Irregular Verb Forms Exercises

If Tyree had __________ how beautiful the substitute teacher was going to be, he would have prepared his math homework—instead of an arsenal of spitballs—to impress her with his intelligence.

known

Jim would have __________ the difficult and dirty job of cleaning the slimy gutters if the blue sky, seventy-degree weather, and new titanium graphite driver had not summoned him to the golf course.

begun

Thrashing on the surface of the lake, a huge catfish __________ Reggie's fishing pole almost to the point of breaking. Reggie fought on, images of fried fillets making his mouth water.

bent

Audrey had just __________ into her first forkful of omelet when she noticed mushrooms in the egg. Because she was highly allergic to this vegetable, she had to spit the mouthful into her napkin, wiping her tongue with a clean corner.

bitten

Maria __________ from the cold glass of soda, trying to extinguish the anger that, lava-like, threatened to explode at her husband Darren, who had spent the day watching college football instead of mowing the lawn.

drank

Dan would have __________ his brand-new truck to the grocery store if he had not been so worried that a loose can of peas might roll around in the bed and chip the pristine red paint.

driven

Chauncey would have __________ some of the squid eyeball stew if a long, gray tentacle had not dangled over the side of the bowl.

eaten

Diane always wonders where she will next discover a pair of her husband's dirty socks. Yesterday Mike __________ two in the refrigerator next to a carton of orange juice.

left

Carol searched the kitchen for a midnight snack, finally finding a bag of stale chocolate chip cookies __________ on top the refrigerator.

lying

Jacob's physics notes were tucked in his book bag. A half-read copy of Moby-Dick served as a coaster for a glass of cold soda. An unopened trigonometry book was __________ on the desk. Although final exams were only two days away, Jacob played another level of Tomb Raider, his favorite computer game.

lying

Because Henry enjoyed impressing his girlfriend Gloria, he __________ for the expensive dinner with his brand new credit card; he would worry about the shocking statement when it arrived in the mail next month.

paid

If Carlos had known that hail the size of golf balls would fall later that day, he would have __________ his shoulder pads and football helmet instead of his one good suit.

worn

____________ on the kitchen counter, the chocolate chip cookie teased Spencer the Chihuahua, who sat on the linoleum, whining and drooling.

Lying

A strong wind __________ through the trees, loosening clumps of moss, dead branches, old kites, and baby squirrels, all of which fell to the wet ground below.

blew

On his way to the interview, Gonzalo __________ a hot dog to quiet his rumbling stomach. While he was wolfing down this quick meal, yellow mustard dripped down the front of his crisp white shirt.

bought

If Eli had not escaped to the kitchen to cool his temper, he would have __________ a heavy plate over the head of Mrs. Jones, who sent back her chicken for the fourth time.

broken

After cooking all night, Paulette __________ a huge platter of chocolate-broccoli muffins to the meeting. Everyone enjoyed the delicious combination of tastes while getting the daily dose of vitamin C.

brought

On Christmas Eve, Captain Beane wore a pair of antlers while greeting passengers boarding his 727. The costume __________ little trust in Louise, whose fear of flying required a serious pilot.

built

Because her hands were still slippery with soap, Marilyn dropped the watermelon, which __________ on the floor in an explosion of pulp and seeds.

burst

Without stopping for breath, Mervina, the neighborhood gossip, __________ Kishana up on the neighborhood news, including Sherry's disastrous dinner party, where the frog tongue soup sent five guests to the local emergency room.

caught

At first, Rose __________ to tolerate Simon's lack of punctuality. His good looks compensated for her having to wait an extra ten or fifteen minutes. But once Simon's tardiness hit half an hour, Rose dumped him for a boyfriend who looked at his watch.

chose

George would have __________ to class sooner, but a beautiful woman was listening to him lie about having a fat wallet and hot car, and he could not tear himself away from the conversation.

come

Jim's last temper tantrum __________ $400. He had thrown an expensive titanium three-wood into the golf course lake, and his wife Nancy insisted that he hire a scuba diver to retrieve it.

cost

Using bites of bologna as bribes, Diane convinced Reliable, her beagle, to lie still, and then she __________ each of his eighteen toenails.

cut

At the back of the lab, Glenn decorated the margins of his biology textbook with caricatures. When test time arrives, Glenn will wish that he had __________ the different cell types that Professor Shuman was explaining to the class

drawn

A thin stray kitten cried outside the back door. Because Rebecca felt sorry for the poor animal, she __________ it some leftover ravioli, the only food she had in the refrigerator.

fed

While Allison gripped the roof's edge, she no longer resented the many hours that her boyfriend Chris spent in the gym. After all, his strong arms would catch her when she loosened her grip and __________ to the ground below.

