There are approximately 200 irregular verbs in the English language. These verbs form the past and past participle (have + verb) tenses differently from the present. These irregularities can be a nagging source of
confusion for many writers and speakers of English.
Below is a handful of irregular verbs that seem to be most frequently misused
(even by the educated among us. Tsk tsk). Most English handbooks should
have a complete listing of all 200 or so of these verbs.
| Present | Past | Past Participle | Examples of Incorrect Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| come | came | (have) come | I have came too early. (have come) |
| drink | drank | (have) drunk | They have drank too much wine. (have drunk) |
| go | went | (have) gone | She has went to work. (has gone) |
| ride | rode | (have) ridden | I have rode a bike since I was 10. (have ridden) |
| run | ran | (have) run | I have ran four miles. (have run) |
| see | saw | (have) seen | I seen the accident as it was happening. (have seen) |
| speak | spoke | (have) spoken | We have spoke on the phone. (have spoken) |
| write | wrote | (have) written | I have wrote a letter. (have written) |