A lot of the most common verbs in English are "irregular". This means that the past participle and the simple past tense form are not built by just adding -(e)d to the root, as happens with regular verbs like to love - loved - loved. Instead, irregular verbs use zero, one, or two different forms to create the simple past tense and the past participle.

The easiest irregular verbs to learn are the short list that use the same form for the present, the past, and the past participle.

Present	Simple past (preterite)	Past participle	Notes
bet	bet (or betted)	bet (or betted)
bid	bid (or bade)	bid
burst	burst	burst
cast	cast	cast	and broadcast
cost	cost	cost
cut	cut	cut
hit	hit	hit
hurt	hurt	hurt
let	let	let
put	put	put
quit	quit (or quitted)	quit (or quitted)
read	read	read	Note the sound changes:  [ri:d],  [red], [red]
rid	rid	rid
set	set	set	and upset
shed	shed	shed
shut	shut	shut
slit	slit	slit
spread	spread	spread
thrust	thrust (or thrusted)	thrust

The verbs wet and wed are sometimes listed as invariable, but this is not the case in modern English as past forms in -ed are as common, if not more common, than the old invariable forms

Go to Group 2: verbs whose form changes in the preterite and/or past participle.

Why are some English verbs irregular ?

It's all a matter of history. English is basically a Germanic language.... and most of the common verbs used in everyday spoken  language have their origins in medieval German. In Germanic languages, verbs generally inflect their vowel sounds, to indicate past forms. Most regular verbs in English have their roots in written or formal language, and apply regular inflected forms inherited from (though not the same as) Latin grammar.


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