Ran is past tense of word

1.	Base Form (Infinitive):	Run
2.	Simple Past:	Ran
3.	Past Participle:	Run
4.	Present Participle:	Running
5.	3rd Person Singular:	Runs

Ran

Ran is the past tense of the word run.

Run past participle

Run

Run is the past participle of the word run.

Run verb forms V1 V2 V3 V4

Infinitive	Past Simple	Past Participle	Present Participle
Run	Ran	Run	Running

Conjugation of Run

Simple / Indefinite Present Tense

I run every sunday.

He/She/It runs every sunday.

You/We/They run every sunday.

Simple Past Tense

I ran every sunday.

He/She/It ran every sunday.

You/We/They ran every sunday.

Simple Future Tense

I will/shall run every sunday.

He/She/It will run every sunday.

You/We/They will/shall run every sunday.

Present Continuous Tense

I am running every sunday.

He/She/It is running every sunday.

You/We/They are running every sunday.

Past Continuous Tense

I was running every sunday.

He/She/It was running every sunday.

You/We/They were running every sunday.

Future Continuous Tense

I will be running every Sunday.

He/She/It will be running every Sunday.

You/We/They will be running every Sunday.

Present Perfect Tense

I have run every Sunday.

He/She/It has run every Sunday.

You/We/They have run every Sunday.

Past Perfect Tense

I had run every Sunday.

He/She/It had run every Sunday.

You/We/They had run every Sunday.

Future Perfect Tense

I will have run every Sunday.

He/She/It will have run every Sunday.

You/We/They will have run every Sunday.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

I have been running every Sunday.

He/She/It has been running every Sunday.

You/We/They have been running every Sunday.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

I had been running every Sunday.

He/She/It had been running every Sunday.

You/We/They had been running every Sunday.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

I will have been running every Sunday.

He/She/It will have been running every Sunday.

You/We/They will have been running every Sunday.

More verb past tense

• Say
• Scream
• See
• Seek
• Sell

Run V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 is one of the verbs that are used very commonly in English tests as well as in everyday communication. Also, because it’s an irregular verb, run doesn’t follow the regular rule. The verb “run” has five different forms: base form, past simple, past participle form, present perfect, and present perfect participle. So what is run‘s past? How do conjugate verbs with run verbs?

Let’s find out with English tivi in the article below.

See more at: Verbs

Run of Definition and Meaning

Run is a verb that means to go away or leave quickly, usually not stopping.

Base Form (V1)	run
Past Form (V2)	ran
Past Participle Form (V3)	run
s / es/ es (V4)	runs
‘ing’ form (V5)	running

Run of Past Simple V2

The verb Run is also employed in its V2 form as “ran”’. It is used to indicate the past tense in sentences.

Run of Past Participle V3

This verb’s V3 form is ‘run‘. In the case of past perfect tense or present perfect tense, the word ‘run‘ is used.

+ In the present perfect tense, the word run is used ‘have +’run ’ or ‘has +’run.’ 

• I, you, and we are used as ‘have + ‘run‘ subjects. 
• He, she, and it are used as ‘has +’run‘ subjects. 

+ If you need to use the past perfect tense, use ‘had +’run‘ regardless of the subject.

