Verbs: Base Form, Past Form, and Past Participle – A Complete English Grammar Guide

Verbs are the heart of every sentence. They describe actions, occurrences, and states of being. Without verbs, language would stand still — quite literally! In this tutorial, you will learn everything about verb forms in English, focusing on the base form, past form, and past participle. You’ll also discover patterns, irregularities, and practical examples that help solidify the concept.

1. What Is a Verb?

A verb expresses an action, an event, or a state. For example:

• Action: run, write, play
• Event: happen, occur, take place
• State: be, seem, exist

Every verb can appear in different forms depending on tense (time), aspect, and grammatical construction. The three foundational forms are:

1. Base Form
2. Past Form
3. Past Participle

2. The Base Form of Verbs

The base form is the original, dictionary form of the verb. It’s the version you look up when learning vocabulary. It’s used in:

• Present simple tense (except with he/she/it): “They eat apples.”
• Infinitives with to: “to eat”, “to read”.
• Imperatives: “Go home!”, “Read this book.”

Examples:

Verb	Base Form	Used In Sentence
to work	work	They work hard.
to go	go	Let’s go for a walk.
to write	write	I need to write faster.

3. The Past Form of Verbs

The past form (also called the simple past) describes actions that happened and finished in the past. It is often formed by adding -ed to the base form, though many verbs are irregular.

Examples:

Verb	Base Form	Past Form	Sentence Example
walk	walk	walked	She walked to school yesterday.
go	go	went	They went shopping last weekend.
see	see	saw	He saw a rainbow this morning.

Regular Verbs Pattern

Regular verbs form the past by adding -ed:

• play → played
• clean → cleaned
• jump → jumped

Irregular Verbs Pattern

Irregular verbs have unique past forms that don’t follow a pattern:

• go → went
• buy → bought
• hold → held

4. The Past Participle

The past participle is the third form of the verb, often used in perfect tenses and passive voice. It looks the same as the past form for regular verbs but differs for irregular ones.

Used in:

• Present perfect: has/have + past participle → “I have eaten.”
• Past perfect: had + past participle → “She had finished her work.”
• Passive voice: be + past participle → “The cake was baked by John.”

Verb	Base Form	Past Form	Past Participle	Example
eat	eat	ate	eaten	I have eaten already.
do	do	did	done	He has done his homework.
write	write	wrote	written	She has written a letter.

5. Common Verb Form Patterns (Visual Summary)

6. Interactive Exercise for Practice

Try filling in the blanks below. Check if your verbs’ past and past participle forms are correct.

1. I have _______ (go) to the market today.
2. She _______ (finish) her project yesterday.
3. They have _______ (see) that movie already.

Answers: 1. gone  2. finished  3. seen

7. Verb Form Quick Reference Table

Base Form	Past Form	Past Participle
go	went	gone
come	came	come
take	took	taken
make	made	made
run	ran	run

8. Tips to Remember Verb Forms

• Practice in sets: Learn verbs in groups that sound similar (e.g., sing–sang–sung).
• Notice patterns: Regular verbs will always end with -ed.
• Make flashcards: One side for base form, the other for the two past forms.
• Read widely: Exposure naturally strengthens verb retention and correct usage.

9. Summary

The three verbal pillars — base form, past form, and past participle — are core to mastering English. Once you grasp how they interact with time and grammar, your ability to write and speak fluently grows exponentially. Regular practice, pattern observation, and contextual learning are the keys to full mastery.

Continue exploring more English grammar lessons on CodeLucky.com for practical and structured learning experiences.