Splitting Up Irregular Verbs: Easier to Memorize?

Most English text-book publishers tend to issue alphabetically-arranged lists of irregular verbs, which to me is plain crazy if you're planning to memorize them. The alphabet is just a convention, and starting by the 'a' and finishing by the 'z' doesn't make the task of memorizing them any easier. 

At best (as seen above), you may get a list where they've been divided into three groups, a good idea which makes much more sense. But if you need to further split the irregulars in more groups (to make learning them by heart an even easier task), check the list below:

IRREGULAR VERBS

There are seven main patterns used to mark past tense and ed-participles in irregular verbs:

[Infinitive       Simple Past         Past Participle        Spanish]

a) A -t suffix marks past tense and ed-participles. The t may replace a final d of the base. Or the t may be added to the base. Some of the verbs that add t to the base also have a regular form: e.g. learnt and learned

bend                 bent                      bent                          doblar(se)

build                 built                     built                          construir

burn                  burnt/burned        burnt/burned            quemar(se)

learn                 learnt/learned        learnt/learned          aprender

lend                  lent                        lent                          prestar

send                  sent                       sent                          enviar

smell                 smelt/smelled       smelt/smelled          oler

spell                  spelt/spelled         spelt/spelled             deletrear

spend                spent                     spent                        gastar

spill                   spilt/spilled          spilt/spilled              derramar(se)

spoil                  spoilt/spoiled       spoilt/spoiled            estropear

b) A -t or -d suffix marks past tense and ed-participle, and the base vowel changes.

bring                  brought                 brought                    traer

buy                     bought                  bought                     comprar

catch                   caught                  caught                      atrapar

creep                  crept                      crept                        arrastrarse

deal                    dealt                      dealt                        tratar

dream                 dreamt/dreamed    dreamt/dreamed      soñar

feel                     felt                         felt                           sentir

flee                     fled                        fled                           huir

have                   had                        had                          tener*

hear                    heard                      heard                        oír

keep                    kept                       kept                          guardar

kneel                   knelt                      knelt                        arrodillarse

lay                       laid                       laid                          poner*

leave                   left                         left                           dejar

light                    lit                           lit                             encender

lose                     lost                         lost                           perder

make                  made                      made                       hacer*

mean                   meant                     meant                       significar

pay                     paid                        paid                         pagar*

say                      said                         said                          decir

sell                      sold                         sold                         vender

sleep                   slept                         slept                        dormir(se)

sweep                 swept                       swept                       barrer

teach                   taught                      taught                       enseñar

tell                      told                          told                           decir

think                   thought                    thought                     pensar

weep                   wept                        wept                          llorar

c) The regular -ed suffix marks past tense, but an -(e)n suffix marks ed-participles

do                        did                           done                          hacer*

sew                      sewed                       sewn/sewed               coser

show                    showed                     shown/showed          mostrar

sow                      sowed                       sown/sowed              sembrar

d) No suffix is used for the past tense, but ed-participles have an -(e)n suffix; in addition, the base vowel changes in either the past tense, ed-participle, or both.

arise                       arose                        arisen                       surgir

beat                       beat                          beaten                  golpear*

bite                         bit                            bitten                       morder

blow                       blew                         blown                      soplar

break                      broke                        broken                     romper

choose                    chose                        chosen                     elegir

draw                       drew                         drawn                      dibujar

drive                       drove                        driven                    conducir

eat                           ate                            eaten                       comer

fall                          fell                            fallen                       caer

fly                           flew                           flown                       volar

forget                      forgot                        forgotten                 olvidar

forgive                    forgave                     forgiven                perdonar

forsake                   forsook                     forsaken              abandonar

freeze                     froze                         frozen                    congelar

get                          got                            got/gotten               obtener

give                        gave                          given                      dar

grow                       grew                         grown                     crecer

hide                        hid                            hidden             esconder(se)

know                      knew                        known                      saber

lie                           lay                            lain                        tumbarse

ride                         rode                          ridden                    montar

rise                          rose                          risen                      elevarse

see                          saw                           seen                        ver

shake                      shook                       shaken                  agitar

speak                      spoke                       spoken                   hablar

steal                        stole                         stolen                     robar

swear                      swore                       sworn                     jurar

take                         took                         taken                      llevar

tear                          tore                          torn                       rasgar

throw                       threw                       thrown                   lanzar

tread                        trod                          trodden/trod           pisar

wake up                  woke up                    woken up       despertar(se)

wear                         wore                        worn                      vestir

weave                      wove                        woven                     tejer

write                        wrote                        written                    escribir

e) The base vowel changes in the past tense, the ed-participle, or both; there are no other changes.

become                     became                    become            convertirse

begin                         began                      begun                  comenzar

bleed                         bled                         bled                      sangrar

come                         came                        come                    venir

dig                             dug                          dug                       cavar

drink                          drank                       drunk                   beber

feed                            fed                           fed                     alimentar

fight                           fought                      fought                  pelear

find                            found                       found                 encontrar

grind                          ground                     ground                  moler

hang                           hung/hanged            hung/hanged        colgar

hold                            held                         held                     sostener

lead                            led                            led                        guiar

meet                           met                          met                       conocer

read                            read                         read                       leer

ring                            rang                         rung                      llamar

run                             ran                           run                         correr

shine                          shone                       shone                     brillar

shoot                          shot                          shot                     disparar

shrink                         shrank/shrunk         shrunk                  encoger

sing                            sang                         sung                    cantar

sink                            sank                         sunk                 hundir(se)

sit                               sat                            sat                       sentarse

slide                           slid                           slid                      deslizar

spring                         sprang                      sprung                 saltar

stand                          stood                         stood             estar de pie

stick                           stuck                         stuck                 pegar(se)

sting                           stung                         stung                   picar

stink                           stank/stunk                stunk                  apestar

strike                          struck                        struck                 golpear

swim                          swam                         swum                 nadar

understand                 understood                understood        entender

win                             won                           won                    ganar

wring                          wrung                       wrung                 retorcer

f) Past tense and ed-participle forms are identical to the base form.

bet                             bet/betted                   bet/betted           apostar

burst                          burst                           burst                   estallar

cost                            cost                            cost                     costar

cut                             cut                              cut                       cortar

hit                              hit                               hit                      golpear

hurt                            hurt                            hurt               herir, doler

let                              let                               let                      permitir

put                             put                              put                       poner

quit                            quit/quitted                quit/quitted     abandonar

set                              set                              set                       fijar

shut                            shut                            shut                    cerrar

split                            split                            split                    partir

spread                        spread                         spread           extenderse

g) One of the forms is completely different.

be                               was / were                  been                ser, estar

go                               went                           gone                      ir

* In bold: they don’t actually conform to patterns

Source: Biber, D. et al., pp. 116-7. Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English. Longman. 2002.