You might also like: ALL the English Grammar Basics You Need

Conjugation of Run V1 V2 V3 V4 V5

Conjugation table: run
Number	Singular
Present Simple of run	I	You	She/He/It
run	run	runs
Plural
We	You	They
run	run	run
Present Continuous of run	I	You	She/He/It
am running	are running	is running
Plural
We	You	They
are running	are running	are running
Present Perfect of run	I	You	She/He/It
have run	have run	has run
Plural
We	You	They
have run	have run	have run
Present Perfect Continuous of run	I	You	She/He/It
have been running	have been running	has been running
Plural
We	You	They
have been running	have been running	have been running
Past Simple of run	I	You	She/He/It
ran	ran	ran
Plural
We	You	They
ran	ran	ran
Past Continuous of run	I	You	She/He/It
was running	were running	was running
Plural
We	You	They
were running	were running	were running
Past Perfect of run	I	You	She/He/It
had run	had run	had run
Plural
We	You	They
had run	had run	had run
Past Perfect Continuous of run	I	You	She/He/It
had been running	had been running	had been running
Plural
We	You	They
had been running	had been running	had been running
Future Simple of run	I	You	She/He/It
will/shall run	will/shall run	will/shall run
Plural
We	You	They
will/shall run	will/shall run	will/shall run
Future Continuous of run	I	You	She/He/It
will/shall be running	will/shall be running	will/shall be running
Plural
We	You	They
will/shall be running	will/shall be running	will/shall be running
Future Perfect of run	I	You	She/He/It
will/shall have run	will/shall have run	will/shall have run
Plural
We	You	They
will/shall have run	will/shall have run	will/shall have run
Future Perfect Continuous of run	I	You	She/He/It
will/shall have been running	will/shall have been running	will/shall have been running
Plural
We	You	They
will/shall have been running	will/shall have been running	will/shall have been running
Conditional Present of run	I	You	She/He/It
would run	would run	would run
Plural
We	You	They
would run	would run	would run
Conditional Perfect of run	I	You	She/He/It
would have run	would have run	would have run
Plural
We	You	They
would have run	would have run	would have run
Conditional Present Continuous of run	I	You	She/He/It
would be running	would be running	would be running
Plural
We	You	They
would be running	would be running	would be running
Conditional Perfect Continuous of run	I	You	She/He/It
would have been running	would have been running	would have been running
Plural
We	You	They
would have been running	would have been running	would have been running
Present Subjunctive of run	I	You	She/He/It
run	run	run
Plural
We	You	They
run	run	run
Past Subjunctive of run	I	You	She/He/It
ran	ran	ran
Plural
We	You	They
ran	ran	ran
Past Perfect Subjunctive of run	I	You	She/He/It
had run	had run	had run
Plural
We	You	They
had run	had run	had run
Imperative of run	I	You	She/He/It
	run
Plural
We	You	They
Let’s run	run

See more at: Vocabulary

Example Sentences with Run V1 V2 V3 V4 V5

In this section, we will learn about run sentence examples:

+ They ran away from the thief.

+ I bet I can run faster than you.

+ We can’t run sixty miles in an hour.

+ The burglar was run down by a detective from After.

+ I don’t want to run your life.

Synonym Words For Run

Synonym of run word list. Here are a variety of words whose meaning is nearly the synonym of run:

• dash
• race
• rush
• hurry
• sprint
• bolt
• speed
• dart
• gallop
• hare
• hasten
• scamper
• scurry
• scuttle
• trot
• shoot

Opposite Words For Run

The antonym of run word list. Here are some words that have nearly the opposite meaning as run:

• walk
• tread
• dawdle
• step
• plod
• stroll
• trudge
• amble
• ambulate
• canter
• crawl
• creep
• stop
• linger

You might also like: Best List of Irregular Verbs in English

Some Frequently Asked Questions About Run (Verb)

What is the V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 of run?

The past tense of run is ran. The third-person singular simple present indicative form of run is runs. The present participle of run is running. The past participle of run is run.

Base Form (V1)	run
Past Form (V2)	ran
Past Participle Form (V3)	run
s / es/ ies (V4)	runs
‘ing’ form (V5)	running

What is the V2 and V3 form of run?

+ The V2 and V3 form of run  is “ran“ and “run”.

What is the sentence of run?

What is the past tense V2 of run?

+ The past tense of run is “ran“.

What is the past participle V3 of run?

+ The past participle of run is “run“.

What is the present participle V5 of run?

+ The present participle of run is “running“.

Conclusion

Let’s learn with Englishtivi.com the structure of the verb “Run V1 V2 V3 V4 V5“: Base Form, Past Simple, Present Continuous and Present Continuous and Present Continuous and Present Continuous forms. We wish you all the best of luck.

You should subscribe to the English TV YouTube channel if you want to learn more about the English language and improve your proficiency.