fell

Tikeja __________ Michael's forehead to confirm his fever. When cool skin met her touch, she knew her little brother was faking an illness to get out of helping her rake the big backyard.

felt

Whenever Mike _________ his Cessna 152, a small airplane, he worried about running out of fuel, hitting birds, and being abducted by alien spaceships.

flew

For weeks, Judi searched cookbooks and culinary magazines for the recipe to make squid eyeball stew. Finally, she __________ the instructions at www.eatmoresquid.com, a web site dedicated to preparing this sea delicacy.

found

Giselle dreaded attending her U.S. Government class. Whenever Professor Duncan called on her, Giselle __________ in her chair; she could not open her mouth, let alone answer one of his questions.

froze

Last week, Hector had __________ his girlfriend Gloria an expensive gold necklace. When he saw her flirting with Omar, Hector knew that he should have purchased new rims for his car instead.

given

Because Nigel had __________ to the supermarket with this week's grocery money, Shirley expected him to return with bread, milk, and other essentials. Boy, was she angry when he came home with fifty dollars worth of losing lottery tickets!

gone

One spring Joe __________ tomatoes in the backyard; pollution, insects, and weekend badminton matches did so much damage to the poor plants that Joe went back to buying canned tomatoes at the grocery store.

grew

Because Kerri Ann __________ all her biology homework, she spent the rest of the evening with her friends. The next morning, when Professor Wright passed out the difficult pop quiz, Kerri Ann realized that her books should have been her only company.

had done

Melissa dug in her heels and __________ the leash with both hands; Mellie, her Labrador retriever, saw children playing Frisbee down the street and wanted desperately to chase the flying red disk.

held

My grandmother does not trust banks, so she has __________ money all over the house. Once, I pulled an old romance novel off a shelf and found seven $100 bills stuck between the pages.

hidden

Dashing down the hallway, Tuan slipped in a puddle of soda and crashed into the water fountain. His elbow and nose __________ for the rest of the day.

hurt

Bill went to the bank interview smelling of wet dog. He had __________ his one suit on the bed before going into the bathroom to shave. Dripping from the rain, Skipper, his Labrador retriever, decided the jacket made a perfect towel.

laid

Defeated, Melody __________ her head on the desk. Even though she had studied until 3 a.m., she could make no sense of the chemistry problems on the exam before her.

laid

If Della had not __________ the leaky take-out container of moo goo gai pan on the top shelf of the refrigerator, she would not have had to mop up the ooze that dripped over four shelves of food.

laid

Kevin __________ the dripping barbecue sandwich on his plate and grabbed a fork and knife. He ignored the stares of the other restaurant patrons and ate his sandwich with utensils.

laid

Removing the dirty sock from her granddaughter's mouth, Jeanne __________ Abigail in the crib and chased after Savannah, the family's new kitten, who was using the couch as a scratching post. Babies of any species, Jeanne knew, required constant supervision.

laid

While Karen was cleaning green peppers at the sink, Chris __________ a long, fat anchovy onto the pizza, camouflaging it with sliced mushrooms and onions.

laid

A crumpled ten-dollar bill __________ at the bottom of the washing machine. Mike retrieved the money and drove to Tito's Taco Palace, where he bought fifteen tacos and a large root beer.

lay

After an especially long week at work, Deepa __________ on the sofa, watching television and trying to relax. Once the University of Florida football game began, however, she was jumping up every five minutes to boo referee calls and cheer effective Gator plays.

lay

Robin can't __________ anything on the counter. Money, glasses of orange juice, stacks of paper—all of these items get swatted to the floor by Buster, her mischievous cat.

lay

The last slice of cheesecake __________ on a platter in the middle of the table; everyone wanted to eat it, but only Cassandra was assertive enough to slide the slice onto her own plate.

lay

The message light on the phone was blinking. Eight appointments and an afternoon meeting filled the calendar. A stack of top-priority work _________ in the middle of the desk. Valerie knew that lunch would be a bottled water and a handful of antacid tablets.

lay

Rachel __________ the telephone receiver on the table and returned to the sci-fi novel that she had left on the couch. The poor solicitor at the other end read five more minutes of spiel before realizing that no one was listening.

layed

With a hotdog, Dris __________ Butler, her bulldog, to the car but could not get him onto the backseat; Butler sensed a trip to the vet and refused to budge.

led

The students who have Professor Sebacher for World Literature believe that their instructor reads Homer, Dante, and Shakespeare all evening. The reality is that Professor Sebacher __________ on the couch, eats corn chips, and channel surfs until midnight.

lie

Saxe, Diane's horse, will let you know when she deserves another carrot or apple. She sticks out her tongue so that it __________ outside her mouth like a long, fat, pink worm.

