Aid past tense

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Meaning of aid

to provide support or help to someone or something.

Infinitive

Word: help /hɛlp/
Examples:
  • 1. The government pledges to aid those affected by the natural disaster.
  • 2. She always finds ways to aid her friends in times of need.
  • 3. Organizations worldwide work to aid communities lacking access to clean water.

Past Simple

Word: aided /ˈeɪ.dɪd/
Examples:
  • 1. The teacher aided the student throughout the semester.
  • 2. They aided us in moving the heavy furniture upstairs.
  • 3. The organization aided the community after the natural disaster.

Past Participle

Word: aided /ˈeɪdɪd/
Examples:
  • 1. The patient had been aided by the nurses throughout the night.
  • 2. We have aided the community by organizing weekly clean-up events.
  • 3. All the students were aided by the tutor's detailed feedback.

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Bare infinitive

  1. To describe habitual actions or routines involving providing support or help.
    Example. She aids local charities by volunteering every weekend.
    Example. This software aids in the analysis of large datasets.
    Example. To aid recovery, ensure you follow the doctor's advice closely.
  2. To state facts or general truths about the act of providing help or support.
    Example. She aids local charities by volunteering every weekend.
    Example. This software aids in the analysis of large datasets.
    Example. To aid recovery, ensure you follow the doctor's advice closely.
  3. To give instructions or advice related to offering assistance.
    Example. She aids local charities by volunteering every weekend.
    Example. This software aids in the analysis of large datasets.
    Example. To aid recovery, ensure you follow the doctor's advice closely.

Past Simple

  1. To talk about a specific instance in the past when support or help was provided.
    Example. The community aided the family after their house was destroyed in the fire.
    Example. Volunteers aided in cleaning up the park after the festival.
    Example. The emergency fund aided victims of the disaster last year.
  2. To describe a series of actions in the past that involved providing assistance.
    Example. The community aided the family after their house was destroyed in the fire.
    Example. Volunteers aided in cleaning up the park after the festival.
    Example. The emergency fund aided victims of the disaster last year.
  3. To express a past action of helping that is complete.
    Example. The community aided the family after their house was destroyed in the fire.
    Example. Volunteers aided in cleaning up the park after the festival.
    Example. The emergency fund aided victims of the disaster last year.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses - To talk about actions of providing support or help that have happened, with relevance to the present moment or completed at an unspecified time in the past.
    Example. The research was aided by grants from several foundations.
  2. Example (Present Perfect). We have aided in the development of a new community center.
    Example. The research was aided by grants from several foundations.
  3. Example (Past Perfect). By the time the authorities arrived, local residents had already aided the injured.
    Example. The research was aided by grants from several foundations.
  4. Passive voice - To describe situations where the focus is on someone or something being assisted, rather than who provided the assistance.
    Example. The research was aided by grants from several foundations.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

One common mistake is using the past simple form of 'aid' (which is 'aided') interchangeably with the past participle form (which is also 'aided'), without understanding the difference in their usage. The past simple form is used to describe an action that happened and was completed in the past, e.g., 'They aided the community last year.' The past participle form is used in perfect tenses and passive voice, e.g., 'The community has been aided by volunteers.' While 'aided' serves as both the past simple and past participle form, the mistake lies in not recognizing when to use it to construct the correct tense or voice.

— 02

Incorrect Past Participle

Although 'aided' correctly serves as both the past simple and past participle form of 'aid,' a mistake occurs when learners try to apply irregular verb conjugation rules to 'aid,' thinking it might have an irregular past participle form. Unlike irregular verbs like 'sing' (sang, sung) or 'write' (wrote, written), 'aid' follows a regular conjugation pattern where you simply add -ed to form both the past simple and past participle. The error is in assuming that 'aid' might have an irregular form and using a nonexistent version like 'aiden' in sentences.

— 03

Forgetting to Use 'Aided'

A frequent mistake is neglecting the use of 'aided' in passive voice constructions, where the focus is on the action or the object receiving the action rather than who or what is performing the action. For example, incorrectly saying 'The project was aid by several sponsors' instead of the correct form 'The project was aided by several sponsors.' This mistake typically arises from a misunderstanding of how to form the passive voice or from overlooking the need to adjust the verb form to match the passive structure.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'aid'?

The past simple form of 'aid' is 'aided.' This form is used to describe an action that was completed in the past. For example, 'The charity organization aided the victims of the earthquake last year.'

What is the past participle form of 'aid'?

The past participle form of 'aid' is also 'aided.' This form is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. For example, in the sentence 'The victims had been aided by the end of the day,' 'aided' is used as the past participle in a passive voice construction.

How do you use 'aided' in a sentence?

To use 'aided' in a sentence, you need to determine whether you're talking about a past action (past simple) or if you're using it in a perfect tense or passive voice (past participle). Here are examples for both cases. Past Simple. 'The volunteers aided the community after the flood.' (Here, 'aided' is used to describe a direct action that happened in the past.) Past Participle. 'The community has been aided by various organizations since the disaster occurred.' (In this sentence, 'aided' is used as a past participle in a passive voice construction to describe an action that has been completed by an unspecified time in the past.)

Can 'aided' be used without an object?

While 'aid' typically requires an object to complete its meaning (because it is a transitive verb), 'aided' can be used without an explicit object in certain contexts where the object is implied or understood from previous discussion. For example, 'The organization stepped in and aided.' In this sentence, the object (who or what was aided) is understood from context. However, for clarity and completeness, it's generally recommended to specify the object being aided.