What does bit mean?

The word bit has a number of meanings. It is the simple past tense of bite, meaning “cut into with the teeth” or “have a (negative) impact on” (e.g., “The spending cuts were starting to bite”).

In American English, it can also be an alternative to bitten as the past participle of bite.

Bit is also a noun referring to a “small part of something” (e.g., “That’s our bit of land over there”) or “metal bar in a horse’s mouth attached to the reins” (e.g., “The horse was impatiently stomping its feet and chewing its bit”).

The phrase a bit can be used as an adverb meaning “somewhat” (e.g., “That’s a bit naughty”).

You can easily find synonyms for words like bit using the QuillBot Paraphrasing Tool.

What does bit mean?: Verbs

What is the difference between the subjunctive and indicative moods?: The subjunctive mood is used to express desires, wishes, suggestions, obligations, and demands or requests (e.g., “We ask that you turn off your cell phone”).

The indicative mood is used to make statements, ask questions, or describe conditions (e.g., “Piet seems nice”).
What is the subjunctive used for?: The subjunctive mood is used to describe unreal or hypothetical situations and to express desires, wishes, suggestions, obligations, and requests or demands.

Some examples of sentences that use the subjunctive mood include:

“Khadija suggests that I donate money.” [request]

“It is crucial that he understand the consequences.” [obligation]

“We insist that there be enough food for everyone.” [demand]
What is a grammatical mood?: Grammatical moods refer to how verbs are used to indicate the intention of a sentence or the speaker’s attitude toward what they are saying.

English has three grammatical moods:

Indicative mood is used for statements of fact, questions, or conditions.

Imperative mood is used to issue commands.

Subjunctive mood is used to describe unreal situations and to express wishes, desires, suggestions, obligations, and requests or demands.
What is the past participle of ride?: Ridden is the past participle of the verb ride. “Ride” is an irregular verb, so its simple past form (“rode”) is different from its past participle.

The past participle is used for perfect tenses (e.g., “The winning team had ridden the course in record time”) and for the passive voice (e.g., “The messenger’s horse had been ridden hard”).

A QuillBot grammar check can help ensure you’re using the past participle of “ride” correctly.
What is the simple past of ride?: Rode is the simple past form of the verb ride. It is sometimes used incorrectly as the past participle, but this is always a mistake in formal English writing (the correct past participle is “ridden”).

The simple past describes an action that has taken place in the past (e.g., “He rode past the White House on his way to work”).

If you want to make sure you are using the correct tenses, you can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
What is the “-ing” form of a verb?: The verb form that ends in “-ing” is known as the present participle. Present participles are used in progressive verb tenses (e.g., “I am studying,” “she had been eating”) and as adjectives (e.g., “a tiring hike”).

The “-ing” form of a verb is also used in gerunds, but gerunds operate as nouns (e.g., “Skiing is dangerous”).
When do we use the present progressive?: The present progressive tense (also known as the present continuous) is used to describe an action that is currently happening (e.g., “He is working now”) or plans or intentions (e.g., “I am starting a new job next week”).

The present progressive differs from the simple present, which is used to describe a general truth (e.g., “Birds fly south for winter”), a habit (e.g., “Monica teaches on Thursdays”), or a fixed state (e.g., “He looks like his dad”).
What is the difference between the present perfect and the present perfect continuous?: The present perfect and the present perfect continuous (present perfect progressive) are both verb tenses that are used to refer to the current effects of a past action or event. There are some differences between the two tenses, though:

The present perfect is used to refer to past occurrences that may continue in the present (e.g., “I have traveled to six countries”).

The present perfect continuous describes occurrences that started in the past and are ongoing (e.g., “I have been trying to talk to the doctor since last week”).
What is the difference between the present perfect and the simple past?: Both the simple past and the present perfect are verb tenses that are used to refer to past actions, but there are some differences in their use:

The present perfect describes an action that happened in the past and has present effects or that began in the past and might continue (e.g., “I have seen that movie three times”).

The simple past typically describes an action that happened at a specific time in the past and won’t continue (e.g., “I ate a waffle for breakfast”).
Which mood is used to state facts or opinions?: The indicative mood is used to state facts or opinions and to ask questions (e.g., “Stella is an engineer,” “That is the cutest dog I’ve ever seen,” “Will you go with me?”). It is the most common grammatical mood in English and can be used with every verb tense.
What is an indicative sentence?: An indicative sentence is a sentence that states a fact or opinion or asks a question (e.g., “I worked all day,” “Basketball is more fun than baseball,” “Do you like coffee?”).

The verbs of indicative sentences are considered to be in the indicative mood, which is the most common of the three moods in English: indicative, imperative, and subjunctive.
What is the past tense of dream?: The past tense form of “dream” is dreamed or dreamt. “Dreamed” is more common in American English, and “dreamt” is more common in British English. The past tense form is used when describing a past action (e.g., “I dreamed/dreamt I was a bird”).

The past participle of “dream” is also “dreamed” or “dreamt” (e.g., “I had dreamed/dreamt of being a doctor for years”).

QuillBot’s grammar check tool can help ensure you’re using the past tense of “dream” correctly.
What is the past tense of teach?: The past tense form of “teach” is “taught.” It is used to describe an action that occurred in the past (e.g., “My parents taught me how to ride a bike”).

The past participle of “teach” is also “taught” (e.g., “He had taught for thirty years when he retired”).
What is the past tense of fly?: The past tense form of “fly” is “flew.” It is used to describe an action that occurred in the past (e.g., “She flew to Tokyo from London”).

The past participle of “fly” is “flown” (e.g., “We had already flown to Chicago when we found out the wedding was canceled”).

A QuillBot grammar check can help ensure you’re using the past tense of “fly” correctly.
What is an example of a dangling participle?: An example of a dangling participle is “running at great speed, the dog’s nose started twitching.”

