or future. Understanding them well makes it easier to tackle exam questions. So, when you’re studying, pay attention to how regular verbs act in sentences. This way, when you’re in the test, you won’t get tripped up. Just remember, regular verbs play by the rules, making them a bit simpler to handle compared to irregular ones. So, practice using them in different tenses, and you’ll be all set for the exam.

Also Check: Main Verb

Definition of Regular Verbs

Regular verbs are words that follow a simple pattern when changing tense. They don’t undergo significant changes to show past tense or other forms. For example, “walk” is a regular verb. In the past tense, you just add “-ed” to make it “walked.” So, regular verbs are kind of like the straightforward, easy-to-handle players in the verb world—they stick to the rules without any surprises.

What Are Regular Verbs?

Regular verbs in English are pretty straightforward. They follow a simple pattern when you need to change their tense (like past or present). Here’s how it works:

• Present tense: This is the base form of the verb, like ‘walk’, ‘talk’, or ‘jump’. It’s what you find in a dictionary.
• Past tense: To change a regular verb to past tense, just add ‘ed’ or ‘d’ to the base form. So, ‘walk’ becomes ‘walked’, ‘talk’ becomes ‘talked’, and ‘jump’ becomes ‘jumped’.
• Past participle: This is also formed by adding ‘ed’ or ‘d’ to the base form. It’s used in sentences like ‘has walked’, ‘was talked’, or ‘been jumped’.
• Present participle: This is the ‘ing’ form of the verb. For example, ‘walking’, ‘talking’, ‘jumping’.

Also Check: Auxiliary Verbs

How to Use Regular Verbs?

Conjugating regular verbs might sound complex, but it’s actually quite simple once you get the hang of it! Regular verbs follow certain rules to change their form depending on when the action happened. Let’s break it down step by step:

• Adding ‘ed’ to the end: For most regular verbs, you just need to add ‘ed’ to the end of the base form of the verb to make it past tense. For example, “walk” becomes “walked.”
• Doubling the last consonant: Sometimes, if a regular verb ends in a consonant preceded by a single vowel, you double the final consonant before adding ‘ed.’ For instance, “stop” becomes “stopped.”
• Adding ‘ed’ to words ending in ‘e’: If a regular verb ends with an ‘e,’ you simply add ‘d’ instead of ‘ed’ to form the past tense. For example, “dance” becomes “danced.”
• Changing ‘y’ to ‘ied’: When a regular verb ends with a consonant followed by ‘y,’ you remove the ‘y’ and add ‘ied’ to make it past tense. For instance, “cry” turns into “cried.”
• Adding ‘ed’ to words ending in vowel + ‘y’: For monosyllabic words ending in a vowel followed by ‘y,’ you just add ‘ed’ to form the past tense. For example, “play” becomes “played.”

Remember, these rules apply to regular verbs. Irregular verbs have their own unique forms and don’t follow these patterns. But for regular verbs, following these guidelines will help you conjugate them correctly in past tense.

Conjugating Regular Verbs to Form Simple Past Examples

Regular Verb	Simple Past Form of the Verb
Accept	Accepted
Reach	Reached
Offend	Offended
Pack	Packed
Scatter	Scattered

Conjugating Regular Verbs Ending with an ‘e’ to Form SImple Past Examples

Regular Verbs	Simple Past Form of the Verb
Arrive	Arrived
Save	Saved
Raise	Raised
Place	Placed
Live	Lived

Conjugating Regular Verbs Ending with ‘y’ to Form SImple Past Examples

Regular Verbs	Simple Past Form of the Verb
Marry	Married
Multiply	Multiplied
Play	Played
Identify	Identified
Try	Tried

Regular Verbs Examples List

Here are some common regular verbs and their conjugated forms for everyday use.

Regular Verbs	Simple Past Form of the Verb	Past Participle Form of the Verb
Agree	Agreed	Agreed
Ban	Banned	Banned
Choke	Choked	Choked
Deliver	Delivered	Delivered
Earn	Earned	Earned
Fix	Fixed	Fixed
Gather	Gathered	Gathered
Hatch	Hatched	Hatched
Injure	Injured	Injured
Jog	Jogged	Jogged
Knock	Knocked	Knocked
Laugh	Laughed	Laughed
Measure	Measured	Measured
Name	Named	Named
Operate	Operated	Operated
Please	Pleased	Pleased
Quiver	Quivered	Quivered
Return	Returned	Returned
Satisfy	Satisfied	Satisfied
Tie	Tied	Tied
Unlock	Unlocked	Unlocked
Visit	Visited	Visited
Wash	Washed	Washed
Yell	Yelled	Yelled
Zoom	Zoomed	Zoomed

Difference Between Regular And Irregular Verbs

Regular verbs are like your reliable buddies. You know what to expect with them. Just add “ed” and you’re in the past tense. Simple. Like “walk” becomes “walked” in the past. Easy, right? Irregular verbs are the tricky ones. They don’t follow the rules. Take “go” for example. It becomes “went” in the past, and “gone” for the past participle. See? Totally unpredictable. Understanding this stuff really helps on tests.

Also Check: JEE Foundation Course

10 Differences Between Regular And Irregular Verbs
Regular Verbs	Irregular Verbs
Follow a predictable pattern.	Do not follow a predictable pattern.
Past tense and past participle forms end in ‘ed’ or ‘d’.	Past tense and past participle forms can vary greatly.
Easier to learn and use due to their uniform structure.	More challenging to learn due to their variable structure.
Represent a larger number of English verbs.	Represent a smaller yet common set of English verbs.
Rarely undergo spelling changes in different tenses.	Often undergo spelling changes in different tenses.
New verbs entering the language usually become regular.	Few new verbs become irregular.
Examples: ‘walk’, ‘talk’, ‘jump’.	Examples: ‘go’, ‘write’, ‘put’.
Used frequently in both formal and informal English.	Used frequently in both formal and informal English.
No exceptions to their rule.	Many exceptions to their rule.
Seldom cause confusion in usage.	Can cause confusion in usage.

Importance of Regular and Irregular Verbs in Communication

Regular and irregular verbs form the backbone of English communication. They are essential for expressing actions, events, and states of being clearly and effectively.

Key Points:

Clarity in Communication:

• Regular and irregular verbs help convey thoughts and ideas clearly, leading to better understanding.
• They enable us to express actions and events precisely, avoiding confusion in communication.

Expression of Time:

• Verbs, both regular and irregular, are crucial for indicating the time of an action.
• This ability to express time accurately aids in storytelling, recounting events, and planning future actions.

Sentence Construction:

• Regular and irregular verbs are fundamental in constructing various sentence structures.
• They allow for diversity and depth in speech and writing, enhancing overall communication skills.

Fluency in English Communication:

• A solid understanding of regular and irregular verbs is essential for fluent communication in English.
• Mastery of these verbs facilitates smoother conversations and clearer expression of ideas.

Regular Verbs FAQs

What are regular verbs?

Regular verbs are words that follow a simple pattern when changing tense. They don't undergo significant changes to show past tense or other forms.

How do you form different tenses with regular verbs?

Present tense: This is the base form of the verb, like 'walk', 'talk', or 'jump'. Past tense: Add '-ed' or 'd' to the base form, like 'walked', 'talked', 'jumped'. Past participle: Also formed by adding '-ed' or 'd', used in sentences like 'has walked', 'was talked'. Present participle: This is the 'ing' form of the verb, like 'walking', 'talking', 'jumping'.

What's the difference between regular and irregular verbs?

Regular verbs follow a predictable pattern for past tense and past participle forms, while irregular verbs do not. Irregular verbs have unpredictable transformations.