In this lesson, students practice using irregular verbs. This lesson works well for students who have been exposed to irregular verbs but still struggle to produce them accurately and consistently.
Irregular Verbs Practice 1
Fill in the blanks with the simple past form of the verbs in parentheses.
My last job wasn’t very challenging and I ____ (know) that I wanted to make a change. One day I _____ (come) home from work and ____ (sit) down on the couch. As I was watching TV, the phone ____(ring). It was my friend, John. He _____ (tell) me about his new position at a company in Mexico. John ____ (tell) me that the company was hiring and that he ____ (think) I might be interested in working for the company. I ____ (say) that I was interested, and he ____ (tell) me he ____ (will) talk to one of the recruiters about me.
A week later, a recruiter called me and we ______ (set up) a phone interview. The phone interview ____ (go) well, and the recruiter ____ (tell) me that the next step was a face-to-face interview in Mexico.
My employer ____ (let) me take vacation and I _____ (buy) a round-trip ticket to Mexico City. I _______ (choose) to take a flight with a long layover in Lima, Peru. I ______ (take) advantage of the situation and I _____ (leave) the airport and _____ (see) some of the city. I ______ (go) to a traditional Peruvian restaurant where I ______ (eat) a great meal and _____ (drink) a delicious pisco sour.
When I finally ____ (get) to Mexico, I was exhausted. I _____ (find) my hotel and _____ (pay) for the room. I was so exhausted that I _____ (sleep) for almost 11 hours.
The next morning, I _____ (wake up), ____ (have) breakfast, and _____ (read) the paper. After that, I _____ (speak) to one of the company’s recruiters and they _____ (send) a taxi for me.
I _____ (get) to the office at 9 AM. The receptionist ____ (meet) me in the lobby and ____ (lead) me to the conference room. She _____ (bring) me a cup of coffee and ____ (say) that the recruiter _____(will) be right with me. I _____ (feel) a bit nervous, but I _____ (know) I had the right profile for the job. Fortunately, the interview ____ (go) very well.
After the interview, the recruiter ______ (say) the company wanted to hire me. They _____ (make) me an offer and I _____ (take) it. I ____ (go) home and started making preparations. I ____ (quit) my job, ____(sell) my car and ____ (say) goodbye to my friends and family. A month later I arrived in Mexico to start my new job.
Now, take 3 minutes to study the story. Then, turn your paper over and tell the story to a partner.
Irregular Verbs Practice 2
Cut out the cards and place them face down. Put students in groups. One student starts by flipping over a card. The student must start a story by saying a sentence using the simple past form of the verb on the card. After the first student says her sentence, another student flips over a card and continues the story by saying another sentence.
become | begin | bend |
bet | bite | blow |
break | bring | build |
buy | catch | choose |
come | cost | cut |
draw | drive | drink |
eat | fall | feel |
fight | find | fly |
forget | forgive | freeze |
get | give | grow |
hang | hear | hide |
hit | hold | hurt |
keep | lead | lend |
let | lie | lose |
make | mean | meet |
pay | put | read |
ride | ring | run |
say | see | sell |
send | shut | sing |
sit | sleep | speak |
spend | stand | swim |
take | teach | tell |
think | throw | understand |
wake | wear | win |
write |