This includes a participial phrase, “running at great speed,” that seems to describe the wrong noun. Although it should describe the dog, the noun that follows the phrase is “the dog’s nose,” making it sound like the nose is running instead of the dog. A better way to phrase this sentence is “as the dog was running at great speed, its nose started twitching.”
Are dangling participles bad?: Dangling participles are grammatical errors that can result in confusing or absurd sentences and should be avoided. They involve participial phrases that seem to describe the wrong noun. For example, “jumping for joy, the song delighted the young girl.” Although the girl is the one who is jumping for joy, the sentence makes it sound like the song is performing this action.

Instead, you could write, “jumping for joy, the young girl was delighted by the song” or “the song delighted the young girl, who was jumping for joy.”

A QuillBot grammar check can help you avoid dangling participles.
What is a conditional clause?: A conditional clause is one of the two clauses used in a conditional sentence. It is a type of dependent clause (also known as a subordinate clause) that describes a hypothetical situation.

Conditional clauses typically begin with the conjunction “if.” They are connected to an independent clause (also called a main clause) that describes the potential results of the hypothetical scenario (e.g., “If it snows, school will be canceled).
What is the first conditional?: The first conditional is a type of conditional sentence that describes a realistic potential action in the present and its probable result (e.g., “If you try your best, you will succeed”).

All first conditional sentences are made up of two clauses:

A dependent clause that contains a verb in the simple present tense (e.g., “if you try”).

An independent clause that contains a modal verb (usually “will,” “might,” “may,” or “can”) and the infinitive form of the main verb (e.g., “succeed”).
What does it mean to split an infinitive?: A split infinitive is a full infinitive (e.g., “to eat”) that has words (usually adverbs) separating “to” and the verb (e.g., “to noisily eat”).

Split infinitives have traditionally been viewed as ungrammatical, but nowadays they are largely viewed as acceptable and are sometimes necessary.

For example, in “the dentist told Geoff to always brush his teeth before bed,” moving “always” either results in an awkwardly worded sentence or makes it unclear: does “always” refer to how often the dentist tells Geoff or to how often Geoff should brush his teeth?
Is a split infinitive bad grammar?: Although split infinitives were traditionally viewed as ungrammatical, they are now largely viewed as acceptable and are sometimes necessary.

You may want to avoid them where possible in academic or professional environments, as some may still view them negatively, but you don’t need to avoid them entirely. Split infinitives can provide emphasis, and moving the adverb can sometimes result in an ungrammatical or unclear sentence.

For example, in “Gemma asked Kamil to quietly shut the door,” moving “quietly” either results in an awkwardly worded sentence or makes it unclear: does “quietly” refer to the volume of Gemma’s voice or the way she wants Kamil to shut the door?
What is a bare infinitive?: A bare infinitive is the same as the base or dictionary form of the verb (e.g., “eat”), while a full infinitive is the base form of the verb preceded by “to” (e.g., “to eat”).

Bare infinitives often follow modal verbs (e.g., “we can fly”), the auxiliary verb “do” (e.g., “don’t touch”), and sense verbs (e.g., “I saw him run”).

There are a few verbs, such as “let” and “make,” that must be followed by bare infinitives instead of full infinitives (e.g., “let me try” not “let me to try”).

Infinitives have many uses, including functioning as subjects, direct objects, adjectives, and adverbs.
What is a full infinitive?: A full infinitive is the base form of the verb preceded by “to” (e.g., “to drink”). A bare infinitive, on the other hand, is simply the base form of the verb without “to” (e.g., “drink”).

Infinitives can be used as subjects, direct objects, adverbs, and adjectives. Full infinitives are more common than bare infinitives, and several verbs can only be followed by full infinitives (e.g., “I promise to visit” not “I promise visit”).
What’s the difference between infinitives and prepositional phrases?: Both infinitives and prepositional phrases can begin with “to.” However, an infinitive is “to” plus a verb, while “to” in a prepositional phrase is followed by a noun or pronoun.

For example, in “I want to take her to the cinema,” “to take” is an infinitive and “to the cinema” is a prepositional phrase.
What is the difference between a participle and a gerund?: Gerunds and present participles look the same but serve different grammatical purposes.

Gerunds are nouns (e.g., “She loves teaching”).

Present participles can be used as adjectives (e.g., “the crashing waves”) and as part of continuous verb tenses (e.g., “We are studying,” “He has been traveling”).
What is the difference between a participle and a gerund?: Gerunds and present participles both take the form of “-ing” verbs, but they are used as different parts of speech:

Gerunds are nouns (e.g., “He enjoys debating”).

Present participles can be used as adjectives (e.g., “an unwavering spirit”) and in verb tenses (e.g., “We will be announcing the winner soon”).
What is the present participle of “be”?: “Being” is the present participle of “be” (e.g., “They were being watched”). “Been” is the past participle.
What is the present participle of “lie”?: “Lying” is the present participle form of the verb “lie.”

Verbs with “-ie” endings typically drop the “ie” and take a “y” + “ing” ending in present participle form (e.g., “vie” becomes “vying,” and “die” becomes “dying”).
What is the simple present form of “be”?: “Be” is a stative verb and linking verb and is the most irregular verb in English. It has three simple present tense forms: “am,” “is,” and “are.”

“Am” is used for a first person subject (e.g., “I am Spanish”).

“Are” is used for plural subjects (e.g., “we are Spanish”) and for both singular and plural second person subjects (e.g., “you are Spanish”).

“Is” is used for a third person singular subject (e.g., “he/she/it is Spanish”).
What is the past perfect continuous?: The past perfect continuous is a past tense verb form used to describe actions that started in the past and continued until another point in the past. For example, “she had been running for an hour and was feeling exhausted.”

