IRREGULAR VERBS
Irregular verbs Regular verbs
break, breaks, broke, broken, breaking
Synonyms: shatter, fracture, smash, split, rupture
Antonyms: mend, fix, repair, unite, join
The verb "break" is a dynamic word in English, carrying various meanings and applications. It is an irregular verb, with its conjugation deviating from regular patterns. In the present simple tense, "break" maintains its base form for most subjects: "I break," "you break," "he/she/it breaks," and so on. For example, "She breaks the silence with her laughter." In the past simple tense, "break" changes to "broke." This form is used to recount past actions of breaking something. For instance, "He broke his phone when he dropped it." The past participle of "break" is "broken." When forming perfect tenses, such as present perfect or past perfect, the past participle is combined with auxiliary verbs. An example sentence is "They have broken the news to her gently." The verb "break" is fundamental in English, used to describe actions of shattering or breaking something, be it physical objects, rules, or relationships.
Irregular verbs in English are special verbs that don't follow standard rules for changing forms. You need to memorize their specific forms instead of following regular patterns.
Regular verbs are verbs that follow a consistent pattern when forming their past tense and past participle by adding "-ed" to the base form.
BREAK - PRESENT SIMPLE | |
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★ i | break |
★ you | break |
★ he/she/it | breaks |
★ we | break |
★ you | break |
★ they | break |
Examples of verb 'break' in the Present Simple: |
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- I break a glass every time I wash dishes. |
- You break the silence with your loud music. |
- He breaks the rules when he thinks no one is looking. | She breaks her pencil when she's frustrated. |
- We break for lunch at noon every day. |
- You (plural) break the ice with your jokes. |
- They break a sweat during their workout. |
BREAK - PRESENT CONTINUOUS | |
★ i am | breaking |
★ you are | breaking |
★ he/she/it is | breaking |
★ we are | breaking |
★you are | breaking |
★ they are | breaking |
Examples of verb 'break' in the Present Continuous: |
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- I am breaking the old habits that no longer serve me. |
- You are breaking the chocolate bar into pieces. |
- He is breaking the boards in his karate class. | She is breaking the news to her parents. |
- We are breaking ground for the new building. |
- You (plural) are breaking the record for the longest jump. |
- They are breaking the code to access the secret files. |
BREAK - PRESENT PERFECT | |
★ i have | broken |
★ you have | broken |
★ he/she/it has | broken |
★ we have | broken |
★ you have | broken |
★ they have | broken |
Examples of verb 'break' in the Present Perfect: |
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- I have broken many bones in my life. |
- You have broken a mirror, so be careful. |
- He has broken the law several times. | She has broken the news to her friends. |
- We have broken the record for the fastest marathon. |
- You (plural) have broken the silence with your laughter. |
- They have broken the code and accessed the secret files. |
BREAK - PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
★ i have been | breaking |
★ you have been | breaking |
★ he/she/it has been | breaking |
★ we have been | breaking |
★ you have been | breaking |
★ they have been | breaking |
Examples of verb 'break' in the Present Perfect Continuous: |
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- I have been breaking bad habits for months. |
- You have been breaking the rules since you started. |
- He has been breaking boards for years. | She has been breaking the news to everyone she knows. |
- We have been breaking ground for the new building for weeks. |
- You (plural) have been breaking records left and right. |
- They have been breaking the code for days now. |
BREAK - PAST SIMPLE | |
★ i | broke |
★ you | broke |
★ he/she/it | broke |
★ we | broke |
★ you | broke |
★ they | broke |
Examples of verb 'break' in the Past Simple: |
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- I broke my arm when I fell off the bike. |
- You broke the window with the ball. |
- He broke the vase while he was cleaning. | She broke her phone when she dropped it. |
- We broke the news to them gently. |
- You (plural) broke the record last year. |
- They broke the lock to get inside. |
BREAK - PAST CONTINUOUS | |
★ i was | breaking |
★ you were | breaking |
★ he/she/it was | breaking |
★ we were | breaking |
★ you were | breaking |
★ they were | breaking |
