Irregular Verbs

An irregular verb shows past tense by using a different form of the main verb.
You know that the past tense of regular verbs is formed by adding ed or d.
An irregular does not end with ed in the past tense.

Irregular Verbs Present Past

be am, is, are was, were

begin
begin, begins Began
break
Break, breaks Broke
know
know, knows Knew
think
think, thinks thought

wear, wears wore

Examples:
Will the merry-go-round break down? It broke down last week.

Guided Practice

A. Read each sentence. Identify the irregular verb.

Example: I thought about the carousel in the park.
thought
1. Carousels brought children joy for many years.
2. Folk artists began with horses.
3. These horses were the first carousel animals.
4. Then folk artists thought about other animals.
5. These animals became very popular as well.
Independent Practice
B. Write the correct past-tense form of the verb in parentheses.
 Example: Edward Hicks (be) a famous folk artist.
was
1. Edward Hicks (begin) as a carriage painter.
2. Then he (bring) his skill to sign painting.
3. In the 1800s, he (throw) aside his early work.
4. He (begin) a series of paintings of animals.
5. Hicks (throw) himself into his new work.
Remember
that irregular verbs have special forms in the past tense.