Verbs sharing a common root (present tense) usually form their past and past participles the same way.
Examples of families based on root word:
present >> simple past >> past participle
- do >> did >> done
- undo >> undid >> undone
- redo >> redid >> redone
- take >> took >> taken
- retake >> retook >> retaken
- mistake >> mistook >> mistaken
As I have mentioned before, English is a complicated language.
Many common verbs in the present, the past, and their participles have irregular forms. Some of these can be grouped together in families.
The lists below describe the different similarities.
Families of irregularities
Past participle = simple past
B
C
- Bend >> bent >> bent
- Bind >> bound >> bound
- Bleed >> bled >> bled
- Breed >> bred >> bred
- Bring >> brought >> brought
- Build >> built >> built
- Buy >> bought >> bought
- Catch >> caught >> caught
- Cling >> clung >> clung
- Creep >> crept >> crept
D
- Deal >> dealt >> dealt
- Dig >> dug >> dug
F
- Feed >> fed >> fed
- Feel >> felt >> felt
- Fight >> fought >> fought
- Find >> found >> found
- Flee >> fled >> fled
- Fling >> flung >> flung
G
- Get >> got >> got/gotten
- Grind >> ground >> ground
H
- Hang >> hung >> hung (a thing)
- Hang >> hanged >> hanged (a person)
- Have >> had >> had
- Hear >> heard >> heard
- Hide >> hid >> hidden/hid
- Hold >> held >> held
K
L
- Keep >> kept >> kept
- Kneel >> knelt >> knelt
- Lay >> laid >> laid
- Lead >> led >> led
- Leave >> left >> left
- Lose >> lost >> lost
M
- Make >> made >> made
- Mean >> meant >> meant
- Meet >> met >> met
P
- Pay >> paid >> paid
R
S
- Read (rhymes with “bead”) >> read (red) >> read (red)
- Rend >> rent >> rent
T
- Tell >> told >> told
- Teach >> taught >> taught
- Tell >> told >> told
- Think >> thought >> thought
U
- Understand >> understood >> understood
W
- Weep >> wept >> wept
- Win >> won >> won
- Wind >> wound >> wound
- Wring >> wrung >> wrung
- Say >> said >> said
- Seek >> sought >> sought
- Sell >> sold >> sold
- Send >> sent >> sent
- Shine >> shone >> shone
- Shoot >> shot >> shot
- Sit >> sat >> sat
- Sleep >> slept >> slept
- Slide >> slid >> slid
- Sling >> slung >> slung
- Slink >> slunk >> slunk
- Speed >> sped >> sped
- Spend >> spent >> spent
- Spin >> spun >> spun
- Spit >> spat >> spat
- Stand >> stood >> stood
- Stick >> stuck >> stuck
- Sting >> stung >> stung
- Strike >> struck >> struck
- String >> stung >> strung
- Sweep >> swept >> swept
- Swing >> swung >> swung
Past participle = past = present
B
- Bet >> bet >> bet
- Broadcast >> broadcast >> broadcast
- Burst >> burst >> burst
- Cost >> cost >> cost
- Cut >> cut >> cut
C
- Cut >> cut >> cut
H
- Hit >> hit >> hit
- Hurt >> hurt >> hurt
L
- Let >> let >> let
P
- Put >> put >> put
T
- Thrust >> thrust >> thrust
S
- Set >> set >> set
- Shed >> shed >> shed
- Shut >> shut >> shut
- Slit >> slit >> slit
- Split >> split >> split
- Spread >> spread >> spread
A
- Alight >> alighted/alit >> alighted/alit
B
- Bereave >> bereaved/bereft >> bereaved/bereft
- Bid >> bade >> bidden/bade (as “bid farewell”)
- Bid (auction) >> bid >> bid
- Bust >> bust/busted >> bust/busted
D
- Dream >> dreamt/dreamed >> dreamt/dreamed
- Dwell >> dwelt/dwelled >> dwelt/dwelled
F