lies

After losing electricity during the hurricane, the Martinez family ___________ candles, speared hot dogs on pencils, and roasted the wieners over this makeshift barbecue.

lit

The bright floral-print tie __________ against Dr. Kinser's crisp white shirt gives everyone the impression that snow has fallen in the rainforest.

lying

The telephone __________ twelve times before Pablo finally lifted the receiver. He prayed the call was from a salesperson and not his psycho ex-girlfriend Maria.

rang

Mauricio would have _________ the seven-foot wave into shore if a huge shark had not been patrolling the waters underneath the surfboard, hungry for a dangling arm or leg.

ridden

Omar woke up before dawn and drove to Daytona Beach. As the sun __________ over the ocean, he watched the water sparkle like the beautiful diamond earrings he had given his girlfriend Gloria, who then dumped him for a new boyfriend with a higher credit card limit.

rose

While crawling along in rush-hour traffic, Kay cranked up her car stereo and __________ the lyrics to "Back in Black" with AC/DC, oblivious to the scowls of annoyance from the other drivers trapped beside her.

sang

Theodore bought beautiful roses for Glenda, his date. Because he did not have a vase, he rinsed out a peanut butter jar. After Theodore __________ Glenda's reaction to the arrangement, he realized that he had made a poor first impression.

saw

When Mom __________ out the kitchen rug, dog hair, breadcrumbs, coffee grounds, and spaghetti noodles flew through the air and dusted the sidewalk.

shook

At the beginning of the semester, Joyce anticipated learning about Egyptian archeology. Her interest __________, however, as the monotonous lectures of Professor Nelson provided facts dustier than mummy wrappings.

shrank

Tiffany __________ through all of Professor Olefke's 8 a.m. astronomy lectures; at the end of the semester, she would have a better chance escaping the gravity of a black hole than passing the course.

slept

Jeanne __________ her house of twenty years with great misgivings; she worried that the new owners would dig up the bones of her beloved cat, Emmy Lou, to put a pool or rose garden in the backyard.

sold

Jennifer has discovered that hanging clothes outside to dry has its disadvantages. Recently, a spider crept into a pair of her jeans and __________ a day biting the "intruder"—Jennifer's bare leg—that had invaded the arachnid's new home.

spent

When Henry opened the vegetable crisper at the bottom of the refrigerator, the puddle of rotting lettuce that he discovered __________ up the kitchen for the rest of the day.

stank

Becky had both an empty wallet and stomach, so she __________ a chocolate bar from the candy rack. The ensuing guilt was harder to tolerate than her growling belly.

stole

On his way to a second interview at the bank, Geraldo stepped in gum. Nervous about the meeting, he failed to notice the candy wrapper and leaves that __________ to his shoe as he walked from the parking garage to the lobby.

stuck

While Clive stood on top of the fire ant mound, several of the insects crawled over his shoes and __________ him on the ankles, sending the poor boy dancing around the yard while slapping at his legs.

stung

In her dreams that night, Diana had __________ in a pool of warm cocoa; when she awoke, the aroma of chocolate still tickled her nostrils.

swum

After Professor Curall __________ irregular verb forms in her writing class, she discovered that the frequency of tooked and weared declined in her students' essays.

taught

When Professor Tighe saw Julie using Moby-Dick as a coaster for a sweating glass of cold soda, he __________ down his briefcase and lectured the poor young woman on showing proper respect for great literature.

threw

When Richie jammed the photocopier for the eighth time, Sharon, the administrative assistant, picked up a heavy stapler and __________ it at his head.

threw

Theodora will nuzzle a snake, kiss a frog, and let a tarantula crawl up her arm. But if you were __________ a bowl of lima beans on the dining room table, she would run screaming from the house.

to lay

Pumpkin, my oldest cat, loves __________ on my pillow. All night long, she and my head fight for room.

to lie

Sherry should have __________ everyone the truth. Then poor Rebecca would have declined a bowl of soup instead of vomiting in the bathroom once she learned the recipe included half a cup of frog tongues.

told

Professor Ayer __________ several deep breaths to keep from exploding at Jerry, whose excuse for missing yet another class was that Grandma had died—for the fifth time in one semester!

took

To ensure that the ragged edges of his essay did not inspire Professor Varner's rage, Jack carefully __________ the fuzzies from the sheets of paper.

tore

Raphael would have __________ jeans and a T-shirt to the interview if he thought such attire would land him the job. Because he knew better, Raphael struggled into a scratchy suit that made him feel as though ants were crawling over his skin.

worn

Charlie believed that he had __________ the best essay of the semester, but when Professor Varner returned the paper, the slashes of red ink and caustic comments immediately changed his opinion of the work.

written