50 Common English Verbs with Past Tense Forms
As an editor, writing about past events and actions is just as important as creating current content. To that end, it's crucial to have a solid understanding of past tense verbs in English. Below is a comprehensive list of 50 common English verbs and their past tense forms.
1. Go - went
I went to the store yesterday to buy some groceries.
2. Be - was/were
I was feeling tired after a long day at work.
3. Have - had
She had a headache after staying up late to finish a project.
4. Do - did
I did my laundry yesterday so I wouldn't have to worry about it later.
5. Say - said
He said he would meet us at the restaurant at 7 pm.
6. Get - got
She got a promotion at work after months of hard work.
7. Make - made
I made a cake for my friend's birthday party.
8. Know - knew
We knew it was going to rain, so we brought our raincoats.
9. Think - thought
I thought the movie was good, but my friend didn't like it.
10. Take - took
She took the train to the city instead of driving.
11. See - saw
We saw a beautiful sunset over the ocean.
12. Come - came
They came to visit us and we had a great time.
13. Want - wanted
I wanted to try the new restaurant that just opened.
14. Use - used
He used his phone to take a picture of the sunset.
15. Find - found
I found my lost keys under the couch.
16. Give - gave
She gave me a present for my birthday.
17. Tell - told
He told me all about his vacation to Europe.
18. Work - worked
I worked late last night to finish some projects.
19. Call - called
I called my mom to wish her a happy birthday.
20. Try - tried
He tried a new recipe for dinner and it turned out delicious.
21. Ask - asked
She asked me for my opinion on the new movie.
22. Need - needed
I needed to go grocery shopping because there was no food in the fridge.
23. Feel - felt
He felt nervous before his big presentation.
24. Become - became
She became a doctor after years of studying and hard work.
25. Leave - left
We left early to avoid rush hour traffic.
26. Put - put
I put my phone on the charger because it was almost dead.
27. Mean - meant
I meant to call you yesterday, but I got busy with work.
28. Keep - kept
I keep a journal to record my thoughts and experiences.
29. Let - let
She let her dog play in the park because he loves to run around.
30. Begin - began
We began the meeting with a quick introduction.
31. Seem - seemed
It seemed like everyone was having a good time at the party.
32. Help - helped
He helped me move my furniture to my new apartment.
33. Talk - talked
They talked for hours about their favorite movies and TV shows.
34. Turn - turned
I turned off the lights before going to bed.
35. Start - started
I started a new book yesterday and I can't wait to read more.
36. Show - showed
She showed me pictures of her trip to Europe.
37. Hear - heard
We heard the birds chirping outside our window.
38. Play - played
They played chess for hours and neither of them wanted to give up.
39. Run - ran
I ran a mile in under 8 minutes at the gym.
40. Move - moved
We moved to a new city for a job opportunity.
41. Live - lived
She lived in Paris for a year to study art.
42. Believe - believed
I believed that he would keep his promise, but he didn't.
43. Bring - brought
He brought his own snacks to the movie theater because he didn't like the ones they sold.
44. Happen - happened
It happened so fast that I didn't have time to react.
45. Write - wrote
I wrote a letter to my friend who lives across the country.
46. Provide - provided
They provided food and shelter to the homeless during the winter months.
47. Sit - sat
I sat on the couch to watch my favorite TV show.
48. Stand - stood
He stood in line for hours to get tickets to the concert.
49. Lose - lost
I lost my phone at the mall and had to go back to find it.
50. Pay - paid
She paid for her meal with a credit card and earned reward points.
In conclusion, understanding past tense verbs is essential for effective communication in English. By memorizing and practicing the above list of 50 common English verbs and their past tense forms, you can improve your writing and become a more confident communicator.