Because it is an irregular verb, read doesn’t follow the regular pattern of adding “-ed” to form the past tenses.
Read in a sentence examples
Read as simple past tense
Read as past participle
Celina read the timetable carefully to make sure she didn’t miss her bus.
It’s exciting to know how many people have read your books.
You could hear a pin drop as Tom read the poem to the class.
You could see by the pages that this book had been read by dozens of people.
My children loved it when we read to them at bedtime.
Gilly had read the contracts and annotated them for the rest of the team.
NoteAlthough the spelling doesn’t change, the pronunciation of read does change for the past tense and past participle. The infinitive is pronounced [reed], but the past tense and past participle are pronounced [red].
This follows a similar pattern to the irregular verb lead, meaning “go in front,” as the past tense of lead is led.
The two verbsbought and brought are spelled and pronounced almost identically, and they are both the past tenses of irregular verbs. However, they are completely different words and cannot be used interchangeably.
Bought is the simple past tense form and past participle of buy, meaning “purchase.”
Brought is the simple past tense form and past participle of bring, meaning “carry or cause something to come with you.”
Sometimes the difference is not completely clear (e.g., in the sentence “Ali brought a new hat for everyone when she arrived,” we infer that Ali also bought the new hats). But that doesn’t mean that the words are synonyms.
Bought vs brought
Bought in a sentence examples
Brought in a sentence examples
Yesterday I bought a new car.
The clear skies brought out all the sun worshippers!
Simone had bought the laptop 5 years ago, and it seemed very old now.
Bite is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t add “-ed” to form the past tenses. In American English, you can also use bit as the past participle.
Past tense of bite in a sentence examples
Simple past of bite
Past participle of bite
The girth was too tight and bit into the horse’s flank.
The cake was so delicious that Mo had bitten off too much for one mouthful.
As night fell, the bugs bit us like crazy.
If I hadn’t shut the door, the dog would have bitten me.
The moment you bit into the steak you could taste its perfection.
Jean had been bitten by the marathon bug and was about to take part in her fifth race.
NoteBit is also a noun, meaning “part of something,” or “metal bar in a horse’s mouth used to control its head.” Bite is a noun too, meaning the “part of something that has been bitten,” the “act of biting,” or the “smallest unit of data in computing.”
The past tense of sweat in most cases is sweated, although some dictionaries also allow sweat.
Sweat is a verb and noun, both of which refer to the bodily function of perspiration. As a verb sweat sometimes also describes any process that releases water from an object (e.g., “First, sweat the onions and garlic in a pan”). It can have a negative connotation when used figuratively (e.g., “The river sweats oil and tar” from T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land).
Because sweat is associated with strenuous exercise, it has come to be a synonym for hard, sustained effort even when there is no actual perspiration (e.g., “You’ll have to sweat it out to pass your exams”).
Past tense of sweat in a sentence examplesThe riders sweated their way through the hottest day of the year.
Everyone was nervous and sweated as they waited for their results.
I admired Gill for the way she really sweated her exams.
The simple past tense is used to describe actions that have taken place in the past (e.g., “Phil chose the most expensive dish on the menu”). The past participle is used for the perfect tenses and the passive voice (e.g., “They had been chosen for the team, and that was all that mattered”).
Past tense of choose in a sentence examplesI was so glad we chose to stay in that day and avoid the terrible storm.
Stella had chosen, and she wasn’t one for changing her mind too easily.
As the saying goes, “Many are called, few are chosen.”
The simple past tense form and past participle of the verbmeet is met.
Meet has several meanings, including “come together with someone” (e.g., “We met at the café”) and “achieve something” (e.g., “The targets were met by the sales team”).
Past tense of meet in a sentence examplesYesterday, the board met to discuss appointing a new CEO.
By the time you read this, I will have met my future in-laws!
Gabi was delighted because she had met her annual targets yet again.
Draw is an irregular verb with a number of different meanings. One of the most common meanings is “make a picture of” (e.g., “Elise drew the west facade of Notre Dame from memory”).
Past tense of draw in a sentence examples
Meaning
Example
Make a picture of
The portraits Eric drew were breathtaking.
Move or pull
Brent drew his chair closer to the fire because he was cold.
Open or close
Sylvia drew the drapes to let the sun in.
Deploy a weapon
The masked attacker drew a fearsome-looking knife.
Breathe
Sonia paused, drew a deep breath, and started her routine.
Drink is an irregular verb. Its simple past tense is drank, and the past participle is drunk. They are often confused in everyday speech, and you will encounter both words used for both purposes. In academic writing, however, it is important to use them correctly.
Past tense of drink in a sentence examples
Simple past of drink
Past participle of drink
The horse must have been thirsty, as she drank for nearly five minutes straight!
I had never drunk a better-tasting lemonade in my life.
I couldn’t believe how much water I drank during the race.
All the punch had been drunk by the time I arrived.
NoteThe past tense of drink can be confusing, partly because drink is a noun, meaning “a liquid for consumption,” and drunk is also a noun (someone who is presently or frequently intoxicated). Not to mention, drunk is an adjective, meaning “intoxicated,” and is used interchangeably with drunken.
Word
Example
Drink (noun)
Homemade lemonade is Gabi’s favorite drink.
Drink (verb)
Be careful what you drink when you’re at the club.
Drunk (noun)
Sadly, Sam was known as the town drunk.
Drunk (verb)
I had drunk the last drop of water hours ago, and I was so thirsty.
Drunk (adjective)
Everyone seems to have a drunk uncle at their wedding.
Drunken (adjective)
The aftermath of the drunken party last night was not a pretty sight.
Seek, meaning “look for, search,” is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t follow the regular conjugation of adding “-ed” for the past tense. Instead, it changes to sought for both the simple past and past participle.
Seek followed by the infinitive of another verb can also mean “try” or “attempt.” The past tenses are the same (e.g., “Caitlin had sought to please everyone and had triumphed!”).
Past tense of seek in a sentence examplesOur forebears sought the best locations for their settlements, much to our benefit.
Although Sean had sought solutions to his computer problems, they had defeated him.
Every year, the top-selling toy had been sought by parents desperate to please their children.