Examples of verb 'break' in the Past Continuous: |
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- I was breaking the rules when the teacher caught me. |
- You were breaking the branches off the tree. |
- He was breaking the ice with his jokes. | She was breaking the silence with her singing. |
- We were breaking the code when the alarm went off. |
- You (plural) were breaking the boards in your martial arts class. |
- They were breaking the law by parking in the handicapped spot. |
BREAK - PAST PERFECT | |
★ i had | broken |
★ you had | broken |
★ he/she/it had | broken |
★ we had | broken |
★ you had | broken |
★ they had | broken |
Examples of verb 'break' in the Past Perfect: |
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- I had broken my leg before the big game. |
- You had broken the glass before you cleaned it up. |
- He had broken his promise to her. | She had broken the news to him already. |
- We had broken the record by the time they arrived. |
- You (plural) had broken the silence with your laughter. |
- They had broken the code and accessed the secret files. |
BREAK - PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
★ i had been | breaking |
★ you had been | breaking |
★ he/she/it had been | breaking |
★ we had been | breaking |
★ you had been | breaking |
★ they had been | breaking |
Examples of verb 'break' in the Past Perfect Continuous: |
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- I had been breaking the bad habits for months before I finally succeeded. |
- You had been breaking the rules since you started at the school. |
- He had been breaking the boards for years. | She had been breaking the news to everyone she knew. |
- We had been breaking ground for the new building for weeks. |
- You (plural) had been breaking records left and right. |
- They had been breaking the code for days before they finally cracked it. |
BREAK - FUTURE SIMPLE | |
★ i will | break |
★ you will | break |
★ he/she/it will | break |
★ we will | break |
★ you will | break |
★ they will | break |
Examples of verb 'break' in the Future Simple: |
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- I will break the news to her gently. |
- You will break the ice at the meeting with your presentation. |
- He will break the rules if he feels it's necessary. | She will break the silence with her question. |
- We will break for lunch at noon. |
- You (plural) will break the record next year. |
- They will break the code to access the secure database. |
BREAK - FUTURE CONTINUOUS | |
★ i will be | breaking |
★ you will be | breaking |
★ he/she/it will be | breaking |
★ we will be | breaking |
★ you will be | breaking |
★ they will be | breaking |
Examples of verb 'break' in the Future Continuous: |
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- I will be breaking the rules if I do that. |
- You will be breaking the bread for dinner. |
- He will be breaking the ice with his jokes. | She will be breaking the news to her family. |
- We will be breaking ground for the new building next month. |
- You (plural) will be breaking records with your performance. |
- They will be breaking the code to access the encrypted files. |
BREAK - FUTURE PERFECT | |
★ i will have | broken |
★ you will have | broken |
★ he/she/it will have | broken |
★ we will have | broken |
★ you will have | broken |
★ they will have | broken |
Examples of verb 'break' in the Future Perfect: |
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- I will have broken the habit by the time you come back. |
- You will have broken the record by the end of the year. |
- He will have broken the ice with his new colleagues. | She will have broken the news to everyone by tomorrow. |
- We will have broken ground for the new building by the end of the week. |
- You (plural) will have broken the silence with your laughter. |
- They will have broken the code and accessed the secret files by then. |
BREAK - FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
★ i will have been | breaking |
★ you will have been | breaking |
★ he/she/it will have been | breaking |
★ we will have been | breaking |
★ you will have been | breaking |
★ they will have been | breaking |
Examples of verb 'break' in the Future Perfect Continuous: |
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- I will have been breaking bad habits for years by then. |
- You will have been breaking the rules since you started. |
- He will have been breaking boards for decades. | She will have been breaking the news to everyone she knows for a while. |
- We will have been breaking ground for the new building for months. |
- You (plural) will have been breaking records for a long time. |
- They will have been breaking the code for days by then. |