Belong past tense

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Meaning of belong

to be a member of a group, organization, or set.

Infinitive

Word: belong /bɪˈlɒŋ/
Examples:
  • 1. My grandmother's antique vase belongs on the mantlepiece, where everyone can see it.
  • 2. This book belongs to the local library; it's due back next week.
  • 3. Cats inherently feel they belong in the warmest, coziest spot in the house.

Past Simple

Word: belonged /bɪˈlɒŋd/
Examples:
  • 1. The antique vase belonged to my grandmother before it was passed down to me.
  • 2. They belonged to a book club that met every Thursday night.
  • 3. The lost puppy belonged to the neighbors, and we returned it yesterday.

Past Participle

Word: belonged /bɪˈlɒŋd/
Examples:
  • 1. The ancient artifact has always belonged to the museum.
  • 2. The lost puppy was finally believed to have belonged to the family down the street.
  • 3. The secret recipe has belonged to the family for generations.

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Bare infinitive

  1. General Truths or Facts. When stating something that is generally true or a fact.
    Example. Cats belong to the feline family.
    Example. He belongs to a book club that meets every Friday.
    Example. They belong together.
    Example. The meeting belongs on the agenda for next week.
  2. Habits or Routines. For habits or things that happen regularly.
    Example. Cats belong to the feline family.
    Example. He belongs to a book club that meets every Friday.
    Example. They belong together.
    Example. The meeting belongs on the agenda for next week.
  3. Permanent States. To describe a state that is seen as permanent or not likely to change.
    Example. Cats belong to the feline family.
    Example. He belongs to a book club that meets every Friday.
    Example. They belong together.
    Example. The meeting belongs on the agenda for next week.
  4. Scheduled Events (in the near future, often used with timetables or schedules).
    Example. Cats belong to the feline family.
    Example. He belongs to a book club that meets every Friday.
    Example. They belong together.
    Example. The meeting belongs on the agenda for next week.

Past Simple

  1. Completed Actions in the Past. When speaking about an action that started and finished at a specific time in the past.
    Example. She belonged to the tennis club last year.
    Example. We belonged to that community when we lived in the city.
    Example. First, they belonged to a local choir, then they moved and lost interest.
  2. Past States. To indicate a state or condition in the past that is no longer true.
    Example. She belonged to the tennis club last year.
    Example. We belonged to that community when we lived in the city.
    Example. First, they belonged to a local choir, then they moved and lost interest.
  3. Sequences of Actions in the Past. Describing a series of completed actions or events that happened one after another.
    Example. She belonged to the tennis club last year.
    Example. We belonged to that community when we lived in the city.
    Example. First, they belonged to a local choir, then they moved and lost interest.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses.
    Example. She has always belonged to a choir.
    Example. He had belonged to the organization for years before it disbanded.
    Example. By next year, they will have belonged to the club for a decade.
    Example. A solution is believed to have belonged to the earlier centuries.
  2. Present Perfect. For actions that happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important.
    Example. She has always belonged to a choir.
    Example. He had belonged to the organization for years before it disbanded.
    Example. By next year, they will have belonged to the club for a decade.
    Example. A solution is believed to have belonged to the earlier centuries.
  3. Past Perfect. Used to express something that happened before another action or time in the past.
    Example. She has always belonged to a choir.
    Example. He had belonged to the organization for years before it disbanded.
    Example. By next year, they will have belonged to the club for a decade.
    Example. A solution is believed to have belonged to the earlier centuries.
  4. Future Perfect. Indicates that an action will have been completed by a certain future time.
    Example. She has always belonged to a choir.
    Example. He had belonged to the organization for years before it disbanded.
    Example. By next year, they will have belonged to the club for a decade.
    Example. A solution is believed to have belonged to the earlier centuries.
  5. Passive Voice. When the subject of the sentence is acted upon by the verb.
    Example. She has always belonged to a choir.
    Example. He had belonged to the organization for years before it disbanded.
    Example. By next year, they will have belonged to the club for a decade.
    Example. A solution is believed to have belonged to the earlier centuries.

Common mistakes

— 01

Regular Verb Treatment

One common mistake is treating 'belong' as a regular verb by adding -ed to form its past simple and past participle. 'Belong' is an irregular verb, but it is also a tricky case because it doesn't change forms for the past simple or past participle; it is actually an intransitive verb that does not have a direct object and doesn't describe an action that happens in the past. The confusion often arises because many verbs in English follow the regular pattern of adding -ed for their past forms, leading learners to incorrectly create forms like 'belonged' to mean something in the past. In reality, when talking about possession in the past, auxiliary verbs and constructions like 'used to' or 'was/were' + 'in possession of' are used instead.

— 02

Misuse in Passive Voice

Another mistake is trying to use 'belong' in passive voice constructions for past actions. Since 'belong' does not have a past participle form due to its intransitive nature, it cannot be used in passive voice structures that typically require the past participle. Learners might incorrectly form sentences like 'The book was belonged to me,' instead of correctly saying, 'The book belonged to me,' or more appropriately, 'The book was mine.'

— 03

Confusion with Other Verbs

Lastly, learners might confuse 'belong' with verbs that do change in the past tense, such as 'bring' and 'brought' or 'buy' and 'bought.' This confusion can lead to the incorrect application of past tense rules to 'belong,' creating non-existent forms. Understanding that 'belong' remains the same and does not convey action but a state or condition is crucial to avoiding this mistake.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past tense of 'belong'?

The past tense of 'belong' is 'belonged.' It is used to describe a situation, item, or person that was part of something or somewhere in the past. For example, 'She belonged to the chess club last year.'

What is the past participle of 'belong'?

The past participle of 'belong' is also 'belonged.' It is used in perfect tenses to talk about actions or states in the past that have relevance to the present or were completed at some point in the past. For example, 'He has always belonged to that organization.'

How do you use 'belonged' in a sentence to indicate past possession or membership?

To indicate past possession or membership, 'belonged' is used to show that something was once associated with someone or something in the past. For example. 'The ancient manuscript belonged to a forgotten era.' This sentence indicates that the manuscript was once part of or associated with a specific time period in the past.

Can 'belonged' be used in both active and passive voice? How?

Yes, 'belonged' can be used in both active and passive voice, depending on the sentence structure and the focus of the sentence. Active Voice Example. 'She belonged to the local book club.' (Here, 'she' is the subject actively associating herself with the book club.) Passive Voice Example. 'The old castle belonged to the king.' (While this sentence has a passive feel, it is important to note that 'belong' does not typically lend itself to a passive construction in the same way transitive verbs do. However, you can construct a contextually passive meaning, such as emphasizing the ownership or association from the perspective of the castle being part of the king’s possessions.) Remember, the use of 'belonged' depends on the time frame you're referring to and whether the action or state of association is considered in the past or has relevance to the present moment.