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What Are Regular Verbs? (with Examples)
Regular Verb
A regular verb is one that conforms to the usual rule for forming its simple past tense and its past participle.In English, the "usual" rule is to add "-ed" or "-d" to the base form of the verb to create the past forms.
Regular Verbs Test
Use the buttons to form the past tense and then the participle of the regular verb shown.Regular Verb | |
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Past Tense | Past Participle |
Spelling Rules for Creating the Past Forms of Regular Verbs
For regular verbs, the "simple past tense" and "past particle" are formed like this:Add "ed" to most verbs:
- jump > jumped
- paint > painted
- chat > chatted
- stop > stopped
- sew > sewed
- play > played
- fix > fixed
- incur > incurred
- prefer > preferred
- open > opened
- enter > entered
- swallow > swallowed
- thrive > thrived
- guzzle > guzzled
- cry > cried
- fry > fried
Comparing Regular Verbs to Irregular Verbs
Regular verbs contrast with irregular verbs, which form their simple past tenses and past participles in a variety of ways.With a regular verb, the simple past tense and the past participle are the same. For example:
Base Form | Simple Past Tense | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
paint | painted | has painted |
yawn | yawned | has yawned |
dance | danced | has danced |
With irregular verbs, however, the past forms can be same or different. For example:
Base Form | Simple Past Tense | Past Participle |
---|---|---|
run | ran | has run |
grow | grew | has grown |
tell | told | has told |
bleed | bled | has bled |
Read more about irregular verbs.
Regular Verbs Are Weak Verbs
A regular verb is a type of weak verb.The terms "regular verb" and "weak verb" are not synonyms (i.e., they do not mean the same). Similarly, the terms "irregular verb" and "strong verb" are not synonyms.
Here is an infographic explaining how verbs are classified:

Why Should I Care about Regular Verbs?
Somewhat counter-intuitively, the most common verbs in English are the irregular verbs. They are a pain, but if you're learning or teaching English, you must embrace them. That said, there are some extremely useful regular verbs.When learning or teaching English, it is a good practice to start with the regular verbs to understand the concept of tense and the role of participles. You can tackle those ghastly irregular verbs, once you've cracked how the tenses work.
Good luck!
Key Point
- Start with regular verbs to understand the function of participles and how tense works.
Interactive Exercise
Here are three randomly selected questions from a larger exercise, which can be edited, printed to create an exercise worksheet, or sent via email to friends or students.- Do you disagree with something on this page?
- Did you spot a typo?