Irregular Verb Activity Ideas

         Beginner to lower-intermediate students of English as a second language, or ESL students, commonly have difficulty correctly recognizing and forming irregular verbs. This is mainly because there is no easy-to-use formula to construct their past tenses and past participle forms. Consequently, any lower-level English language course should contain a range of activities that help students to memorize and produce these verbs.

Ø                    Board Race

     Divide the class into two teams and ask each team to form a line facing the whiteboard. Give the student at the front of each line a whiteboard marker. Call out the infinitive of an irregular verb such as "go." Students with the markers run to the board and write the past simple and past participle forms of this verb. The first student to correctly write "went" and "gone," wins one point for her team. The students now return to the back of her team's line, after handing the marker to the student at the front. Repeat the activity for fifteen minutes or until the students start to lose interest.

Ø                      Bingo

     Issue each student with a five-by-five grid. In each cell, you have randomly written either the past simple or past particle form of irregular verbs, for example: been and saw. One by one, call out the infinitive form of these verbs, such as "is" and "see." Students should cross-out the corresponding past simple or past participle form on their grid. Continue until a student has five crosses either vertically, horizontally or diagonally and calls out “Bingo!” This student is the winner.

     Divide the class into groups of three. Give each group two sets of cards; on one set of cards you have written the infinitive form of irregular verbs such as "eat," "sleep" and "go," and on the other set of cards you have written either the past simple or past participle form of these verbs; "ate," "slept" and "went." Students place the cards face down on the table in front of them and take turns turning over two cards; saying the words on them as they do. If these two cards are an infinitive and its past simple or past participle form, they keep these cards and gain one point. If these two cards are not a match, they are returned to exactly the same spot on the table and it is the next student's turn.

Ø                     Shout Out

     Divide the class into two teams. Call out the infinitive forms of irregular verbs one by one, for example, "begin." The first student to correctly call out the past simple and past particle form of this verb wins one point for his team. Continue for 10 minutes, before asking one of your more advanced students to come to the front of the class and conduct the activity herself. Continue for another ten minutes, or until the class begins to lose interest.