To form the past perfect continuous, place the auxiliary verbs “had” and “been” before the present participle (the “-ing” form) of the main verb (e.g., “They had been cooking”).

There are three other past tense forms: the simple past, past continuous (aka past progressive), and past perfect.
What is the past perfect form of “go”?: The past perfect tense is used for verbs describing past actions that took place before another past action or up to a certain point in the past.

To form the past perfect tense, place the auxiliary verb “had” before the past participle of the main verb.

The past participle of “go” is “gone,” and the past perfect form of “go” is “had gone” (e.g., “he had gone”).
What is the most common linking verb?: The most common linking verb is “be” (e.g., “Abel is a painter,” “the McKays were at the party”). It’s one of three “true linking verbs” along with “become” and “seem.” These are always linking verbs when used as the main verb, and “be” is the most commonly used of the three.
Is “look” a linking verb?: “Look” is a linking verb when it is describing a quality of the subject (e.g., “you look happy” or “the food looks good”).

When it is describing the act of looking at something, “look” is an action verb (e.g., “he looked at the TV”).
What are some common linking verbs?: The most common linking verbs are “be,” “become,” and “seem.” These are also known as “true linking verbs.”

Other common linking verbs include “appear” when it means “seem” and sensory verbs such as “taste,” “feel,” and “smell” (e.g., “this coffee tastes bitter,” “I feel good”).

Apart from “be,” “become,” and “seem,” all linking verbs can also be action verbs depending on whether they’re describing the state of the subject or an action.
Is “was” a helping verb?: “Was,” like other forms of “be,” can either be a main verb or a helping verb (aka auxiliary verb). As a main verb, “be” is always a stative and linking verb (e.g., “I was a doctor”). As a helping verb, it helps to form the passive voice (e.g., “the house was sold”) and progressive tenses, such as the present progressive (e.g., “I was selling my house”).
Is it “could of” or “could have”?: Although “could of” is sometimes used in colloquial speech, the correct form is “could have” or the contraction “could’ve.”

“Could” is a modal auxiliary verb and “have” can either be an auxiliary verb or a main verb. Modals and auxiliaries are used with a main verb to change its tense, mood, or voice. When “could have” modifies a main verb, it means that something may have been possible in the past but didn’t happen (e.g., “we could have stopped for coffee if we’d left earlier”).
What is the difference between was and were?: “Was” and “were” are both simple past tense forms of the stative verb “be.” The correct form to use depends on the subject.

“Was” is used for most singular subjects, including first person and third person (e.g., “I was,” “she was”).

“Were” is used for plural subjects (e.g., “we were,” “they were”), but it’s also used for the second person regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural (e.g., “you were”).

Whether “was” or “were” is correct can also depend on whether you’re using the subjunctive mood or indicative mood. The subjunctive mood is used to express wishes, hypotheticals, and suggestions (e.g., “if I were you, I would say something”).

QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can help you ensure you’re using was and were correctly.
What are some examples of the past continuous tense?: The past continuous tense (aka the past progressive) is a past tense verb form used to describe actions that were ongoing in the past. It often describes actions that were happening at the same time or that were happening when something else occurred.

Here are some examples of the past continuous tense:

I was surfing when my surfboard broke.

She was smiling as I was telling the story.

We were singing karaoke while our friends were dancing.

Jemal was always studying on Friday nights.
What are some irregular past tense verbs?: Irregular verbs don’t follow the regular rules for forming the simple past tense and the past participle form. While regular verbs need the addition of “-ed” (or “-d” if the verb already ends in “e”), irregular verbs can change in a variety of ways or not change at all.

Here are some examples of irregular verbs in the simple past and past participle forms:

Base form Simple past Past participle

be (is, am, are) was/were been

do did done

eat ate eaten

go went gone

sing sang sung
What’s the difference between regular and irregular verbs?: We change regular verbs to the simple past and past participle forms by adding “-ed” (or “-d” if the verb already ends in “e”). For example, “talk” becomes “talked” and “dance” becomes “danced.”

Some regular verbs change their spelling in other ways, such as doubling the final letter or replacing “-y” with “-ied,” but they still follow predictable patterns. Regular verbs are always the same in their past and past participle forms.

Irregular verbs don’t follow the regular rule of adding “-ed” or “-d” to form the simple past and the past participle forms. They can change in a variety of ways or not change at all, and their simple past and past participle forms can be (but aren’t always) different.

For example, “go” becomes “went” in the simple past but is “gone” as a past participle, while “hit” is the same in all three forms.
What is the difference between stative and dynamic verbs?: Stative verbs (aka state verbs) describe a state, condition, or perception. The state can be physical, mental, or emotional (e.g., “be,” “believe,” “love”).

Dynamic verbs (aka action verbs) describe an action carried out by or on the subject (e.g., “eat,” “throw,” “run”). The action can be cognitive or sensory as well as physical (e.g., “he is thinking about buying a house,” “she looked at the schedule”).

Some verbs can be either dynamic or stative depending on whether they are describing an action or a state.
Is cost a verb?: “Cost” can be either a noun or a verb.

As a noun, “cost” can refer to the money needed to buy or do something (e.g., “the cost of housing is too high”) or the loss something requires or results in (e.g., “the war was won, but at the cost of many lives”).

As a verb, “cost” is usually a transitive and stative verb used to describe the price of something or the loss resulting from something (e.g., “her new suit cost $500,” “her credit card debt cost her her marriage”).

In professional environments, “cost” can be used as an action verb meaning to calculate how much something will be (e.g., “we need to cost the new project”). The simple past tense of “cost” in this context is “costed.”
What is the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs?: The difference between transitive and intransitive verbs is that transitive verbs demand a direct object, while intransitive verbs do not.

