A regular verb is a type of verb in English that follows a consistent and predictable pattern when forming its past tense and past participle. Regular verbs typically add “-ed” or “-d” to the base form of the verb to indicate these tenses. This regular pattern makes them easier to learn and use compared to irregular verbs, which do not follow a fixed pattern.
Characteristics of Regular Verbs
Consistent Pattern:
Regular verbs follow a set rule for their conjugation. The past tense and past participle forms are created by adding “-ed” or “-d” to the base form of the verb.
Simplicity:
The simplicity of regular verbs lies in their predictable nature. Once you know the base form of the verb, you can easily form the past tense and past participle by applying the rule.
Examples of Regular Verbs
Base Form
Past Tense
Past Participle
Accept
Accepted
Accepted
Achieve
Achieved
Achieved
Add
Added
Added
Admire
Admired
Admired
Admit
Admitted
Admitted
Advise
Advised
Advised
Agree
Agreed
Agreed
Allow
Allowed
Allowed
Answer
Answered
Answered
Appear
Appeared
Appeared
Arrive
Arrived
Arrived
Ask
Asked
Asked
Bake
Baked
Baked
Believe
Believed
Believed
Belong
Belonged
Belonged
Borrow
Borrowed
Borrowed
Call
Called
Called
Change
Changed
Changed
Clean
Cleaned
Cleaned
Close
Closed
Closed
Compare
Compared
Compared
Complain
Complained
Complained
Cook
Cooked
Cooked
Create
Created
Created
Dance
Danced
Danced
Decide
Decided
Decided
Deliver
Delivered
Delivered
Describe
Described
Described
Destroy
Destroyed
Destroyed
Develop
Developed
Developed
Die
Died
Died
Disagree
Disagreed
Disagreed
Discover
Discovered
Discovered
Divide
Divided
Divided
Dress
Dressed
Dressed
Dry
Dried
Dried
Earn
Earned
Earned
Educate
Educated
Educated
Enjoy
Enjoyed
Enjoyed
Enter
Entered
Entered
Explain
Explained
Explained
Fail
Failed
Failed
Fill
Filled
Filled
Finish
Finished
Finished
Follow
Followed
Followed
Fry
Fried
Fried
Guess
Guessed
Guessed
Happen
Happened
Happened
Help
Helped
Helped
Hope
Hoped
Hoped
Hurry
Hurried
Hurried
Identify
Identified
Identified
Imagine
Imagined
Imagined
Improve
Improved
Improved
Increase
Increased
Increased
Invite
Invited
Invited
Join
Joined
Joined
Jump
Jumped
Jumped
Kick
Kicked
Kicked
Kill
Killed
Killed
Laugh
Laughed
Laughed
Learn
Learned
Learned
Like
Liked
Liked
Listen
Listened
Listened
Live
Lived
Lived
Look
Looked
Looked
Love
Loved
Loved
Manage
Managed
Managed
Mark
Marked
Marked
Marry
Married
Married
Measure
Measured
Measured
Miss
Missed
Missed
Move
Moved
Moved
Need
Needed
Needed
Notice
Noticed
Noticed
Open
Opened
Opened
Order
Ordered
Ordered
Paint
Painted
Painted
Pass
Passed
Passed
Pick
Picked
Picked
Place
Placed
Placed
Plan
Planned
Planned
Play
Played
Played
Prepare
Prepared
Prepared
Press
Pressed
Pressed
Protect
Protected
Protected
Provide
Provided
Provided
Pull
Pulled
Pulled
Push
Pushed
Pushed
Raise
Raised
Raised
Reach
Reached
Reached
Read
Read
Read
Receive
Received
Received
Record
Recorded
Recorded
Remember
Remembered
Remembered
Remove
Removed
Removed
Repeat
Repeated
Repeated
Replace
Replaced
Replaced
Report
Reported
Reported
Rest
Rested
Rested
Return
Returned
Returned
Save
Saved
Saved
Search
Searched
Searched
Share
Shared
Shared
Shop
Shopped
Shopped
Show
Showed
Showed
Sign
Signed
Signed
Smile
Smiled
Smiled
Start
Started
Started
Stop
Stopped
Stopped
Study
Studied
Studied
Talk
Talked
Talked
Thank
Thanked
Thanked
Travel
Traveled
Traveled
Turn
Turned
Turned
Use
Used
Used
Visit
Visited
Visited
Wait
Waited
Waited
Walk
Walked
Walked
Want
Wanted
Wanted
Wash
Washed
Washed
Watch
Watched
Watched
Work
Worked
Worked
Worry
Worried
Worried
Yell
Yelled
Yelled
Understanding regular verbs is fundamental for mastering English grammar. These verbs are characterized by their predictable and consistent patterns when forming past tenses and past participles, usually by adding “-ed” or “-d” to the base form. This predictability simplifies the learning process, making it easier for learners to conjugate verbs correctly and use them effectively in both written and spoken communication.
Regular verbs are essential for everyday conversation and writing, as many commonly used verbs follow this pattern. By recognizing the formation rules and practicing with various examples, learners can gain confidence and proficiency in using regular verbs. The simplicity and regularity of these verbs provide a solid foundation for building further grammatical knowledge and fluency in English.
