Categories and Forms of Irregular Verbs for JSS 2

Class: JSS 2
Term: First Term
Week: 10
Age: 13 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Subject: English Language Studies
Curriculum Theme: Grammatical Accuracy
Previous Lesson:
Topic: Grammatical Accuracy: Categories and Forms of Irregular Verbs
Subject Matter: Categories of irregular verbs; have the same form in infinitive, past tense, and past participle (e.g., cost, cut); have two past tense/past participle forms (e.g., burn, spoil).

Specific Objectives

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

Cognitive Domain

• Identify irregular verbs in given sentences or passages.
• Classify irregular verbs into different categories based on their forms.
• State examples of irregular verbs for each category.

Affective Domain

• Appreciate the importance of using correct verb forms for grammatical accuracy.
• Participate actively in discussions and group activities related to irregular verbs.

Psychomotor Domain

• Construct sentences using the correct past tense and past participle forms of irregular verbs.
• Write out lists of irregular verbs belonging to specific categories.

Reference Materials

The following resources were used in planning this lesson:

• 2025 Revised 9 Years Basic Education Curriculum
• Relevant State Unified Scheme of Work
• A suitable English Language textbook for JSS 2
• The HeadTeacher Scheme of work

Instructional Materials

The teacher will teach this lesson with the aid of:

• Charts displaying various irregular verbs and their forms
• A short passage containing examples of irregular verbs
• Whiteboard and markers
• Students’ English Language textbooks

Rationale for the Lesson

Understanding irregular verbs is fundamental for achieving grammatical accuracy in English. This lesson helps students master the correct usage of these verbs, which are frequently encountered in everyday communication. It builds a strong foundation for effective written and oral expression, preventing common grammatical errors.

Prerequisite/Previous Knowledge

Students should have a basic understanding of verbs, verb tenses (present, past), and the concept of regular verbs forming their past tense and past participle by adding ‘-ed’.

Lesson Content/Board Summary

Categories and Forms of Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs do not follow the standard rule of adding ‘-ed’ to form their past simple and past participle forms. They change their forms in various ways.

Categories of Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs can be grouped into different categories based on how their forms change:

1. Verbs with the same form for infinitive, past tense, and past participle: These verbs remain unchanged across all three forms.
2. Verbs with two different forms (infinitive, and one form for both past tense and past participle): These verbs have one form for the infinitive, and another single form that serves as both the past tense and the past participle.
3. Verbs with two different forms (infinitive and past tense, and one form for past participle): These verbs have a distinct infinitive, a distinct past tense, but the past participle is the same as the infinitive. (Note: The seed provided examples for the first two categories, but this third category is a common pattern for irregular verbs, e.g., come, came, come. I will include it to provide a more comprehensive understanding of categories as implied by “various categories”.)
4. Verbs with three different forms (infinitive, past tense, and past participle): These verbs have a unique form for each tense.
5. Verbs with two past tense/past participle forms: Some irregular verbs have alternative forms for their past tense and past participle, often with both a regular (-ed) and an irregular form.

Examples of Irregular Verbs by Category

Category 1: Same Form (Infinitive, Past Tense, Past Participle)

These verbs do not change their form.

1. Infinitive: cost, Past Tense: cost, Past Participle: cost
2. Infinitive: cut, Past Tense: cut, Past Participle: cut
3. Infinitive: hit, Past Tense: hit, Past Participle: hit
4. Infinitive: put, Past Tense: put, Past Participle: put
5. Infinitive: read, Past Tense: read, Past Participle: read (pronounced differently)

Category 2: Infinitive different, Past Tense and Past Participle same

These verbs change from the infinitive, but their past tense and past participle are identical.

1. Infinitive: bring, Past Tense: brought, Past Participle: brought
2. Infinitive: build, Past Tense: built, Past Participle: built
3. Infinitive: catch, Past Tense: caught, Past Participle: caught
4. Infinitive: teach, Past Tense: taught, Past Participle: taught
5. Infinitive: find, Past Tense: found, Past Participle: found

Category 3: Infinitive and Past Participle same, Past Tense different

These verbs have the same form for the infinitive and past participle, but a different past tense form.

1. Infinitive: come, Past Tense: came, Past Participle: come
2. Infinitive: run, Past Tense: ran, Past Participle: run
3. Infinitive: become, Past Tense: became, Past Participle: become

Category 4: Three Different Forms (Infinitive, Past Tense, Past Participle)

Each form of these verbs is unique.

1. Infinitive: begin, Past Tense: began, Past Participle: begun
2. Infinitive: drink, Past Tense: drank, Past Participle: drunk
3. Infinitive: speak, Past Tense: spoke, Past Participle: spoken
4. Infinitive: write, Past Tense: wrote, Past Participle: written
5. Infinitive: go, Past Tense: went, Past Participle: gone

Category 5: Verbs with Two Past Tense/Past Participle Forms

These verbs have two acceptable forms for their past tense and past participle.

1. Infinitive: burn, Past Tense: burned/burnt, Past Participle: burned/burnt
2. Infinitive: spoil, Past Tense: spoiled/spoilt, Past Participle: spoiled/spoilt
3. Infinitive: dream, Past Tense: dreamed/dreamt, Past Participle: dreamed/dreamt
4. Infinitive: learn, Past Tense: learned/learnt, Past Participle: learned/learnt

Teaching Methods/Instructional Techniques

Explanation, Discussion, Question and Answer, Guided Practice, Group Work, Individual Practice

Instructional Procedures

Step 1: Introduction

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Activating prior knowledge

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher greets the students and reviews the concept of verbs and regular verbs by asking them to give examples of regular verbs and their past tense forms.