A direct object is the person or thing that a transitive verb acts upon (e.g., “I love pistachios”).

Intransitive verbs convey a clear idea without a direct object (e.g., “Richard swims”).
What are direct and indirect objects?: In grammar, an object is a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase that receives the action of a verb.

Direct objects receive the action of the verb (e.g., “I threw the ball”), while indirect objects describe who or what receives the direct object (e.g., “I threw Jose the ball”).

If a verb requires a direct object, it is called a transitive verb.
What are some action verb examples?: Action verbs (aka dynamic verbs) describe an action performed by something as opposed to the state or condition of something.

Some verbs can be action verbs or another type of verb (e.g., a linking verb and/or a stative verb) depending on the context. For example, “look” is an action verb in “she looked at me” but is a stative and linking verb in “she looked happy.”

Here are some examples of common action verbs in the simple present tense:

Cough

Cry

Drink

Eat

Laugh

Play

Read

Run

Shout

Sigh

Sleep

Wash
Is have an action verb?: When used as the main verb, “have” can either be an action verb or a stative verb depending on the context.

Usually, “have” is a stative verb, as it describes the state of the subject—what it possesses, includes, or contains (e.g., “the car has a scratch on the door,” “I have a degree”).

However, there are some cases where “have” describes an action. For example, “I’m having dinner,” “I’ll have a ten-minute break,” or “he had fun at the party.”

“Have” can also be an auxiliary verb modifying the main verb (e.g., “I have finished”).
Is are an action verb?: “Are,” like other forms of the verb “be” (e.g., am, is, was, were), is almost always a stative verb when used as the main verb. This means it describes the subject’s state or condition rather than an action.

It can be used in the continuous tense along with “being” to mean “behaving.” This expresses a temporary action rather than a permanent state or quality.

For example, “they are annoying” means they are always annoying: that is their permanent state. “They are being annoying” means they are not always annoying, but they are behaving in an annoying way at the moment.

“Are” (and other forms of “be”) can also be an auxiliary verb modifying the main verb, which is usually an action verb (e.g., “they are running a marathon”).
What is a transitive action verb?: Action verbs can be either transitive or intransitive. A transitive action verb needs a direct object to receive the action. Without an object, the sentence won’t be complete or make sense.

One example of a transitive action verb is “caught.” “He caught” is incomplete and doesn’t give us enough information. It needs to be followed by an object to tell us what he caught (e.g., “he caught a cold”).

An intransitive action verb doesn’t need a direct object. It can follow the subject on its own or be followed by an adverb or adverbial phrase to describe the action; for example, “she laughed,” “she laughed loudly,” or “she laughed at the clown.”

Some action verbs can be either transitive or intransitive depending on the context. For example, “run” in “I run a weekly book club” is transitive, but it is intransitive in “I run every morning.”
Is it I have learned or learnt?: Learnt and learned are two spellings of the same verb. They’re both common, but “learnt” is standard in British English and “learned” in American English.

I have learned is more common in American English.

I have learnt is more common in British English.

It´s important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Is it lesson learnt or learned?: Learnt and learned are two spellings of the same verb. They’re both common but learnt is standard in British English and learned in American English.

Lesson learned is more common in American English.

Lesson learnt is more common in British English.

A QuillBot grammar check can help you use one form consistently.
What is the difference between the simple past and past perfect?: The simple past and past perfect are both past tense forms for verbs.

The simple past tense is used to describe actions that took place in the past. For example, “Sven started a new job last year.”

The past perfect is used for past actions that occurred before another past action or up to a certain point in the past. For example, “Sven had worked in hospitality for five years before becoming an accountant.”

The other past tense forms are the past progressive and the past perfect progressive.
What is the difference between the simple past and present perfect?: The simple past is a verb tense used for actions and events that were completed in the past. For example, “I was a writer for the New York Times” expresses that the speaker wrote for the New York Times in the past but doesn’t write for them anymore.

The present perfect tense is for actions or events that began in the past and have some connection or relevance to the present (i.e., a recently completed action, an experience, a change that happened over time, or an action or state that may continue).

For example, “I have been a writer for the New York Times for two years” expresses that the speaker started writing for the New York Times two years ago and still writes for them now.
Is “is” a verb?: Yes, “is” is a verb. It is a form of the verb “be” that is used with third-person singular subjects (e.g., “She is my best friend”).

“Is” can be used in two ways:

As a linking verb, which is used to describe the subject’s condition, state of being, or identity (e.g., “He is a nurse;” “It is bedtime”)

As an auxiliary verb (aka helping verb) to change the tense, mood, or voice of a main verb (e.g., “She is singing tonight”)

QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can help you make sure you’re using “is” correctly.
Is have a verb?: Yes, “have” is a verb. It has many meanings, most of which relate to possession or relationship (e.g., “I have a blue car;” “She has two sisters”).

“Have” is an irregular verb, which means its past tense is not formed with “-ed.” Instead, the simple past tense and past participle form is “had” (e.g., “I had a dog when I was a child”).

“Have” can also act as an auxiliary verb (aka helping verb) to form perfect verb tenses:

Tense Example

Present perfect I have eaten

Past perfect I had eaten

Future perfect I will have eaten

Present perfect progressive I have been eating

Past perfect progressive I had been eating

Future perfect progressive I will have been eating

“Have” is also used as an auxiliary verb in certain conditional sentences (e.g., “If I had known you were coming, I would have bought groceries”).

QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can help you make sure you’re using “have” correctly.
Is love a verb?: Yes, “love” can be used as a verb (e.g., “I love you”). “Love” is almost always used as a transitive verb, which means it requires a direct object (i.e., someone or something that is loved).

“Love” can also be used as a noun (e.g., “Love is all you need;” “He is full of love“).

QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can help you make sure you’re using words correctly.
Is had a verb?: Yes, “had” is a verb. It is the simple past tense and past participle form of “have” (e.g., “We had a great day”).

“Had” can also act as an auxiliary verb (aka helping verb) to form perfect verb tenses:

Past perfect (e.g., “I had walked”)

Past perfect progressive (e.g., “I had been walking”)

QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can help you make sure you’re using verbs correctly.
What is the past participle of beat?: The past participle of the verb beat is beaten. The past participle is used to form the passive voice (e.g., “The record was beaten twice in the same championship”) and perfect tenses (e.g., “Michael has beaten everyone who has challenged him”).

It is a common mistake, and always wrong, to use “beat” in these contexts. “Beat” is the simple past form.

“Beat” can sometimes be used as the past participle where the meaning is “exhausted” (e.g., “After a month of exams, Alex was beat”).

You can easily check your own writing for mistakes using the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
What is the simple past form of beat?: The simple past form of the verb beat is also beat. It is used for an event or action that occurred in the past (e.g., “Steve beat the gong enthusiastically”).

You can easily check your own writing for mistakes using the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
Is it beat or beaten?: The past participle of the verb beat is beaten, and the simple past is beat. The correct form of the verb will depend on the meaning you want.

In the simple past, beat is the correct form (e.g., “Ainaz beat everybody else in the competition to claim her third gold medal”).

Use the past participle beaten to form perfect tenses and the passive voice (e.g., “She had beaten all the odds to become the leading lawyer at the firm”).

It’s easy to check your grammar and spelling using the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
What is the past participle of ring?: The past participle of the irregular verb ring, meaning “cause a bell or phone to make a sound,” is rung. The past participle is used to form perfect tenses and the passive voice (e.g., “The church bells had rung for hours in celebration;” “The doorbell had been rung”).

Sometimes you will see “rang” used as a past participle, but this is incorrect. It is the simple past tense of “ring.”

When ring means “encircle something” then the simple past and past participle are ringed (e.g., “The baseball ground was ringed with bleachers”).

You can check that your writing is accurate by using the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
Is it rang or rung?: Rang is the simple past of the irregular verb ring meaning “cause a bell to make a noise” (e.g., “For the first time in her life, Ellie rang the end-of-lesson bell”).

Rung is the past participle of the verb ring when it has that same meaning. It is used to form the perfect tenses and passive voice (e.g., “The alarm bell had rung before, so nobody took any notice”).

The QuillBot Grammar Checker is a quick and easy way of checking your grammar when you write.
What is a synonym for rang?: Depending on the context, there are several synonyms or near-synonyms for rang. For making a bell ring these include:

Sounded

Chimed

Tolled

Pealed

For making a call on the phone, they include:

Called

Dialed

Phoned

Telephoned

To bring variety to your writing you can use the QuillBot Paraphrasing Tool.
Is it ringed or rang?: Both ringed and rang are correct, but ringed is more unusual. The correct simple past tense of the irregular verb ring meaning “cause a bell to make a sound” or “call someone on the phone” is rang.

The verb ring, meaning “encircle” or “surround” has the simple past and past participle form ringed.

You can check your grammar easily with a QuillBot grammar check.
What is the past participle of lead?: The past participle of the verb lead, meaning “go in front” or “be in charge of” is led. Lead is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t follow the pattern of adding “-ed” to form the past tense. The past participle is used to form the perfect tense forms of the verb and the passive voice.

The hot weather has led to a huge increase in ice cream sales.

Often, we are led by our instincts when we first become parents, as there is so much to learn.

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Is led the past tense of lead?: Led is the correct past tense of the irregular verb lead for both the simple past and past participle.

It was typical that Samantha led from the front.

Ahmed had led the team for 15 years and knew that it was time to stand aside.

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How do I pronounce lead?: Lead has two possible pronunciations. The irregular verb, meaning “be in charge” or “be at the front,” is pronounced [leed]. The same pronunciation applies to the related noun lead, which is often used to refer to potential contacts for sales or investigations or, in British English, as the most common word for “leash.”

Lead is also a noun describing the chemical with the symbol Pb, the metal known for being heavy and pliable. In this case it is pronounced [led]. You will need to use the context to know which word is meant when you see it written.

You can check your grammar with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
Is it led to or lead to?: If you are writing in the present tense, then it is lead to (e.g, “You can lead a horse to water”). In the past tense, use led to (e.g., “The long avenue of trees led to an impressive mansion”).

The verb lead does not follow regular conjugation rules, as it is an irregular verb.

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to check your grammar and spelling.
Is glew a word?: Glew is indeed a word, but it is not the past tense of glow. It is an archaic spelling of the word “glue.”

Sometimes people mistakenly think that glow follows the pattern of “throw,” “know,” or “grow” and forms its past tenses by changing the “-ow” to “-ew.” But these are irregular verbs and grow follows the regular verb pattern of adding “-ed.”

The flame glew in the distance and slowly faded.

The flame glowed in the distance and slowly faded.

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What does glow up mean?: Glow up is a phrasal verb, adjective, or a noun used informally, especially on social media, to indicate a person who has transformed themselves in a positive way (e.g., “Gina was famous for her glow up video that brought her to the attention of many new followers”).

While it’s commonly used in informal writing, glow up would not be acceptable in academic writing.

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Is grinded a word?: Grinded is sometimes used as the past tense of grind. It should not be used in formal writing or academic English.

For some residents, the noise from the skatepark was too much as the users grinded their decks for hours on end.

With finals just around the corner, the seniors grinded away reviewing the material.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker is a great way of checking the accuracy of your writing.
Is it grinded or ground?: Depending on the context, you can use grinded or ground as the past tense of grind.