Here are other verbs V1 V2 V3 List

Base Form V1	Past Form V2	Past Participle Form V3
abide	abode/abided	abode/abided
arise	arose	arisen
awake	awoke	awoken
backslide	backslid	backslidden/backslid
be	was/were	been
bear	bore	borne
beat	beat	beaten/beat
become	became	become
befall	befell	befallen
begin	began	begun
behold	beheld	beheld
bend	bent	bent
beset	beset	beset
bespeak	bespoke	bespoken
bet	bet/betted	bet/betted
bid	bid	bid
bind	bound	bound
bite	bit	bitten
bleed	bled	bled
blow	blew	blown
break	broke	broken
breed	bred	bred
bring	brought	brought
broadcast	broadcast	broadcast
browbeat	browbeat	browbeaten/browbeat
build	built	built
burn	burnt/burned	burnt/burned
burst	burst	burst
bust	busted/bust	busted/bust
buy	bought	bought
cast	cast	cast
catch	caught	caught
chide	chid/chided	chid/chidden/chided
choose	chose	chosen
cleave	clove/cleft/cleaved	cloven/cleft/cleaved
cleave	clave	cleaved
cling	clung	clung
clothe	clothed/clad	clothed/clad
come	came	come
cost	cost	cost
creep	crept	crept
crossbreed	crossbred	crossbred
crow	crew/crewed	crowed
cut	cut	cut
daydream	daydreamed daydreamt	daydreamed daydreamt
deal	dealt	dealt
dig	dug	dug
disprove	disproved	disproved/disproven
dive	dove/dived	dived
do	did	done
draw	drew	drawn
dream	dreamt/dreamed	dreamt/dreamed
drink	drank	drunk
drive	drove	driven
dwell	dwelt	dwelt
eat	ate	eaten
fall	fell	fallen
feed	fed	fed
feel	felt	felt
fight	fought	fought
find	found	found
fit	fitted/fit	fitted/fit
flee	fled	fled
fling	flung	flung
fly	flew	flown
forbear	forbore	forborne
forbid	forbade/forbad	forbidden
forecast	forecast/forecasted	forecast/forecasted
forego (also forgo)	forewent	foregone
foresee	foresaw	foreseen
foretell	foretold	foretold
forget	forgot	forgotten
forgive	forgave	forgiven
forsake	forsook	forsaken
freeze	froze	frozen
frostbite	frostbit	frostbitten
get	got	got/gotten
gild	gilt/gilded	gilt/gilded
gird	girt/girded	girt/girded
give	gave	given
go	went	gone
grind	ground	ground
grow	grew	grown
hand-feed	hand-fed	hand-fed
handwrite	handwrote	handwritten
hang	hung	hung
have	had	had
hear	heard	heard
heave	hove/heaved	hove/heaved
hew	hewed	hewn/hewed
hide	hid	hidden
hit	hit	hit
hurt	hurt	hurt
inbreed	inbred	inbred
inlay	inlaid	inlaid
input	input	input
inset	inset	inset
interbreed	interbred	interbred
interweave	interwove interweaved	interwoven interweaved
interwind	interwound	interwound
jerry-build	jerry-built	jerry-built
keep	kept	kept
kneel	knelt/kneeled	knelt/kneeled
knit	knit/knitted	knit/knitted
know	knew	known
lay	laid	laid
lead	led	led
lean	leaned/leant	leaned/leant
leap	leapt /leaped	leapt /leaped
learn	learnt/learned	learnt/learned
leave	left	left
lend	lent	lent
let	let	let
lie	lay	lain
light	lit/lighted	lit/lighted
lip-read	lip-read	lip-read
lose	lost	lost
make	made	made
mean	meant	meant
meet	met	met
miscast	miscast	miscast
misdeal	misdealt	misdealt
misdo	misdid	misdone
mishear	misheard	misheard
mislay	mislaid	mislaid
mislead	misled	misled
mislearn	mislearned mislearnt	mislearned mislearnt
misread	misread	misread
misset	misset	misset
misspeak	misspoke	misspoken
misspell	misspelt	misspelt
misspend	misspent	misspent
mistake	mistook	mistaken
misteach	mistaught	mistaught
misunderstand	misunderstood	misunderstood
miswrite	miswrote	miswritten
mow	mowed	mown/mowed
offset	offset	offset
outbid	outbid	outbid
outbreed	outbred	outbred
outdo	outdid	outdone
outdraw	outdrew	outdrawn
outdrink	outdrank	outdrunk
outdrive	outdrove	outdriven
outfight	outfought	outfought
outfly	outflew	outflown
outgrow	outgrew	outgrown
outleap	outleaped/outleapt	outleaped/outleapt
outlie	outlied	outlied
output	output	output
outride	outrode	outridden
outrun	outran	outrun
outsell	outsold	outsold
outshine	outshined/outshone	outshined/outshone
outshoot	outshot	outshot
outsing	outsang	outsung
outsit	outsat	outsat
outsleep	outslept	outslept
outsmell	outsmelled/outsmelt	outsmelled/outsmelt
outspeak	outspoke	outspoken
outspeed	outsped	outsped
outspend	outspent	outspent
outswear	outswore	outsworn
outswim	outswam	outswum
outthink	outthought	outthought
outthrow	outthrew	outthrown
outwrite	outwrote	outwritten
overbid	overbid	overbid
overbreed	overbred	overbred
overbuild	overbuilt	overbuilt
overbuy	overbought	overbought
overcome	overcame	overcome
overdo	overdid	overdone
overdraw	overdrew	overdrawn
overdrink	overdrank	overdrunk
overeat	overate	overeaten
overfeed	overfed	overfed
overfly	overflew	overflown
