Irregular verbs and their tenses

Grade 4 · English

Semester 1 | Period 2 | Week 8

Download the Lessonotes Mobile Liberia app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.

Subject: English

Semester: 1

Period: 2

Week: 8


School Name:

Teacher’s Name:

Subject: English Language

Grade Level: Grade 4

Date: Week 8

Lesson Duration: 45 minutes

Week & Period: Week 8, Period 2

Topic: Irregular Verbs and Their Tenses

Sub-topic: Forming Past and Past Participle of Irregular Verbs

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

Define irregular verbs and differentiate them from regular verbs.

Form and use past and past participle forms of irregular verbs correctly.

Use irregular verbs in sentences across the three tenses.

 

Previous Knowledge

Students can identify and form the tenses of regular verbs.

 

Instructional Materials

English Language textbook for Grade 4, verb flashcards, chart of irregular verbs, and exercise sheets.

 

Lesson Development – ABC Model

A – Anticipation (Warm-up / Starter)

Time: 5–10 minutes

The teacher writes these verbs on the board: go, come, eat, write, run. Students are asked to form their past tense. Some write “goed” or “comed.” The teacher explains that these are special verbs called irregular verbs.

B – Building Knowledge (Main Lesson Body)

Time: 25–30 minutes

This version includes clear definitions, examples, group and individual activities, assessment checks, and assignments, designed to help learners grasp and apply irregular verb forms in different tenses.

 

🧠 Learning Focus

Understanding what irregular verbs are.

Recognizing the difference between regular and irregular verbs.

Practicing how irregular verbs change across present, past, and past participle forms.

Using irregular verbs in sentences across tenses.

 

📚 Learners’ Activities (Expanded)

  1. Read and Repeat (Whole Class)

Learners are shown a list of common irregular verbs.

They read them aloud together, repeating after the teacher.

The teacher pauses to highlight how each verb changes in the past tense and past participle, emphasizing that they do not follow a regular “-ed” pattern.

 

Sample list:

go – went – gone

eat – ate – eaten

write – wrote – written

run – ran – run

come – came – come

bring – brought – brought

 

  1. Spot the Change! (Individual or Pair Activity)

Learners receive a printed chart or worksheet listing irregular verbs.

They are asked to:

Underline or highlight the part that changes from present to past.

Notice spelling patterns (or lack of them).

Example:

go → went → gone (major change)

run → ran → run (slight vowel change)

 

  1. Group Work: Irregular Verb Sentences

Learners are divided into small groups.

Each group is assigned 5 irregular verbs.

They work together to write 3 sentences for each verb:

One in present tense

One in past tense

One in future tense

 

Example with the verb eat:

Present: I eat rice every day.

Past: I ate rice yesterday.

Future: I will eat rice tomorrow.

 

  1. Mini-Poster Creation

In groups, learners create a mini-poster of irregular verbs with visuals.

Each poster shows:

The base form, past tense, and past participle

A simple illustration or drawing to help visualize the verb.

One sentence using each tense.

Example Poster:

write – wrote – written

Present: I write a letter.

Past: I wrote a letter yesterday.

Future: I will write a letter tomorrow.

 

Illustration: Picture of a person writing.

Posters can be displayed in the classroom for future reference.

 

✍️ Concepts and Definitions (Expanded)

🔤 What is a Verb?

A verb is a word that shows an action, an event, or a state of being.

 

🔄 What Are Irregular Verbs?

Irregular verbs do not follow the usual rule of adding “-ed” to form the past tense or past participle.

Instead, they change spelling completely, slightly, or not at all.

 

📌 Unlike regular verbs (e.g., walk → walked), irregular verbs change in unpredictable ways, and must be memorized.

 

📅 Verb Tenses Overview

Tense         Function    Example with “go”

Present      Action happening now I go to school.

Past  Action that already happened        I went to school yesterday.

Future        Action that will happen I will go to school tomorrow.

📝 More Examples of Irregular Verbs

Base Form Past Tense Past Participle

go     went gone

write  wrote written

eat    ate    eaten

run    ran    run

come came come

bring brought      brought

speak         spoke         spoken

take  took  taken

see   saw   seen

do     did    done

❗ Note: In this lesson, the focus is on simple present, past, and future usage—past participles are introduced mainly for awareness and future learning.

 

✅ Assessment Checks (Expanded)

The teacher checks understanding using questions and observation:

📣 Oral Questions:

“What is a verb?”

“What is the past tense of go?”

“What is the past tense of eat?”

“Is talked a regular or irregular verb?”

“Say a sentence with the verb run in past tense.”

 

📝 Quick Checks:

Learners are asked to:

Change a given irregular verb into its past and future forms.

Identify if a given verb is regular or irregular.

Correct a sentence with the wrong verb tense.

Example: Yesterday, I go to school. → Correction: I went to school.

 

📘 Assignments (Expanded)

✍️ Classwork

 

Verb Table Exercise

Complete a table with the following:

Base form → Past tense → Future tense (will + verb)

Example:

Base Verb  Past Tense Future Tense

go     went will go

eat    ate    will eat

run    ran    will run

 

Tense Sentences

Choose 5 irregular verbs.

Write a sentence for each in:

Present

Past

Future

 

🏠 Homework

Irregular Verb Journal

Learners choose 3 irregular verbs from the class list.

They write a short story or paragraph using each verb in all three tenses.

 

Example:

I go to the park every weekend. Last Saturday, I went there with my brother. Next time, I will go with my cousins.

 

Verb Hunt at Home

Learners look through a book or story at home.

They write down 5 irregular verbs they find and give the past and future forms.

 

🎨 Optional Enrichment Activities

🎯 Irregular Verb Toss Game

Toss a ball around the room. When a learner catches it, they must:

Say an irregular verb and give its past and future forms.

Example: go → went, will go

 

🎭 Act and Guess Game

One learner acts out an irregular verb (e.g., running, writing).

Classmates guess the verb and say it in past and future tenses.

 

C – Consolidation (Conclusion & Assessment)

Time: 5–10 minutes

Summary: Irregular verbs change differently; they don’t use “-ed.”

Evaluation Method (Expanded):

Exit quiz: Fill in the blanks—

She ______ (go) to church yesterday.

I have ______ (eat) my food.

We will ______ (come) back soon.

Teacher will collect slips and provide oral feedback.

Assignment (Expanded): Write a short journal entry titled “My Weekend” using at least five irregular verbs.

Follow-up Activity: Practice saying irregular verbs aloud daily.

Differentiation / Inclusive Strategies: Use pictures and dramatization to help slower learners.

Teacher’s Reflection (After Class)

What worked well? ___________________________________________

What needs improvement? ____________________________________

Students’ engagement level: ☑ High ☑ Medium ☑ Low