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There and back

The participle echoes the base form — only the past changes. The model to keep in your head is come · came · come, and 4 of the 175 verbs on this site follow it.

Where this group comes from

A small group with a satisfying shape: the verb walks away in the past and comes straight back for the participle. Come · came · come. Run · ran · run. Four verbs do this in everyday English, which is few enough to learn as a set in a minute.

The catch is that the base and the participle being identical makes it very easy to use the participle alone as a past tense. I run yesterday is the result, and it is one of the most persistent errors in this whole list precisely because the word looks right.

All 4 verbs in this pattern

Base formPast simplePast participle
comecamecome
becomebecamebecome
runranrun
overcomeovercameovercome

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The other patterns

One form fits alli → a → uThe -ought gangew → ownThe -en finishersTwinsFree spirits

← All 175 irregular verbs