Beg past tense

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Meaning of beg

to ask someone earnestly or humbly for something.

Infinitive

Word: beg /bɛɡ/
Examples:
  • 1. Every morning, the stray cat begs for food outside my door.
  • 2. He always begs to stay up late when it's a school night.
  • 3. They beg for mercy in the face of the harsh punishment.

Past Simple

Word: begged /bɛɡd/
Examples:
  • 1. She begged for forgiveness after realizing her mistake.
  • 2. They begged him to stay, but he had already made up his mind to leave.
  • 3. After losing his job, he begged on the streets to make ends meet.

Past Participle

Word: begged /bɛɡd/
Examples:
  • 1. The help was begged for by the community after the natural disaster.
  • 2. Assistance has been begged for by the residents from the local government.
  • 3. Donations have been begged for by various organizations to support their causes.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual actions or routines.
    Example. She often begs for attention from her peers.
    Example. He begs to differ in every discussion.
    Example. Not commonly used in this context for 'beg.'
    Example. If you ever find yourself lost in the city, just beg a local to show you the way.
  2. General truths or facts.
    Example. She often begs for attention from her peers.
    Example. He begs to differ in every discussion.
    Example. Not commonly used in this context for 'beg.'
    Example. If you ever find yourself lost in the city, just beg a local to show you the way.
  3. Scheduled events in the near future (usually for public transportation, movies, etc.).
    Example. She often begs for attention from her peers.
    Example. He begs to differ in every discussion.
    Example. Not commonly used in this context for 'beg.'
    Example. If you ever find yourself lost in the city, just beg a local to show you the way.
  4. Instructions or directions.
    Example. She often begs for attention from her peers.
    Example. He begs to differ in every discussion.
    Example. Not commonly used in this context for 'beg.'
    Example. If you ever find yourself lost in the city, just beg a local to show you the way.

Past Simple

  1. Actions completed in the past at a specific time.
    Example. Last night, she begged him to stay longer.
    Example. He begged for mercy, apologized profusely, and finally was forgiven.
    Example. When we were children, we often begged our parents to let us stay up late.
    Example. He always begged to participate, but somehow, he never got the chance.
  2. A series of completed actions in the past.
    Example. Last night, she begged him to stay longer.
    Example. He begged for mercy, apologized profusely, and finally was forgiven.
    Example. When we were children, we often begged our parents to let us stay up late.
    Example. He always begged to participate, but somehow, he never got the chance.
  3. Habits in the past.
    Example. Last night, she begged him to stay longer.
    Example. He begged for mercy, apologized profusely, and finally was forgiven.
    Example. When we were children, we often begged our parents to let us stay up late.
    Example. He always begged to participate, but somehow, he never got the chance.
  4. Past facts or generalizations.
    Example. Last night, she begged him to stay longer.
    Example. He begged for mercy, apologized profusely, and finally was forgiven.
    Example. When we were children, we often begged our parents to let us stay up late.
    Example. He always begged to participate, but somehow, he never got the chance.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect).
    Example. Present Perfect. She has never begged for anything in her life.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time they arrived, he had already begged for forgiveness.
    Example. Future Perfect. By tomorrow, they will have begged everyone they know for help.
    Example. The child was begged by his parents to be cautious.
  2. Passive voice.
    Example. Present Perfect. She has never begged for anything in her life.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time they arrived, he had already begged for forgiveness.
    Example. Future Perfect. By tomorrow, they will have begged everyone they know for help.
    Example. The child was begged by his parents to be cautious.

Common mistakes

— 01

Incorrect Use of the Past Simple Form

Mistake. Using 'beged' instead of 'begged' for the past simple form. Correct Usage. The past simple form of 'beg' is 'begged'. The mistake arises from not doubling the final consonant before adding the -ed ending in verbs that end with a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern, where the final consonant is not w, x, or y.

— 02

Incorrect Past Participle

Mistake. Using 'beged' or 'begged' as the past participle without recognizing it should be the same as the past simple form for regular verbs. Correct Usage. The past participle form of 'beg' is also 'begged'. A common mistake is not realizing that for regular verbs, the past simple and the past participle forms are identical. This error often leads to confusion, especially for learners who might think that different rules apply to the past participle form.

— 03

Confusion with Irregular Verbs

Mistake. Assuming 'beg' follows the pattern of irregular verbs, leading to incorrect forms like 'begun' or 'begat'. Correct Usage. Unlike irregular verbs that can have entirely different past simple and past participle forms (e.g., begin-began-begun), 'beg' is a regular verb. This means its past simple and past participle forms are created by simply adding -ed (or doubling the final consonant before adding -ed in this case). The correct forms are 'begged' for both the past simple and past participle. Confusing regular and irregular verb patterns is a common error among learners.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'beg'?

The past simple form of 'beg' is 'begged'. This form is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'Yesterday, she begged for a second chance.'

How do you form the past participle of 'beg'?

The past participle form of 'beg' is also 'begged'. This form is used in perfect tense constructions to describe actions that have been completed at the time of speaking or by a specific time in the past. For example, in the present perfect tense, you might say, 'He has begged for forgiveness.'

Can you provide an example of a sentence using 'begged' in the past perfect tense?

Yes, an example of a sentence using 'begged' in the past perfect tense is. 'By the time she arrived, he had already begged for help.' In this sentence, 'had begged' indicates that the begging occurred before another action in the past (her arrival). Is there a difference in meaning or usage between the past simple and past participle forms of 'beg'