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

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

If a verb of one syllable ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], double the final consonant and add "ed":

chat > chatted
stop > stopped

If the final consonant is "w," "x," or "y," don't double it:

sew > sewed
play > played
fix > fixed

If the last syllable of a longer verb is stressed and ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], double the last consonant and add "ed":

incur > incurred
prefer > preferred

If the first syllable of a longer verb is stressed and the verb ends [consonant-vowel-consonant], just add "ed":

open > opened
enter > entered
swallow > swallowed

If the verb ends "e," just add "d":

thrive > thrived
guzzle > guzzled

If the verb ends [consonant + "y"], change the "y" to an "i" and add "ed":

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

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:

strong, weak, regular, irregular verbs

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.

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