Irregular Verbs: A2 Exercises

Every answer with the reason behind it. Read the explanation for the ones you got right as well — that is where you find out whether you were right for the right reason.

Multiple choice questions — answers

1. We ___ to Vienna last spring. → went

Go is irregular: the past simple form is went, not goed.

2. ___ you see the match on Saturday? → Did

A past simple question about an action uses did plus the base verb.

3. She ___ her keys on the bus yesterday. → left

Leave is irregular and becomes left in the past simple.

4. He didn't ___ anything at the meeting. → say

After didn't the verb returns to its base form.

5. They ___ a new flat two months ago. → bought

Buy becomes bought — one of the -ought group.

6. Which sentence is correct? → Did she come early?

Did already carries the tense, so the main verb stays in the base form.

7. I ___ my grandmother a long letter at the weekend. → wrote

Write becomes wrote in the past simple; written is the participle.

8. The concert ___ three hours. → lasted

Last is a regular verb, so it simply takes -ed.

9. We ___ dinner at nine and went straight to bed. → ate

Eat becomes ate; eaten is the past participle.

10. ___ they enjoy the trip? → Did

Enjoy is an ordinary verb, so the past question takes did.

11. He ___ me about the change of plan. → told

Tell becomes told in the past simple.

12. Which time expression fits the past simple? → last Thursday

Last Thursday names a finished time, which is exactly what the past simple needs.

13. She ___ up at five to catch the flight. → got

Get becomes got in British English past simple.

14. I ___ him at a conference in 2019. → met

Meet becomes met — a single-vowel change.

15. They ___ the film boring, so they left early. → found

Find becomes found in the past simple.

16. Which sentence has no mistake? → We didn't go out.

The negative is didn't plus the base form of the verb.

17. The baby ___ all night, so nobody slept. → cried

Cry is regular but the y becomes i before -ed: cried.

18. He ___ his coffee and stood up. → drank

Drink becomes drank; drunk is the past participle.

19. We ___ the whole afternoon at the museum. → spent

Spend becomes spent, like send and lend.

20. What ___ after the concert finished? → happened

What is the subject here, so the question takes no auxiliary and keeps the past form.

Fill-in-the-blank questions — answers

1. I ___ to the dentist last Tuesday. → went

Go is irregular and becomes went in the past simple.

2. She ___ me a text as soon as she landed. → sent

Send becomes sent, with the same -ent pattern as spend and lend.

3. They ___ the match two-nil last night. → won

Win becomes won in the past simple.

4. We ___ a taxi because it was raining. → took

Take becomes took; taken is the past participle.

5. He ___ his wallet somewhere in the station. → lost

Lose becomes lost, spelled with one o.

6. ___ you enjoy the wedding on Saturday? → Did

A past question with an ordinary verb takes did plus the base form.

7. I didn't ___ the alarm this morning. → hear

After didn't the verb returns to its base form, so heard becomes hear.

8. The film ___ at half past eight. → began

Begin becomes began; begun is the past participle.

9. She ___ three languages by the age of twelve. → spoke

Speak becomes spoke in the past simple.

10. We ___ our old sofa to a neighbour. → sold

Sell becomes sold, matching tell and told.

11. He ___ the door quietly and went out. → shut

Shut does not change form at all in the past simple.

12. They ___ in Portugal for six years before moving here. → lived

Live is regular, so it simply takes -ed.

13. I ___ my bag on the platform and had to run back. → forgot

Forget becomes forgot; forgotten is the past participle.

14. The children ___ very quickly that summer. → grew

Grow becomes grew in the past simple.

15. She ___ her essay at two in the morning. → finished

Finish is regular and takes -ed.

16. ___ he say why he was late? → Did

Say is an ordinary verb, so the past question uses did with the base form.

17. We ___ a beautiful old house near the harbour. → saw

See becomes saw; seen is the past participle.

18. He ___ me twenty lira until the end of the month. → lent

Lend becomes lent in the past simple.

19. They didn't ___ us where the office had moved to. → tell

After didn't the base form is required, so told becomes tell.

20. I ___ badly the night before the exam. → slept

Sleep becomes slept, with the vowel shortening.

Sentence structure: word ordering — answers

1. Report a short trip that finished at a known time. → We went to the coast last weekend.

Report a short trip that finished at a known time.

2. Ask a colleague about something sent the day before. → Did you see the email yesterday?

Ask a colleague about something sent the day before.

3. Report an absence, in the negative. → She didn't come to the party.

Report an absence, in the negative.

4. Give the month of a completed purchase. → They bought a car in March.

Give the month of a completed purchase.

5. Explain where something disappeared. → I lost my phone on the train.

Explain where something disappeared.

6. Describe a musician's output in one season. → He wrote three songs that winter.

Describe a musician's output in one season.

7. Ask an object question about a finished meal. → What did you eat for lunch?

Ask an object question about a finished meal.

8. Explain why somebody missed a departure. → The train left ten minutes early.

Explain why somebody missed a departure.

9. Say where and when a friendship started. → We met at university in 2018.

Say where and when a friendship started.

10. Report a full account somebody gave. → She told us the whole story.

Report a full account somebody gave.

11. Ask about the outcome of a search. → Did they find the missing keys?

Ask about the outcome of a search.

12. Admit a small excess on a named past day. → I drank too much coffee yesterday.

Admit a small excess on a named past day.

13. Explain a blank look in an exam, in the negative. → He didn't understand the question.

Explain a blank look in an exam, in the negative.

14. Date the construction of a piece of infrastructure. → They built the bridge in 1974.

Date the construction of a piece of infrastructure.

15. Say how a group used several hours. → We spent the afternoon in the park.

Say how a group used several hours.

16. Give the starting day of somebody's employment. → She began her new job on Monday.

Give the starting day of somebody's employment.

17. Ask a subject question about damage. → Who broke the window downstairs?

Ask a subject question about damage.

18. Report a very long recovery sleep. → I slept for ten hours afterwards.

Report a very long recovery sleep.

19. Use ago to date a completed sale. → They sold the shop two years ago.

Use ago to date a completed sale.

20. Report a repeated travel mistake. → He took the wrong bus again.

Report a repeated travel mistake.