Ten most used verbs in English?
- be
- have
- do
- say
- make
- go
- take
- come
- see
- get
What do these verbs have in common?
All ten are irregular. Unlike the vast majority of verbs, they do not follow a standard inflection pattern: I paint, I painted, he painted etc. To know, for example, is irregular: know becomes knew rather than knowed.There are around 180 irregular verbs in English . These are vastly outnumbered by the thousands of standard ones. The inflection pattern of regular verbs is so instinctive that young children and English language learners often regularize irregulars: I knowed that.
Though only a tiny fraction of the verbs available, irregulars punch way above their weight. 70% of the verbs in everyday use are irregular.
So how have these tricky customers evolved? And why are they so central to English?
Free download : English FAQ Teaching Pack
So how have these tricky customers evolved? And why are they so central to English?
Adapted from my post for the Oxford University Press English Language Teaching Global Blog
Free download : English FAQ Teaching Pack