overhang	overhung	overhung
overhear	overheard	overheard
overlay	overlaid	overlaid
overpay	overpaid	overpaid
override	overrode	overridden
overrun	overran	overrun
oversee	oversaw	overseen
oversell	oversold	oversold
oversew	oversewed	oversewn/oversewed
overshoot	overshot	overshot
oversleep	overslept	overslept
overspeak	overspoke	overspoken
overspend	overspent	overspent
overspill	overspilled/overspilt	overspilled/overspilt
overtake	overtook	overtaken
overthink	overthought	overthought
overthrow	overthrew	overthrown
overwind	overwound	overwound
overwrite	overwrote	overwritten
partake	partook	partaken
pay	paid	paid
plead	pleaded/pled	pleaded/pled
prebuild	prebuilt	prebuilt
premake	premade	premade
prepay	prepaid	prepaid
presell	presold	presold
preset	preset	preset
preshrink	preshrank	preshrunk
proofread	proofread	proofread
prove	proved	proven/proved
put	put	put
quick-freeze	quick-froze	quick-frozen
quit	quit/quitted	quit/quitted
read	read	read
reawake	reawoke	reawaken
rebid	rebid	rebid
rebind	rebound	rebound
rebroadcast	rebroadcast rebroadcasted	rebroadcast rebroadcasted
rebuild	rebuilt	rebuilt
recast	recast	recast
recut	recut	recut
redeal	redealt	redealt
redo	redid	redone
redraw	redrew	redrawn
refit	refitted/refit	refitted/refit
regrind	reground	reground
regrow	regrew	regrown
rehang	rehung	rehung
rehear	reheard	reheard
reknit	reknitted/reknit	reknitted/reknit
relay	relaid	relaid
relearn	relearned/relearnt	relearned/relearnt
relight	relit/relighted	relit/relighted
remake	remade	remade
rend	rent	rent
repay	repaid	repaid
reread	reread	reread
rerun	reran	rerun
resell	resold	resold
resend	resent	resent
reset	reset	reset
resew	resewed	resewn/resewed
retake	retook	retaken
reteach	retaught	retaught
retear	retore	retorn
retell	retold	retold
rethink	rethought	rethought
retread	retread	retread
retrofit	retrofitted/retrofit	retrofitted/retrofit
rewake	rewoke/rewaked	rewaken/rewaked
rewear	rewore	reworn
reweave	rewove/reweaved	rewoven/reweaved
rewed	rewed/rewedded	rewed/rewedded
rewet	rewet/rewetted	rewet/rewetted
rewin	rewon	rewon
rewind	rewound	rewound
rewrite	rewrote	rewritten
rid	rid	rid
ride	rode	ridden
ring	rang	rung
rise	rose	risen
roughcast	roughcast	roughcast
run	ran	run
sand-cast	sand-cast	sand-cast
saw	sawed	sawn
say	said	said
see	saw	seen
seek	sought	sought
sell	sold	sold
send	sent	sent
set	set	set
sew	sewed	sewn/sewed
shake	shook	shaken
shave	shaved	shaved/shaven
shear	sheared	shorn
shed	shed	shed
shine	shone	shone
shit	shit/shat/shitted	shit/shat/shitted
shoot	shot	shot
show	showed	shown/showed
shrink	shrank	shrunk
shut	shut	shut
sight-read	sight-read	sight-read
sing	sang	sung
sink	sank	sunk
sit	sat	sat
slay	slew	slain
sleep	slept	slept
slide	slid	slid
sling	slung	slung
slink	slunk	slunk
slit	slit	slit
smell	smelt	smelt
smite	smote	smitten
sneak	sneaked/snuck	sneaked/snuck
speak	spoke	spoken
speed	sped/speeded	sped/speeded
spell	spelt/spelled	spelt/spelled
spend	spent	spent
spill	spilt/spilled	spilt/spilled
spin	spun/span	spun
spoil	spoilt/spoiled	spoilt/spoiled
spread	spread	spread
stand	stood	stood
steal	stole	stolen
stick	stuck	stuck
sting	stung	stung
stink	stunk/stank	stunk
stride	strode	stridden
strike	struck	struck
string	strung	strung
sunburn	sunburned/sunburnt	sunburned/sunburnt
swear	swore	sworn
sweat	sweat/sweated	sweat/sweated
sweep	swept	swept
swell	swelled	swollen/swelled
swim	swam	swum
swing	swung	swung
take	took	taken
teach	taught	taught
tear	tore	torn
telecast	telecast	telecast
tell	told	told
think	thought	thought
throw	threw	thrown
thrust	thrust	thrust
tread	trod	trodden/trod
typewrite	typewrote	typewritten
unbend	unbent	unbent
unbind	unbound	unbound
unclothe	unclothed/unclad	unclothed/unclad
undercut	undercut	undercut
underfeed	underfed	underfed
undergo	underwent	undergone
underlie	underlay	underlain
understand	understood	understood
undertake	undertook	undertaken
underwrite	underwrote	underwritten
undo	undid	undone
unfreeze	unfroze	unfrozen
unhang	unhung	unhung
unhide	unhid	unhidden
unlearn	unlearned/unlearnt	unlearned/unlearnt
unspin	unspun	unspun
unwind	unwound	unwound
uphold	upheld	upheld
upset	upset	upset
wake	woke/waked	woken/waked
wear	wore	worn
wed	wed/wedded	wed/wedded
weep	wept	wept
wet	wet/wetted	wet/wetted
win	won	won
wind	wound	wound
withdraw	withdrew	withdrawn
withhold	withheld	withheld
withstand	withstood	withstood
work	worked	worked
wring	wrung	wrung
write	wrote	written

