Tic-Tac-Irregular
Use the tic-tac-toe or connect-4 model with this irregular verbs review game. Verbs are organized by usage frequency.
Tic-Tac-Irregular – A Fun Irregular Verbs Review Game
Review Irregular Verbs Differently!
Looking for an engaging way to review irregular verbs with your students? Tic-Tac-Irregular is an interactive and competitive irregular verbs review game based on tic-tac-toe and Connect 4. This printable and online-friendly activity will get your students thinking, speaking, and having fun while mastering 100 common irregular verbs.
How to Play – Simple Variant
🎯 The game board consists of 100 irregular verbs arranged in color-coded boxes:
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Center squares = Most frequently used irregular verbs
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Outer squares = Less common irregular verbs
📝 Game Rules:
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Turn-Based Play – Students take turns choosing a verb from the board.
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Conjugation Challenge – The student must correctly state all three verb forms (infinitive, past simple, past participle).
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Mark the Box – If correct, the student claims the square with their color.
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Win the Game – The first student to connect four boxes in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) wins!
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Playing in larger groups? Try a 3-in-a-row variation!
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🔹 Play in Any Setting: Use Zoom, Google Jamboard, or PDF annotation tools (highlighter, pen, or drawing functions) to track student progress.
Other Fun Variations:
🔹 Beat the Clock – Set a time limit for answers! Can’t recall in time? Lose your turn.
🔹 Sentence Challenge – Players must use the verb in a grammatically correct sentence to claim the square.
🔹 Add a Constraint – Add a specific requirement (e.g., use an adverb, form a question, talk about the future).
🔹 Lexical Themes – Have students use the verb in context related to your current topic (e.g., travel, jobs, daily routines).
🔹 Charades Mode – Students mime the verb while others guess it. The first correct guesser claims the box!
This irregular verbs review game isn’t just fun—it also doubles as a visual reference for students to see verb frequency in action, making learning more intuitive than traditional alphabetical lists.
💡 Got another creative idea for playing? Let us know in the comments!
Want more irregular verbs ESL activities? Check out our full collection for more interactive learning resources.
Reviews
Ian Kime
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English with my kids, week 7 – ESL Expertz –
[…] English class today, so we didn’t do anything new. Tic Tac Irregular was used once again. But I want K. to remember the very basic verbs that are in the middle, so we […]
English with my kids, week 5 – ESL Expertz –
[…] we use a simplified version of Tic-Tac-Irregular. If you don’t know this easy ESL game, you need to check it […]