Irregular Verbs
A3 classroom poster for A2: 26 common irregular verbs in 5 colour-coded patterns (cut, buy, sing, come, go), with French translations.
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Pedagogical Guide
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
- (5 min) Read the first group aloud together and ask what the three forms have in common.
- (10 min) Work through the -ought / -aught and i / a / u groups: say the base verb, students supply the other two forms.
- (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.
- (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.