What Is the Difference Between an Irregular Verb & a Regular Verb?
The difference between regular and irregular verbs has to do with how the verb is conjugated. This applies to all languages. In language, rules apply to most verbs when the tense changes. The verbs that follow these rules are known as regular verbs. The verbs that do not follow these basic rules are known as irregular verbs.
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Variations Based on Tense
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Irregular verbs follow different rules when they are changed from the present tense. This includes past and past participle tenses. Regular verbs add -ed for past and past participle tenses. If the present tense already ends in an e, then a regular verb adds -d to make past and past participle tenses. If the verb does not follow this pattern, then it is an irregular verb in the English language. The present tense does not vary between regular and irregular verbs.
Past Tense
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An example of a regular verb is accept. When used in the past tense, add -ed to make it accepted. An example of an irregular verb is lead. You cannot add -ed to this verb to make it past tense. Rather than "leaded," the past tense of the verb lead is led. Similarly, the irregular verb hide becomes hid when changed to past tense. An irregular verb follows different rules than a normal verb.
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Past Participle
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Regular verbs and irregular verbs vary based on the past participle tense. Regular verbs follow the same rule for past and past participle tense by adding -ed or -d if the verb already ends with e. For example, the regular verb bake becomes baked for the past participle tense, as in "I have baked it." The irregular verb bend becomes bent for the past participle tense, as in "I have bent it."
Spelling
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The spelling of the verb as it changes from present to past or past participle tense can make it an irregular verb. Regular verbs that end in y may still add the "d" sound to the verb to make it past or past participle sense. Examples include pay and lay. These verbs become paid and laid. Because these verbs require you to remove the y and add -id, they are irregular verbs. Annoy is an example of a regular verb that ends in y. To make the past or past participle tense, add -ed to make annoyed.
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References
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