Irregular Verbs: Classroom Poster

Objective & content

This poster sorts 26 common irregular verbs into 5 colour-coded patterns, such as cut / cut / cut, buy / bought / bought and sing / sang / sung. By the end, A2 students can give the past simple and the past participle of each verb and use the pattern to remember them.

Pedagogical guide

Students remember a pattern far better than 26 separate verbs, so teach by group, not alphabetically. Start with the no-change verbs (cut, put, let) for an easy win, and keep the last group, go / went / gone, for the end: it holds the verbs where the past participle is most often confused with the past simple.

Suggested procedure

1. (5 min) Read the first group aloud together and ask what the three forms have in common.
2. (10 min) Work through the -ought / -aught and i / a / u groups: say the base verb, students supply the other two forms.
3. (10 min) Take the last two groups, then ask students to write one sentence with the past simple and one with have plus a participle.
4. (5 min) Point to verbs at random for a quick recall quiz.

Adaptations

[S] Limit the first lesson to the no-change and -ought / -aught groups (10 verbs) and let students keep the poster in view while they answer.

[A] Ask students to add one more verb to each pattern group from memory, then test a partner.

Materials & prerequisites

Print at A3 portrait. Students should already know the past simple of regular verbs.