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It’s important to distinguish between past and present tense in your writing so that your reader understands what is happening now versus what happened days, months, or moments before.  It can be tricky, though, to remember how to do so correctly with irregular verbs.

The past tense of “run” is “ran.” In the English language, verbs can be either regular or irregular. While many regular verbs can be changed from present to past tense simply by adding the suffix “ed,” the verb “run” is different. For irregular verbs like “run,” the spelling of the word changes entirely.  

Read more to learn about the differences between regular and irregular verbs and how they are changed from present to past tense. 

Irregular Verbs vs. Regular Verbs 

In addition to there being three categories or types of verbs, each performing a specific function in your sentence, there are also both regular and irregular verbs. 

Regular verbs are the easiest to change from present tense to past tense — you simply need to add the suffix -ed to the base form of the verb. Below are a few examples of base verbs that are regular.

Base Verb	Past Tense
–       Play	–       Played
–       Call	–       Called
–       Smile	–       Smiled
–       Kick	–       Kicked

However, when regular verbs end in a consonant followed by a “y,” the base form of the verb will also change in spelling, like these:

Base Verb	Past Tense
–       Marry	–       Married
–       Study	–       Studied
–       Cry	–       Cried

Base verbs that end in a consonant followed by a “y” require you to change the “y” to an “i” before adding your -ed suffix.

Irregular verbs, however, are not as simple. There are about 200 or so in the English language, and while you certainly do not need to memorize them, as you become more familiar, it’ll become easier to spot them.

Irregular verbs do not follow the normal patterns and rules, and you cannot change an irregular verb from present to past tense by adding -ed (source). Both the simple past and past participle forms are often spelled differently.  

