Language learning platform Duolingo recently released a guide detailing how past participles function in English grammar, sparking discussion among educators and parents on how to teach these rules to children. Because past participles are highly irregular and serve multiple grammatical roles, mastering them is a common challenge for young learners and English Language Learners (ELLs). The new resources clarify the mechanics behind these verb forms, while recent cognitive science reveals how to teach them effectively.
What Happened
According to the Duolingo guide, past participles in English are verb forms used to construct perfect tenses, the passive voice, and adjectives. For regular verbs, the past participle is simple to form because it is identical to the simple past tense, typically ending in '-ed' or '-d'. However, irregular verbs do not follow these regular spelling additions. Students must learn various non-standard patterns, such as verbs that do not change at all (like 'cut' to 'cut') or those ending in '-own' (like 'known').
The Bigger Picture
Teaching children these irregular rules can be frustrating for parents and teachers, but cognitive research shows that the mistakes children make are actually indicators of developmental success. During the process of language acquisition, children extract abstract rules from the speech they hear around them. Once they realize that '-ed' usually signifies the past tense, they begin overapplying this rule to irregular verbs, a phenomenon called overregularization.
According to developmental research from Mikey Does, this process follows a 'U-shaped' learning curve. Children initially memorize words like 'went' correctly. Once they learn the rules of grammar, they regress to saying 'goed' or 'runned.' While this looks like a step backward, it is actually a cognitive leap showing the child has internalized a structural grammatical rule. Over time, high-frequency exposure helps them integrate the exceptions naturally.
To aid this transition, language educators are moving away from forcing children to memorize alphabetical lists. Research from Koto English suggests that grouping irregular verbs by sound patterns, such as sing/sang/sung and drink/drank/drunk, is more efficient for retention. Furthermore, studies on interactive tools like Genially published in the International Journal of Educational Best Practices show that gamified learning improves student motivation and problem-solving compared to traditional drills.
For older students, perfect tenses remain a difficult area of English grammar. Educational resource developer Twinkl advises that passive grammar drills are ineffective for advanced learners. Instead, teachers should use active, student-led error analysis to improve writing accuracy. Practical lesson guides from Real Life Language agree, suggesting that visual aids, timelines, and interactive peer-to-peer games keep students engaged without overwhelming them with formulas.
What This Means for Families
For parents and educators, this research changes how to react to a child's speech errors. When a child says 'I runned to the park' or 'I writed a story,' they are demonstrating logical thinking, not grammatical failure. Rather than correcting them with repetitive drills, parents can support language growth by modeling the correct form in natural conversation and using pattern-based educational techniques.
What You Can Do
To help children study irregular past participles, group them by how they sound, such as blow/blown and grow/grown. This helps their brains recognize structural patterns.
Instead of standard flashcards, use interactive platforms like Genially or Duolingo to make the learning process visual.
For older students struggling with perfect tenses, print out short passages with intentional mistakes. Having them play the role of the editor improves writing accuracy better than rote drills.