Blow past tense

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Meaning of blow

to expel air from the mouth.

Infinitive

Word: blow /bloʊ/
Examples:
  • 1. Every autumn, the strong wind blows the leaves off the trees.
  • 2. She always blows out the candles on her birthday cake in one breath.
  • 3. The whistle blows at the start of the game to signal the players.

Past Simple

Word: blew /bluː/
Examples:
  • 1. The wind blew fiercely through the trees last night.
  • 2. He blew out the candles on his birthday cake with a big smile.
  • 3. The old factory chimney blew smoke into the sky until it was demolished.

Past Participle

Word: blown /bloʊn/
Examples:
  • 1. The old factory was blown up to make way for the new highway.
  • 2. By the time we arrived, all the candles had been blown out by the wind.
  • 3. The secret documents were blown away by a sudden gust of wind, never to be seen again.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Routine or Habitual Actions
    Example. I always blow the candles out before going to bed.
    Example. The wind usually blows from the west in my hometown.
    Example. The whistle blows at six every morning to start the shift.
    Example. First, you blow into the mouthpiece gently to start the note.
  2. General Truths
    Example. I always blow the candles out before going to bed.
    Example. The wind usually blows from the west in my hometown.
    Example. The whistle blows at six every morning to start the shift.
    Example. First, you blow into the mouthpiece gently to start the note.
  3. Scheduled Events in the Near Future (usually for public transportation but can be used more broadly)
    Example. I always blow the candles out before going to bed.
    Example. The wind usually blows from the west in my hometown.
    Example. The whistle blows at six every morning to start the shift.
    Example. First, you blow into the mouthpiece gently to start the note.
  4. Giving Instructions or Directions
    Example. I always blow the candles out before going to bed.
    Example. The wind usually blows from the west in my hometown.
    Example. The whistle blows at six every morning to start the shift.
    Example. First, you blow into the mouthpiece gently to start the note.

Past Simple

  1. Completed Actions in the Past
    Example. She blew the candles out on her birthday cake last night.
    Example. He blew up the balloons, decorated the room, and prepared the food for the party yesterday.
    Example. The storm blew with fury for several hours.
    Example. Whenever we went to the beach as kids, the wind always blew our sandcastle away.
  2. A Series of Completed Actions
    Example. She blew the candles out on her birthday cake last night.
    Example. He blew up the balloons, decorated the room, and prepared the food for the party yesterday.
    Example. The storm blew with fury for several hours.
    Example. Whenever we went to the beach as kids, the wind always blew our sandcastle away.
  3. Duration in Past
    Example. She blew the candles out on her birthday cake last night.
    Example. He blew up the balloons, decorated the room, and prepared the food for the party yesterday.
    Example. The storm blew with fury for several hours.
    Example. Whenever we went to the beach as kids, the wind always blew our sandcastle away.
  4. Facts or Generalizations about the Past
    Example. She blew the candles out on her birthday cake last night.
    Example. He blew up the balloons, decorated the room, and prepared the food for the party yesterday.
    Example. The storm blew with fury for several hours.
    Example. Whenever we went to the beach as kids, the wind always blew our sandcastle away.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses
    Example. The wind has blown away all the fallen leaves from our yard.
    Example. By the time we arrived, the storm had blown over.
    Example. By next year, the new policy will have blown a lot of old issues away.
    Example. The old tree was blown down in the storm last night.
  2. Present Perfect. Describing actions that happened at an unspecified time before now.
    Example. The wind has blown away all the fallen leaves from our yard.
    Example. By the time we arrived, the storm had blown over.
    Example. By next year, the new policy will have blown a lot of old issues away.
    Example. The old tree was blown down in the storm last night.
  3. Past Perfect. Describing actions that were completed before another past action.
    Example. The wind has blown away all the fallen leaves from our yard.
    Example. By the time we arrived, the storm had blown over.
    Example. By next year, the new policy will have blown a lot of old issues away.
    Example. The old tree was blown down in the storm last night.
  4. Future Perfect. Describing actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future.
    Example. The wind has blown away all the fallen leaves from our yard.
    Example. By the time we arrived, the storm had blown over.
    Example. By next year, the new policy will have blown a lot of old issues away.
    Example. The old tree was blown down in the storm last night.
  5. Passive Voice
    Example. The wind has blown away all the fallen leaves from our yard.
    Example. By the time we arrived, the storm had blown over.
    Example. By next year, the new policy will have blown a lot of old issues away.
    Example. The old tree was blown down in the storm last night.
  6. Remember, the tense and form you choose depends on the time frame and context of the action you're describing. These examples should help clarify the usage of 'blow' in its different forms.
    Example. The wind has blown away all the fallen leaves from our yard.
    Example. By the time we arrived, the storm had blown over.
    Example. By next year, the new policy will have blown a lot of old issues away.
    Example. The old tree was blown down in the storm last night.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusion between 'blew' and 'blown'

A frequent mistake involves using the past simple form 'blew' when the past participle 'blown' is required, and vice versa. 'Blew' is the past simple form and is used to talk about actions that happened and were completed in the past. For example, 'He blew out the candles last night.' On the other hand, 'blown' is the past participle form, which is used in perfect tenses and passive voice. For instance, it's correct to say, 'The windows had been blown open by the storm,' not 'The windows had been blew open by the storm.'

— 02

Incorrect Past Participle

Another common mistake is misconstructing the past participle form of 'blow' as 'blowed' instead of the correct 'blown.' This error might stem from the regular pattern of adding '-ed' to form the past and past participle of regular verbs. However, 'blow' is an irregular verb, and its past participle form does not follow this rule. The correct usage is 'The whistle has blown,' not 'The whistle has blowed.'

— 03

Using the base form

Some might mistakenly use the base form 'blow' when the context requires a past form. For example, saying 'Yesterday, the wind blow hard' instead of the correct 'Yesterday, the wind blew hard.' This mistake overlooks the need to change the verb form to indicate the past tense, leading to confusion and incorrect grammar.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'blow'?

The past simple form of 'blow' is 'blew,' and the past participle form is 'blown.' For example, 'Yesterday, the wind blew strongly,' and 'The balloons have been blown up for the party.'

How do I use 'blew' and 'blown' in a sentence correctly?

Use 'blew' when you're referring to a specific event in the past. Example. 'He blew out the candles on his birthday cake last night.' Use 'blown' when you're referring to an action in the past that has relevance to the present, often with the verb 'have' or 'has.' Example. 'The storm has blown over, so we can go outside now.'

Can 'blown' be used without auxiliary verbs like 'have' or 'has'?

Yes, but in such cases, 'blown' typically functions as an adjective rather than as part of a verb phrase. For example, 'After the explosion, the windows were blown out.' Here, 'blown' describes the state of the windows as a result of the action. Are there common mistakes to avoid when using 'blew' and 'blown'