Don’t get too caught up in the differences between simple past and past participles, but you should understand the nuances in each. Simple past refers to something that has happened in the past and has been completed independent of other events (source).

Here are a couple of examples:

1.     Yesterday, I ate yogurt for breakfast.  

2.     I went to the store to buy groceries.

The verbs above are irregular because the base verb form is different from its past tense form. In sentence number one, the base verb is “eat,” and the simple past form is “ate.” 

Similarly, in sentence number two, the base form of the verb is “go,” while the simple past form is “went.” In these cases, the word changes entirely rather than adding an -ed suffix. 

Past participles are a little bit different in that they are usually combined with a helping verb and show that some action has been completed before another event or prior to the present. 

Here is an example: Yesterday, I had eaten yogurt for breakfast before I left for work.  

You can see that the helping verb (had) is added before the irregular verb “eaten.” Because the verb phrase “had eaten” refers to something that has been completed prior to another event (leaving for work), it is a past participle verb form.

Four Categories of Irregular Verbs in Past Tense

When we want to show that something has happened in the past, either past simple or past participle, an irregular verb will essentially fall into one of four main categories. 

Again, do not feel that you need to memorize each of these categories, but they will help you to recognize patterns as you become more familiar with spelling changes and verb nuances. 

Category One: Verbs that have the same base form, past simple, and past participle forms.

These verbs are spelled the same and sound the same in each form. Below are some examples:

Base Verb	Past Simple and Past Participle
–       Cut	–       Cut/Cut
–       Let	–       Let/Let
–       Hurt	–       Hurt/Hurt
–       Set	–       Set/Set

Category Two: Verbs that have a different base form but the same past simple and past participle forms.

These verbs have the same form in both past simple and past participle, but the base form of the verb is spelled and pronounced differently.

Base Verb	Past Simple and Past Participle
–       Leave	–       Left/Left
–       Feel	–       Felt/Felt
–       Think	–       Thought/Thought
–       Say	–       Said/Said

Here are a couple of example sentences:

1.     I leave work every day at five o’clock. 

2.     I left work yesterday at five o’clock

3.     I had left work at five o’clock, and then I went home and made dinner.

The first sentence uses the base form of the verb, “leave” in present tense. The second sentence uses the same verb in the past simple.

The third sentence uses the past participle form in conjunction with the helping verb to show that the noun (I) had left work (past participle) before another event occurring (making dinner). 

Category Three: Verbs that have the same base form and the same past participle form, but a different past simple form.

The third category is where we find the verb “run.” In this category, we see verbs with the same base form and same past participle form but a different past simple form. We’ll take a closer look at the verb “run” here.

The base verb, “run,” changes to “ran” in past simple and back to “run” in the past participle form.

Base Verb Run	Past Simple Ran	Past Participle Run
I love to run. I run every day.	I ran to the store an hour ago.I ran yesterday for thirty minutes.	I had run to the store yesterday before picking up my sister.  I have run for many years as a way to get exercise.

The key here is recognizing that run will always change to “ran” when used in past tense form unless you want to show that one event has occurred prior to another, as seen in the chart above.

An additional verb that falls into this category is “come.” Look at the sentences below:

–       I will come home after school. 

–       I came home after school.

–       I had come home after school before going to my afterschool job. 

The simple past tense form of “come” is “came.” The past participle form is the same as the base verb form, but there is a helping verb (had) before it to indicate that it happened in the past, prior to another event (the person’s afterschool job). 

The easiest way to figure out which form you want to use is to think about when the action is happening and whether it is happening in relation to another event. 

Additionally, you will find that past participle forms of verbs always appear in conjunction with a helping verb — see the list at the beginning of this article for more helping verb examples.

Category Four: Verbs with a different base from, different past simple, and different past participle form. 

In some ways, category four is the easiest category because all three forms of the verb are different. These verbs are each spelled differently depending on how they are used. Look at a few more examples below:

Base Verb	Past Simple	Past Participle
–       Go	–       Went	–       Gone
–       Know	–       Knew	–       Known
–       Fall	–       Fell	–       Fallen
–       Eat	–       Ate	–       Eaten
–       Drink	–       Drank	–       Drunk
–       Drive	–       Drove	–       Driven

Here are a few example sentences:

1.     I go to school every day. (present tense)

2.     I went to school yesterday. (past tense)

3.     I have gone to school every day this week. (past participle) 

Again, with the past participle form, you see the helping verb “have” is before the past tense of the verb, “go.”