Grinded is more common in American English and is widely considered acceptable in informal contexts. It should be avoided in academic writing, and the conventional form ground should be used instead.

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Is it put or putted?: The past tense of put, meaning “to place,” is also put. Putted is the past tense of a different verb, “putt,” which is a type of golf stroke.

Aliya putted her phone away and joined in with the game.

Aliya put her phone away and joined in with the game.

Put is an irregular verb that is spelled the same in the infinitive, simple past, and past participle forms.

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What does putted mean?: Putted is the past tense of the verb “putt,” which is a type of stroke in golf, played along the ground on the green (e.g., “Woods putted better than anyone else on the tour that whole season”). It is never the correct past tense of put.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker is an easy way of making sure your spelling and grammar are error-free.
Is costed a word?: In British English, costed is the past tense of the verb “cost” meaning “give an estimate of the price of work or a project” (e.g., “The project was fully costed”). It is incorrect to use it when the verb means “to be priced at.”

That must have costed a fortune!

That must have cost a fortune!

Have you costed the new-build project?

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Is it costed or cost?: The verb “cost” has two different past tense forms, depending on the meaning being used. The more common meaning, referring to the price that is paid for goods or services, is an irregular verb. The spelling remains the same as the infinitive—cost (e.g., “Andy was delighted that the watch repair had cost less than he feared”).

A less common meaning of “cost,” typically used only in British English, is “to give an estimate of price for work or a project.” When used in this way, it is a regular verb that adds “-ed” for the past tense and past participle (e.g., “Thankfully, the project had been carefully costed to cover exchange-rate fluctuations”).

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What does cost an arm and a leg mean?: Cost an arm and a leg is an idiom that means something is extraordinarily expensive. The implication is that it costs more than money can buy. Other idioms with the verb cost that indicate an excessive price include:

Cost a bomb (British English)

Cost a pretty penny

Cost the earth

Cost a king’s ransom

Cost a packet (British English)
Is it took or taken?: The simple past tense of take is took, and the past participle is taken. The simple past is used to describe an action that has already happened (e.g., “The GPS took us on the shortest route”), while the past participle is used for perfect tenses (e.g., “He had quickly taken charge”) and the passive voice (e.g., “They left once all the photos had been taken”).

The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using “took” and “taken” correctly.
Is taked a word?: “Taked” is not a word. If you are looking for the simple past form of the irregular verb “take,” then the correct word is took. The past participle is taken.

The plane taked off on time.

The plane took off on time.

The glue had taked ages to dry.

The glue had taked ages to dry.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using the past tense of take correctly.
Is went a verb?: Went is the simple past tense of “go,” meaning “travel” or “leave.” Go does not follow the regular pattern of adding “-ed” to form the past tense or past participle.

You will sometimes hear or see went used as the past participle in informal contexts (e.g., “I had went to see her”), but this is never correct in formal English or academic writing.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using verbs like “went” correctly.
Is go a verb?: Go is a very common and versatile verb meaning “travel,” “move,” or “leave.” It is also a noun in the sense of “turn” or “attempt” (e.g., “It’s your go” or “Have a go yourself”).

The simple past tense of “go” is “went.”
Is drug the past tense of drag?: The past tense of drag is dragged. In some parts of the southern United States, “drug” is in common usage, but the correct spelling for academic writing is always dragged for the simple past tense and past participle.

“Drug” is a verb meaning “administer narcotics” and has the past tense “drugged.”

You can check if you are using the correct past tense of drag with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
Is it dragged or drugged?: Dragged is the past participle and simple past tense of drag, meaning “move something along the ground with difficulty” (e.g., “Before he left for the night, Ade dragged the canoe up the beach beyond the high water mark”).

Drugged is the past tense of the verb drug, meaning “administer narcotics.” It is also an adjective referring to someone or something that has been drugged (e.g., “The drugged animals were much more docile than usual”).

Sometimes you will find drug (and perhaps even drugged) as the past tense of drag, but this is never correct in formal writing.

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What is the past tense of lie down?: The simple past tense of lie is “lay.” So the past tense of the phrasal verb lie down is lay down (e.g., “Little Timmy came in and lay down on the sofa”).

“Lay” is also the infinitive form of another verb meaning “put down gently.” However, while “lie” (and its past tense form “lay”) is never accompanied by a direct object, “lay” (meaning “put down”) is transitive, so it is always accompanied by a direct object.

The simple past tense of the phrasal verb “lay down,” meaning “put down” or “enforce,” is “laid down” (e.g., “Asmita laid down the rules for the camp”) because “laid” is the past tense of lay.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using phrasal verbs like “lie down” correctly.
Is it lyed or lied?: The simple past tense of the verb lie, meaning “tell an untruth,” is lied.

The simple past tense of lie meaning “place yourself in a horizontal position” is “lay.”

“Lyed” can be used as an adjective that means “prepared with lye,” but it is uncommon.

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to make sure you’re using verbs like “lied” correctly.
Is it lied down or laid down?: The phrase “lied down” is never correct, and “laid down” is only correct if there is a direct object of the verb (e.g., “He laid down the first course of bricks before night fell.”).

Laid is the simple past tense and past participle of the verb “lay” which means “place something or someone in a horizontal position” (e.g., “Suzi made sure she had laid the tiles carefully, as mistakes would be costly”).

This form should not be confused with the verb lay, which is the simple past tense of lie, meaning “be in a horizontal position” (e.g., “I lay down and fell asleep”).

The QuillBot Grammar Checker is an easy way to make sure you’re using phrasal verbs like “laid down” correctly.
Is weared a word?: Weared is not a word in standard English except in sailing, when wear means “change tack by bringing the stern around.” The simple past of wear is wore, and the past participle is worn.

You might encounter “weared” in informal circumstances, but it is almost certain to be incorrect.