- Forecast >> forecast/forecasted >> forecast/forecasted
G
- Grip >> gripped/gript >> gripped/gript
H
- Heave >> heaved/hove >> heaved/hove
K
Knit >> knitted/knit >> knitted/knit
L
- Lean >> leant/ leaned >> leant/ leaned
- Lean >> leant/ leaned >> leant/ leaned
- Leap >> leapt /leaped >> leapt/leaped
- Learn >> learnt/ learned >> learnt/ learned
- Light >> lit/ lighted >> lit/ lighted
M
- Melt >> melted >> molten/melted
P
- Pen >> pent/penned >> pent/penned
- Plead >> pled/pleaded >> pled/pleaded
Q
- Quit >> quit/quitted >> quit/quitted
R
- Rid >> rid/ridded >> rid/ridded
S
- Shoe >> shod/shoed >> shod/shoed
- Shred >> shred/shredded >> shred/shredded
- Smell >> smelt/smelled >> smelt/smelled
- Spell >> spelt/ spelled >> spelt/ spelled
- Spill >> spilt/ spilled >> spilt/ spilled
- Spoil >> spoilt/spoiled >> spoilt/spoiled
- Sweat >> sweat/sweated >> sweat/sweated
W
- Wed >> wed/wedded >> wed/wedded
- Wet >> wet/wetted >> wet/wetted
Only the past participle has two acceptable forms, regular and irregular.
- Mow >> mowed >> mown/mowed
- Saw >> sawed >> sawn/ sawed
- Sew >> sewed >> sewn/ sewed
- Shear >> sheared >> shorn/sheared
- Show >> showed >> shown/showed
- Sow >> sowed >> sown/ sowed
- Swell >> swelled >> swollen/ swelled
A
- Arise >> arose >> arisen
- Awake >> awoke >> awoken
B
- Bite >> bit >> bitten
- (consonant doubles to shorten the vowel sound)
- Break >> broke >> broken
C
- Choose >> chose >> chosen
E
- Eat >> ate >> eaten
D
- Drive >> drove >> driven
F
- Fall >> fell >> fallen
- Forbid >> forgot >> forgotten
- Forgive >> forgave >> forgiven
- Freeze >> froze >> frozen
G
- Give >> gave >> given
H
- Hide >> hid >> hidden
O
- Overtake >> overtook >> overtaken
R
- Ride >> rode >> ridden
- Rise >> rose >> risen
S
- See >> saw >> seen
- Shake >> shook >> shaken
- Speak >> spoke >> spoken
- Steal >> stole >> stolen
- Stride >> strode >> stridden
- Strive >> strove >> striven
W
- Wake >> woke >> woken
- Weave >> wove >> woven
- Write >> wrote >> written
T
- Take >> took >> taken
- Tread >> trod >> trodden
- Blow >> blew >> blown
- Draw >> drew >> drawn
- Grow >> grew >> grown
- Know >> knew >> known
- Throw >> threw >> thrown
- Withdraw >> withdrew >> withdrawn
Three different vowels (present = “i,” past = “a,” past participle = “u”)
- Begin >> began >> begun
- Drink >> drank >> drunk
- Ring >> rang >> rung
- Shrink >> shrank >> shrunk
- Sing >> sang >> sung
- Sink >> sank >> sunk
- Spring >> sprang >> sprung
- Stink >> stank/stunk >> stunk
- Swim >> swam >> swum
The vowel only changes in the simple past. The past participle is the same as the present.
- Become >> became >> become
- Come >> came >> come
- Run >> ran >> run
The “ea” diphthong changes to an “o” and adds an ending “e” for the simple past. The past participle uses the simple past but changes the “e” to an “n.”
- Bear >> bore >> born(e) (as to carry, not the animal)
- Swear >> swore >> sworn
- Tear >> tore >> torn
- Wear >> wore >> worn
These words follow no pattern. They just do their own thing.
- Beat >> beat >> beaten
- Crow >> crowed >> crew/crowed
- Do >> did >> done
- Fly >> flew >> flown
- Go >> went >> gone
- Lie (in bed) >> lay >> lain
Credit: Word cloud created at worditout.com.