Grammar Lesson:Principal Parts of Verbs

Principal Parts of VerbsThere are four principal parts of a verb:

1. infinitive (the base form)

2.present participle3.past

4.past participle

Infinitive/base

Present Participle

PastPast

Participle

(to) live (is) living lived (have) lived

(to) run (is) running ran (have) run

Principal Parts of Regular Verbs

O All verbs form the present participle in the same way: add –ing to the infinitive/base form.

O A regular verb forms its past and past participle by adding –d or –ed to its infinitive/base form.

Infinitive/basePresent

ParticiplePast

Past Participle

(to) live (is) living lived (have) lived

(to) fix (is) fixing fixed (have) fixed

(to) plan (is) planning planned (have) planned

Get your

colors ready

!

Principal Parts of Irregular Verbs

O All verbs form the present participle in the same way: add –ing to the infinitive/base form.

O An irregular verb forms its past and past participle in some way other than by adding –d or –ed...

O You might change vowels, change consonants, change vowels and consonants, or change nothing.

Infinitive/basePresent

ParticiplePast

Past Participle

(to) sing (is) singing sang (have) sung

(to) lend (is) lending lent (have) lent

(to) buy (is) buying bought (have) bought

(to) cost (is) costing cost (have) cost

What column is the short cut to irregular vs.

regular?Infinitive/

basePresent

ParticiplePast

Past Participle

(to) fix (is) fixing fixed (have) fixed

(to) plan (is) planning planned (have) planned

(to) live (is) living lived (have) lived

(to) sing (is) singing sang (have) sung

(to) lend (is) lending lent (have) lent

(to) buy (is) buying bought (have) bought

(to) cost (is) costing cost (have) cost

Principal Parts Chart

Try two on your own…

To drink To talk

Infinitive/base

Present Participle

PastPast

Participle

Is the verb regular or irregular?

(to) drink (is) drinking drank (have) drunk irregular

(to) talk (is) talking talked (have) talked  regular