You can check your spelling and grammar with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
Is wored a word?: Wored is not a word in standard English. For the verb wear, the simple past is wore and the past participle is worn.

You might find “wored” in nonstandard dialects, or used for humor, but it is not correct in formal English.

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker if you aren’t sure if your writing is free of errors.
What is the past tense of wear clothes?: The past tense of wear clothes is wore clothes in the simple past. The past participle of wear is worn, and it is used for perfect tenses (e.g., “Pete had worn the same suit to every wedding for 10 years”) and the passive voice (e.g., “The clothes hadn’t been worn all winter and smelled musty”).

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Is seeked a word?: Seeked is not a word in standard English. Because seek is an irregular verb, it doesn’t follow the pattern of adding “-ed” to the infinitive to form the past tense.

The simple past and past participle of seek are both sought.

Where they seeked, they found.

Where they sought, they found.

Vanya had seeked to finish on time but failed.

Vanya had sought to finish on time but failed.

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to make sure you’re using the correct form of seek.
Is soughted a word?: Soughted is not a word in English. The verb seek has the past tense form and past participle sought. “Soughted” is a mistaken attempt to add “-ed” (i.e., the way regular verbs form the past tense) to a verb that is already in the past tense form.

Deanne soughted to please everyone.

Deanne sought to please everyone.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker will help you check the past tense of seek and every other verb.
Is it seeked or sought?: Seeked is not a word in standard English. Regular verbs in English form the past tense and past participle by adding “-ed” to the infinitive. Seek is an irregular verb and instead uses the form sought for both the past tense and past participle.

I seeked to find a quick way out of the situation.

I sought to find a quick way out of the situation.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker is a great way to check if you have the correct form of any word.
Is thinked a word?: Thinked is not a word in standard English. The past tense of the verb think is thought. As an irregular verb, think doesn’t follow the usual pattern of adding “-ed” to form the past tense or past participle.

I went away and thinked about it.

I went away and thought about it.

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to make sure you’re using the past tense of think correctly.
Is thunk a word?: Thunk is not really a word, but you will find it used for comic effect (e.g., “Who’da thunk it?”). The past tense and past participle of think is thought.

Think is an irregular verb and doesn’t add “-ed” to form the past tense (e.g., “There’s no way he thought that was OK!”) or past participle (e.g., “Hamish had thought carefully about the decision”).

The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using the past tense of think correctly.
Is thought a verb?: Thought is the past tense (e.g., “Lenka thought it was easy”) and past participle (e.g., “Garth simply hadn’t thought of that”) of the verb think. It is also an abstract noun. So, when we think, we can be said to “have thoughts.”

Think is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t add “-ed” to form the past tense.

Use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to make sure your use of the past tense of think is correct.
Is drinked a word?: No, drinked isn’t a word. The simple past tense form of the verb drink is drank. The past participle of drink is drunk. It is used for the perfect tenses and passive voice.

Both Joey and his dad drinked all night.

Both Joey and his dad drank all night.

The guests had drinked all the free wine.

The guests had drunk all the free wine.

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Is it drinked or drank?: The simple past tense of drink is drank. “Drinked” is not a word in standard English.

Drink is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t follow the rule of adding “-ed” to the infinitive to make the simple past tense or past participle. The past participle of drink is drunk.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker helps you to check your grammar and spelling.
Is dranked a word?: No, dranked is not a word. The simple past tense form of drink is drank, but it doesn’t add “-ed” at the end. The past participle of the verb is drunk.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you make sure your writing is accurate.
Is it drew or drawed?: The simple past tense form of the verb draw is drew, not “drawed.” The past participle is drawn. This is because it is an irregular verb and doesn’t follow the normal pattern of regular verbs.

You can easily check whether you’re using the correct past tense of draw with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
Is meeted a word?: “Meeted” is not a word. The simple past tense form of “meet” is met (e.g., “when we met, it was like no time had passed”). Met is also the past participle (e.g., “We had met no traffic and just made it on time”).

There is a less common word “mete” that is pronounced the same and means “distribute.” This verb has the simple past tense and past participle “meted.”

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to ensure you’re using the past tense of meet correctly.
What is the past participle of meet?: The past participle of the verb meet is met. Meet is an irregular verb that means “come together with someone” (e.g., “Let’s meet at the statue at 10”) or “achieve” (e.g., “Sylvie likes to meet her targets every month”).

The past participle is used to form the perfect tenses (e.g., “The friends had met at the café before heading to the beach together”) and the passive voice (e.g., “No resistance to the new laws was met by the authorities”).

Met is also the simple past tense form of meet and is used to describe events that have happened in the past (e.g., “The whole family met to discuss their holiday plans for next year”).

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to find the past tense of meet or any other verb.
Is choosed a word?: No, “choosed” is not a word in standard English. Choose, meaning “pick from a selection,” is an irregular verb and doesn’t form the past tense by adding “-ed.”

The simple past tense form of choose is chose.

We all looked at the options and choosed our favorite ice cream.

We all looked at the options and chose our favorite ice cream.

The past participle of choose is chosen. It is used for the perfect tenses and passive voice.

Sally and Mel were excited that they had both been choosed for the team.

Sally and Mel were excited that they had both been chosen for the team.

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to ensure you are using the past tense of choose correctly.
Is chosed a word?: No, “chosed” is not a word in standard English. Choose, meaning “pick between options,” is an irregular verb. It doesn’t follow the regular pattern of adding “-ed” to form the past tenses.

The simple past tense form is chose (e.g., “Lily chose to have a gap year before going to university”), and the past participle is chosen (e.g., “We are glad you have chosen to fly with us today”).

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to make sure you are using the past tense of choose correctly.
Is sweated a word?: Sweated is the past tense and past participle of the regular verb sweat. Some dictionaries allow sweat instead of sweated, making it an irregular verb.