Pupils’ Activity: Students respond by giving examples like “walk – walked,” “play – played.”

Learning Point: Recall of regular verbs

Step 2: Explanation of Irregular Verbs

Time: 7 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Illustration

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher explains that not all verbs follow the ‘-ed’ rule and introduces the term “irregular verbs.” The teacher then explains that irregular verbs change their forms in different ways, which can be grouped into categories.

Pupils’ Activity: Students listen attentively and ask questions for clarification.

Learning Point: Definition of irregular verbs

Step 3: Introducing Category 1 (Same Form)

Time: 6 minutes

Teaching Skill: Categorisation/Examples

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the first category of irregular verbs: those with the same form for infinitive, past tense, and past participle. The teacher displays the chart and provides examples like ‘cost, cost, cost’ and ‘cut, cut, cut’.

Pupils’ Activity: Students observe the chart and repeat the examples, noting the consistent forms.

Learning Point: Verbs with same forms

Step 4: Introducing Category 2, 3, and 4

Time: 8 minutes

Teaching Skill: Classification/Examples

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher continues by introducing categories 2, 3, and 4, providing examples for each: ‘bring, brought, brought’ (Category 2), ‘come, came, come’ (Category 3), and ‘begin, began, begun’ (Category 4). The teacher emphasizes the distinct patterns of change.

Pupils’ Activity: Students listen, observe the chart, and try to identify the pattern for each category.

Learning Point: Diverse irregular verb patterns

Step 5: Introducing Category 5 (Two Past Tense/Participle Forms)

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Explanation/Comparison

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher introduces the fifth category: verbs with two acceptable forms for their past tense and past participle, such as ‘burn, burned/burnt, burned/burnt’ and ‘spoil, spoiled/spoilt, spoiled/spoilt’. The teacher explains that both forms are correct.

Pupils’ Activity: Students listen and note the alternative forms, asking if there’s a preference.

Learning Point: Alternative verb forms

Step 6: Guided Practice and Identification

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided practice/Application

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher distributes a short passage and guides students to identify irregular verbs within it. The teacher then asks students to state the category each identified verb belongs to.

Pupils’ Activity: Students read the passage, identify irregular verbs, and classify them with teacher’s guidance.

Learning Point: Irregular verb identification

Step 7: Evaluation/Review

Time: 5 minutes

Teaching Skill: Questioning/Assessment

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher evaluates the learning by asking the following questions:

1. What is an irregular verb?
2. Give two examples of irregular verbs that have the same form for infinitive, past tense, and past participle.
3. State the past tense and past participle of “begin” and “spoil.”
4. Identify an irregular verb from this sentence: “She drank water and then ran home.”

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils answer orally and in writing.

Learning Point: Understanding irregular verbs

Step 8: Note-Taking

Time: 4 minutes

Teaching Skill: Guided Writing

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher guides pupils/students to copy the essential Board Summary notes on categories and examples of irregular verbs into their notebooks.

Pupils’ Activity: Pupils/students copy the notes carefully into their notebooks.

Learning Point: Recording lesson content

Step 9: Conclusion

Time: 1 minute

Teaching Skill: Consolidation

Teacher’s Activity: The teacher briefly reminds students that mastering irregular verbs is essential for speaking and writing correct English, encouraging them to practice regularly.

Pupils’ Activity: Students listen and acknowledge the importance of practice.

Learning Point: Importance of practice

Continuous Assessment/Further Study

Type: Homework

Instruction: Complete the following tasks in your notebook:

1. List five irregular verbs that have three different forms (infinitive, past tense, past participle) and write out their forms.
2. Write a short paragraph (5-7 sentences) about your favourite holiday, ensuring you use at least three different irregular verbs correctly in their past tense forms. Underline the irregular verbs used.
3. Find another two verbs that have alternative past tense/past participle forms like ‘burn’ and ‘spoil’, and write out all their forms.

Lesson Keywords

• Irregular verbs – Verbs that do not form their past tense and past participle by adding ‘-ed’.
• Infinitive – The base form of a verb (e.g., to go, to eat).
• Past Tense – The form of a verb used to describe an action that happened in the past (e.g., went, ate).
• Past Participle – A verb form used with auxiliary verbs (e.g., have gone, has eaten) or as an adjective (e.g., a broken toy).
• Categories – Groups or classes based on shared characteristics.

Differentiation

For weaker learners: Provide a pre-filled chart with some irregular verbs and their forms, asking them to complete the missing ones. Focus on only two main categories initially. Use flashcards for repetition drills.

For faster learners: Challenge them to create sentences using irregular verbs from all categories. Ask them to research other irregular verbs not covered in class and identify their categories. Encourage them to explain the patterns to their peers.

Suggested Lesson Videos

For further understanding of irregular verbs, search on YouTube for: irregular verbs for jss2 english

Teacher Guide for Using This Lesson Plan

Before the lesson, ensure you have prepared clear charts displaying the categories and examples of irregular verbs. Also, have a short, appropriate passage ready for students to identify irregular verbs. Begin by briefly reviewing regular verbs to establish a contrast. Explain each category of irregular verbs clearly, using the provided examples and encouraging students to repeat the forms. During the guided practice, move around the classroom to assist students in identifying and classifying verbs in the passage. Pay attention to common errors in verb forms and address them immediately. Ensure students copy the Board Summary accurately into their notebooks during the note-taking phase. Encourage students to practice using irregular verbs in their daily communication to reinforce learning.