These verbs can be pretty confusing, but don’t let yourself get overwhelmed! You’ll be surprised how quickly you get the hang of it and start remembering which verbs fall under what category.  

In the meantime, remember these tips and tricks to keep you organized as you learn.

Tips and Trick to Understanding Irregular Verbs

1. Most regular verbs require an -ed suffix to show that an action has happened in the past. 2. If a regular verb ends in a consonant followed by a “y,” first change the “y” to an “i” before you add your -ed ending. 3. Irregular verbs cannot be changed to past tense with an -ed ending, such as when “run” becomes “ran” in the past tense. 4. A past simple verb shows that something has happened in the past independent of another event or the present. 5. A past participle verb shows that something has happened in the past before another event has occurred or before the present time and is used in conjunction with a helping verb.

Try to also remember the four categories of irregular verbs. Doing so will help you as you organize the different spellings of verbs that fall into each category. 

When it comes to the verb “run,” remember that it falls into category three, making the present tense and past participle the same, while the simple past is different (ran). 

Understanding Types of Verbs 

Verbs play an important role — without them, you won’t have a sentence at all. Instead, you’ll end up with a fragment or incomplete sentence that may confuse your reader.

Remember that all sentences need both a subject (noun) and a predicate (verb). In this way, you can correctly communicate what is happening, when, and how.  

The proper definition of a verb is that it is a word that shows an action or a state of being (source). Some verbs are easy to spot since they are physical actions, such as run, play, jump, kick, speak, or sit. 

Others can be trickier because they do not show a specific action — these verbs are called linking verbs or helping verbs. 

Below is a simple chart with a few examples illustrating the differences between the three main types of verbs.

Action Verbs	Linking Verbs	Helping Verbs
These verbs show physical or mental action.	These verbs connect or link the subject of a sentence to what follows. They are often a form of “to be.”	These verbs come before action or linking verbs and act as “helpers.”
1.     Run 2.     Eat 3.     Read 4.     Wonder 5.     Laugh 6.     Kick 7.     Whisper 8.     Dance 9.     Hit 10.  Throw	1.     Am/Am Being 2.     Is/Is Being 3.     Are/Are Being 4.     Was/Were 5.     Has/Have Been 6.     Could/Could Be 7.     Should/Should Be 8.     Will be or Will Have 9.     Might/Might Be 10.  Shall/Shall Be	1.     Can 2.     Will 3.     Must 4.     May 5.     Could 6.     Should 7.     Might 8.     Had 9.     Have 10.  Shall

Linking verbs and helping verbs can sometimes overlap. We won’t get into too much detail about that here since our main focus is on understanding past and present tense verbs, but it’s pretty easy to do a quick check to determine if your verb is a linking or helping verb.

To test, look to see if there is an action verb following the “to be” verb. If there is an action verb immediately following, then what you have is a helping verb (source).

If there is no action verb following but, rather, it stands alone, it is a linking verb. Take a look at the examples below:

1.     Tommy was reading his book in his room.

2.     Tommy was alone.  

In the first sentence, the verb “was” is followed by an action, “reading.”  Therefore, in this sentence, “was” is a helping verb.

Conversely, in the second sentence, “was” is not followed by a physical action but rather a state of being. Therefore, “was,” in this instance, is a linking verb.

To read and understand more about linking verbs and helping verbs, specifically with present and past tense, you can read “Have Run or Had Run: When to Use the Proper Past Tense.”  

Final Thoughts

Verbs can be tricky — there’s no doubt about it. But your sentences would be incomplete without them, so they are a vital component to making sure your message is clear and comprehensible to your reader.

Remember that irregular verbs like “run” often require a change in spelling to show the past tense form. Keep practicing with each new verb you learn, and you will find that you are memorizing them more quickly than you may realize!  

If you need helping with adding style to your writing or keeping track of some of these rules, be sure to check out both The Oxford New Essential Dictionary and Dryer’s English style guide on Amazon. They are both great tools to have on hand as you continue to learn.