Sweated can be used to mean “perspired” (e.g., “They sweated in the humid air”), or to mean “exerted a lot of effort” (e.g., “Jen and Sally sweated their revision for the finals”).

Sweated is also an adjective describing something that has been sweated (e.g., “The garlic and sweated onions should be mixed together”).

The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using the past tense of sweat correctly.
Is it sweated or sweat?: In most cases you can use sweated or sweat as the past tense and past participle of the verb sweat.

Most dictionaries allow either to be used, but some restrict sweat in the past tense to the physical phenomenon of perspiration (i.e., you can’t use sweat in the past tense to mean “work vigorously”).

Sweated is also an adjective that describes something that has been sweated (e.g., “Sweated onions are one of my favorite ingredients”).

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to make sure you’re using the past tense of sweat correctly.
Is bited a word?: No, “bited” is not a word in standard English. The simple past tense form of the verb bite is bit, and the past participle is bitten.

The cat bited and scratched me.

The cat bit and scratched me.

The traffic congestion had bited into our time at the beach.

The traffic congestion had bitten into our time at the beach.

It is easy to check if you’re using the past tense of bite correctly with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
What is the past participle of bite?: The past participle of the verb bite is bitten in both American and British English (e.g., “You could see the teeth marks where her baby brother had bitten her”).

In American English, you can also use the past participle bit (e.g., “Cal had bit down hard on a peach pit and broken his tooth”).

Bit is also used as the simple past tense of “bite.”

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to make sure you have the correct past tense of bite or any other verb.
Is layed a word?: No, “layed” isn’t a word in standard English. The past tense of the verb lay is laid. Lay is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t add “-ed” to form the past tenses. It is a transitive verb and always needs a direct object to make sense.

Laid is the simple past tense form of lay and is used to describe actions that have already taken place (e.g., “Colleen laid out a pencil and paper pad for each delegate”).

Laid is also the past participle, used for perfect tenses and the passive voice (e.g., “The cable had been laid carefully where no one would trip over it”).

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to ensure you are using the correct past tense of lay.
Is it layed off or laid off?: When someone loses their job, or is made redundant, then they are laid off. “Layed” isn’t a word in standard English.

Lay is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t add “-ed” to form the past tenses. Laid is both the simple past tense form and past participle of lay.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker will help you ensure that you are using the past tense of lay correctly.
Is it laid out or layed out?: The past tense of lay out is laid out. “Layed out” is not correct in standard English because laid is the past tense of lay.

Laid out means “spread out,” “present,” or (informally) “knock out, render unconscious.”

The QuillBot Grammar Checker lets you make sure you are using the correct past tense of “lay out.”
Is it laid down or layed down?: “Layed down” is not correct in standard English. If a person is laying something down, the correct past tense is laid down because laid is the past tense of lay.

Luke laid the pane of glass down very carefully.

Steve had laid down the first layer of concrete yesterday.

If the person is lying themselves down, then the correct spelling is lay down (simple past) or lain down (past participle).

Nikita lay down and fell asleep immediately.

Pam had lain down ages ago but still couldn’t sleep.

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to make sure you are using the correct verb and past tense form.
Is teached a word?: No, “teached” isn’t a word in standard English. The past tense of the verb teach is taught. Teach is an irregular verb, and taught is both the simple past tense form and past participle.

You might occasionally encounter “teached” used humorously or as part of a dialect. But it is incorrect in formal writing.

You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to find the correct past tense of teach.
Is taughted a word?: No, “taughted” is not a word in standard English. The simple past tense form and past participle of “teach” is “taught.”

“Teach” is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t add “-ed” to the infinitive to form the past tenses.

The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you find the correct past tense of teach.
Is it teached or taught?: The past tense of the verb teach is taught. Teach is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t use the “-ed” ending for the past tenses.

Taught is both the simple past tense form and past participle. The past participle is used to form the perfect tenses (e.g., “I have taught English across the whole age range”) and the passive voice (e.g., “I think we have all been taught a lesson today”).

Use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to ensure you are using the correct past tense of teach.
Is readed a word?: No, “readed” is not a word. The irregular verb read has the simple past tense form and past participle read. Although it is spelled the same, it is pronounced differently.

The infinitive and present tense are pronounced [reed], and the past tense and past participle are pronounced [red].

You can ensure you’re using the correct past tense of read with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
Is it read or red?: The simple past tense of read is also spelled read, but instead of being pronounced [reed] it changes to [red]. This is also true for the past participle, used to form the perfect tenses and for the passive voice.

Read is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t add “-ed” to form the past tenses.

You can easily check whether you’re using the correct past tense of read with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
How do you pronounce the past tense of read?: The past tense of read is pronounced [red]. Although it is spelled the same (read) for both the simple past tense and past participle.

It might help to remember that the pronunciation changes in the same way as the verb “lead,” meaning “go in front,” which changes from “lead” [leed] to “led” [led].
What is the plural form of scarf?: The spelling of the plural form of the noun “scarf” is scarves or scarfs.

The standard spelling for the item of clothing you wear around your neck is scarves, but “scarfs” is also an acceptable alternative.

Scarfs is the standard spelling for technical uses of the word (e.g., to mean a part of a wooden joint).

You can use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you pick up errors in the spelling of nouns with confusing plural forms such as “scarf.”

Base form	Simple past	Past participle
be (is, am, are)	was/were	been
do	did	done
eat	ate	eaten
go	went	gone
sing	sang	sung

Tense	Example
Present perfect	I have eaten
Past perfect	I had eaten
Future perfect	I will have eaten
Present perfect progressive	I have been eating
Past perfect progressive	I had been eating
Future perfect progressive	I will have been eating