Admit past tense

Meaning of admit

to acknowledge the truth or existence of something.

Infinitive

Word: admit /ədˈmɪt/

Examples:

1. She admits that she was wrong.
2. He never admits his mistakes easily.
3. The museum admits visitors free of charge every Sunday.

Past Simple

Word: admitted /ədˈmɪtɪd/

Examples:

1. He finally admitted that he had made a mistake.
2. The children admitted they were scared after watching the horror movie.
3. She admitted she had forgotten to send the email as promised.

Past Participle

Word: admitted /ədˈmɪtɪd/

Examples:

1. She has admitted to making a mistake in the report.
2. He had admitted his feelings for her before she left the town.
3. They have admitted most of their team members into the training program.

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Bare infinitive

To describe habits or general truths.
Example. He admits he is wrong when he makes mistakes.
Example. She admits that honesty is the best policy.
Example. The museum admits visitors from 9 AM to 5 PM.
To state facts or truths.
Example. He admits he is wrong when he makes mistakes.
Example. She admits that honesty is the best policy.
Example. The museum admits visitors from 9 AM to 5 PM.
To describe scheduled events in the near future (often used in formal contexts).
Example. He admits he is wrong when he makes mistakes.
Example. She admits that honesty is the best policy.
Example. The museum admits visitors from 9 AM to 5 PM.

Past Simple

To describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past.
Example. He admitted his mistake after the meeting.
Example. When she was a student, she admitted she needed more discipline.
To express a past habit or a situation that was true in the past.
Example. He admitted his mistake after the meeting.
Example. When she was a student, she admitted she needed more discipline.

Past Participle

(often used in perfect tenses)
Example. They have admitted their error and are fixing it.
Example. By the time the news broke, the official had already admitted to the oversight.
Example. The student was admitted to the university after passing the entrance examination.
To form the present perfect tense, describing actions that happened at an unspecified time before now.
Example. They have admitted their error and are fixing it.
Example. By the time the news broke, the official had already admitted to the oversight.
Example. The student was admitted to the university after passing the entrance examination.
To form the past perfect tense, describing actions that were completed before another action in the past.
Example. They have admitted their error and are fixing it.
Example. By the time the news broke, the official had already admitted to the oversight.
Example. The student was admitted to the university after passing the entrance examination.
To form the passive voice, indicating when the focus is on the action being done to someone or something.
Example. They have admitted their error and are fixing it.
Example. By the time the news broke, the official had already admitted to the oversight.
Example. The student was admitted to the university after passing the entrance examination.

Common mistakes

— 01

Incorrect Forms

A common mistake with the verb 'admit' is the incorrect formation of its past simple and past participle forms. Some might mistakenly add an -ed ending to form these tenses, resulting in incorrect forms like 'admitteded' instead of the correct 'admitted' for both past simple and past participle. The correct forms are 'admitted' for both the past simple and past participle, reflecting the regular verb pattern but without the addition of an extra -ed.

— 02

Confusion with Irregular Verbs

Another mistake arises from confusion with irregular verbs. While 'admit' follows a regular pattern by simply adding -ed to form its past tense and past participle, learners sometimes treat it as an irregular verb. This confusion can lead to incorrectly altering the base form in unique ways, similar to how irregular verbs change (e.g., think/thought, go/went). However, 'admit' does not change its base form beyond the regular addition of -ed, making 'admitted' the correct form for both the past simple and past participle.

— 03

Misuse in Perfect Tenses

The third common mistake involves the misuse of 'admit' in perfect tenses. Some learners might forget to use the past participle form 'admitted' with auxiliary verbs to construct perfect tenses, opting for the base form or past simple instead. For example, incorrectly saying 'I have admit' or 'I had admit' instead of the correct 'I have admitted' or 'I had admitted.' This mistake affects the grammatical accuracy and clarity of the sentence, as the use of the correct past participle form is crucial for constructing perfect tenses.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'admit'?

The past simple form of 'admit' is 'admitted'. It is used to describe actions or situations that occurred in the past and have no direct connection to the present. For example, 'She admitted her mistake yesterday.'

What is the past participle form of 'admit'?

The past participle form of 'admit' is also 'admitted'. This form is used in perfect tenses and passive voice sentences. For instance, in the sentence 'He has admitted his error,' 'admitted' is used as the past participle in the present perfect tense.

How do you use 'admitted' in a sentence in the past perfect tense?

In the past perfect tense, 'admitted' is used to talk about an action that was completed before another action or time in the past. For example, 'By the time the meeting started, she had already admitted her oversight.' Here, 'had admitted' indicates that the admission occurred before the meeting started.

Can you provide an example of 'admitted' used in the passive voice?

Yes, in the passive voice, 'admitted' can be used to focus on the action being done to the subject rather than who is doing the action. For example, 'The mistake was admitted by the team leader.' In this sentence, the emphasis is on the fact that the mistake was admitted, without directly highlighting the team leader as the one who admitted it.