The irregular past forms you cannot avoid
go - went - gone
How to use this sheet
English has about 200 verbs that refuse the -ed rule, and a handful of them do most of the work in real conversation. This table gives you the ten you will meet every single day. Learn the three forms as one unit, out loud, in order - the rhythm is what sticks.
| Base form | Past simple | Past participle |
|---|---|---|
| go | went | gone |
| see | saw | seen |
| take | took | taken |
| come | came | come |
| get | got | got |
| make | made | made |
| know | knew | known |
| think | thought | thought |
| give | gave | given |
| write | wrote | written |
In use
She has gone home already. I saw that film last week. Have you written the email yet?
Watch out
I have saw that film.
The most common mistake at this level is using the past simple after have. The second and third columns look interchangeable but never are: the middle column stands alone, the right column always needs have, has or had in front of it.