This exercise will give you practice in using the correct forms of irregular verbs. Before attempting the exercise, you may find it helpful to review these two articles:

Exercise

Complete each sentence below with the appropriate present, past, or past-participle form of the irregular verb in italics. When you're done, compare your answers with those below.

1. Uncle Bert told me he had _____ (sell) his car for one dollar to a needy family.
2. No one answered when Freddie _____ (ring) the doorbell.
3. We nearly _____ (freeze) our toes off in a bedroom that wasn't heated.
4. Jessica suddenly remembered that a week ago she had _____ (lend) her brother a hundred dollars.
5. My sister left the birthday party early because she had _____ (drink) too much Coca Cola and made herself sick.
6. Last Sunday morning we discovered that the old boiler had _____ (spring) a leak.
7. John went to the blackboard and _____ (draw) a picture of the playground.
8. Don't call the world dirty because you _____ (forget) to clean your glasses.
9. Jobie had _____ (string) a clothesline from the top of the trailer to the woodshed eaves.
10. The group had _____ (begin) to split up into cliques and factions.
11. Buddy had never _____ (ride) in a limousine before.
12. 'Habit is a cable; we _____ (weave) a thread of it each day, and at last we cannot break it.' (Horace Mann)
13. The paper reported that a major earthquake had _____ (shake) the interior of Mexico, killing thousands.

1. When we were five years old, Mike and I solemnly _____ (swear) to remain friends forever.
2. Moira had _____ (mean) to send her father a birthday card, but as usual she forgot.
3. The force of the shock from the explosion _____ (break) every window in the old school building.
4. Uncle Bert had _____ (go) to the post office at lunchtime but never came back.
5. Trying to be good Samaritans had _____ (bring) us nothing but trouble.
6. The student insisted that someone had _____ (steal) his sunglasses, but everyone could see that they were still sitting on top of his head.
7. Walt Disney claimed that he loved Mickey Mouse more than any woman he had ever _____ (know).

Answers

1. Uncle Bert told me he had sold his car for one dollar to a needy family.
2. No one answered when Freddie rang the doorbell.
3. We nearly froze our toes off in a bedroom that wasn't heated.
4. Jessica suddenly remembered that a week ago she had lent her brother a hundred dollars.
5. My sister left the birthday party early because she had drunk too much Coca Cola and made herself sick.
6. Last Sunday morning we discovered that the old boiler had sprung a leak.
7. John went to the blackboard and drew a picture of the playground.
8. Don't call the world dirty because you forgot to clean your glasses.
9. Jobie had strung a clothesline from the top of the trailer to the woodshed eaves.
10. The group had begun to split up into cliques and factions.
11. Buddy had never ridden in a limousine before.
12. 'Habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it each day, and at last we cannot break it.' (Horace Mann)
13. The paper reported that a major earthquake had shaken the interior of Mexico, killing thousands.
14. When we were five years old, Mike and I solemnly swore to remain friends forever.

1. Moira had meant to send her father a birthday card, but as usual she forgot.
2. The force of the shock from the explosion broke every window in the old school building.
3. Uncle Bert had gone to the post office at lunchtime but never came back.
4. Trying to be good Samaritans had brought us nothing but trouble.
5. The student insisted that someone had stolen his sunglasses, but everyone could see that they were still sitting on top of his head.
6. Walt Disney claimed that he loved Mickey Mouse more than any woman he had ever known