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Common Irregular Verbs

Optional support — your core lesson stays exactly as it is.

🧩 Supplementary Practice

Extra practice — Common Irregular Verbs

Need the words to stick? Recognise, recall, then use them.

Extra support for language you've already met.

Step 1 · Let's Understand

Irregular past simple — words & phrases

Recognise it, remember it, then use it.

Recognise the meaning

Recognise

Match each word with its meaning.

go → went
have → had
see → saw
do → did
eat → ate
drink → drank
buy → bought
write → wrote

Answer, then check.

Group the words

Notice

Group the verbs.

  • Movementgo → went · run → ran
  • Food / Drinkeat → ate · drink → drank · have → had
  • Communicationsay → said · write → wrote · read → read
  • Daily lifedo → did · see → saw · buy → bought · sleep → slept

Words in real phrases

Chunks

Say each one aloud. Copy the rhythm.

I went to school.

go → went

We had dinner.

have → had

She saw a cat.

see → saw

He did the test.

do → did

I ate pizza.

eat → ate

Can you remember?

Recall

Say the word first, then check.

Use it

Use it

Write 3 sentences about you using words from irregular past simple.

Step 2 · Let's Practise

Extra speaking practice

Model first, then say it yourself.

Model language

Chunks

Listen, then say each phrase twice.

I went to ___

I had ___

I saw ___

I ate / drank ___

I bought / read / wrote ___

Guided speaking

Speak

Pairs: ask and answer 'What did you do yesterday?' Use 5 irregular verbs each.

  • Use: "I went to ___"
  • Use: "I had ___"
  • Use: "I saw ___"
  • Use: "I ate / drank ___"

Model answer

Yesterday I went to work by bus. I had a coffee and a sandwich. I saw my colleague Sara. We did a project together. After work I bought some bread and ate dinner at home. I slept at 11.

Complete the conversation

Practise

Choose the natural reply.

  1. B: …

  2. B: …

  3. B: …

Answer, then check.

Challenge

Speak

Now do it again with no notes. Speak for 60 seconds.

  • Talk about irregular past simple without stopping.

Step 2 · Let's Practise

Common difficulties

The parts learners usually find hard in this lesson.

Pronunciation: Tricky vowels

Chunks

Listen carefully: 'ate' /eɪt/, 'saw' /sɔː/, 'bought' /bɔːt/, 'said' /sed/ (NOT 'sayed'), 'read' (past) /red/ (like 'red').

I ate breakfast.

She saw a film.

We bought tickets.

He said hello.

I read a book.

Tricky ones — say it, then check

Recall

These are the parts beginners often get wrong.

Common difficulties

Practise

Slow down and choose carefully.

  1. Past of 'eat' =

  2. Past of 'go' =

Answer, then check.

Step 3 · Let's Use It

Irregular past simple

Strengthen the grammar from this lesson — a different route into it.

Quick explanation

Understand

Some verbs don't take -ed. You must learn the past form. The form is the same for I / you / he / she / we / they.

  • go → went (I went home.)
  • have → had (She had lunch.)
  • see → saw (We saw a film.)

Notice the pattern

Notice

Read the sentences. What is the same in each one?

  • go → went (I went home.)
  • have → had (She had lunch.)
  • see → saw (We saw a film.)
  • do → did (He did his homework.)

Choose the right form

Practise

One answer only. Take your time.

  1. Yesterday I ___ to the cinema.

  2. She ___ a sandwich for lunch.

  3. We ___ our friends at the park.

  4. He ___ his homework last night.

Answer, then check.

Fix the mistake

Common mistakes

Each sentence has one wrong word. Write it correctly.

I go to the cinema last night.

She eated pizza for dinner.

We seed a great film.

Build the sentence

Build it

Put the words in the right order.

Iwenttothepark
Sheateabigbreakfast
Wesawagreatfilm

Answer, then check.

Make it yours

Use it

Write 2–3 true sentences about you using irregular past simple.

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