Bust past tense
Meaning of bust
to break or burst.
Infinitive
- 1. Every summer, the local police bust several illegal street races in the area.
- 2. The detective often busts myths about crime investigation techniques during her lectures.
- 3. When it comes to fixing cars, Jack can bust myths about engine problems with ease.
Past Simple
- 1. The police busted the door open during the raid last night.
- 2. He busted his phone screen when he dropped it on the concrete.
- 3. After hours of studying, she finally busted the myth that had been confusing her.
Past Participle
- 1. The antique vase was accidentally busted by the cat.
- 2. Her trust had been busted beyond repair.
- 3. By the end of the day, the corrupt scheme was busted wide open by the investigators.
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Bare infinitive
- General truth or fact.Example. The police bust drug operations regularly.Example. They bust fraud schemes every month.Example. The operation to bust the network happens tomorrow.
- Habitual actions.Example. The police bust drug operations regularly.Example. They bust fraud schemes every month.Example. The operation to bust the network happens tomorrow.
- Schedules or timetables (often future context).Example. The police bust drug operations regularly.Example. They bust fraud schemes every month.Example. The operation to bust the network happens tomorrow.
Past Simple
- Completed action in the past.Example. The team busted the illegal ring yesterday.Example. They busted three hideouts, arrested the leaders, and seized all contraband last week.
- A series of completed actions in the past.Example. The team busted the illegal ring yesterday.Example. They busted three hideouts, arrested the leaders, and seized all contraband last week.
Past Participle
- Perfect aspects indicating completed actions at some point in the past (Present Perfect).Example. Police have busted several gangs this year.Example. By the time backup arrived, the squad had already busted the smugglers.Example. The illegal operation has been busted by authorities.
- Perfect aspects relating to actions that were completed before another action or time in the past (Past Perfect).Example. Police have busted several gangs this year.Example. By the time backup arrived, the squad had already busted the smugglers.Example. The illegal operation has been busted by authorities.
- Used to form passive voice sentences indicating an action that has happened to the subject.Example. Police have busted several gangs this year.Example. By the time backup arrived, the squad had already busted the smugglers.Example. The illegal operation has been busted by authorities.
Common mistakes
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Confusing forms
One of the most common mistakes involves Confusing Forms of 'bust.' The past simple form is 'busted,' used to indicate an action that occurred and was completed in the past, e.g., 'He busted the window yesterday.' The past participle form, also 'busted' (though 'bust' is increasingly accepted in informal American English), is used in perfect tenses and passive voice, e.g., 'The window has been busted.'
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Verb Form Usage
Another common mistake is using the wrong form of 'bust' in perfect tenses, which require the past participle. Since 'busted' serves both as the past simple and past participle form in standard English, some might incorrectly opt for 'bust' out of confusion or by mimicking the irregular verb pattern where the base and past participle forms are the same. For example, saying 'He has bust the door' instead of the correct 'He has busted the door' misuses the verb forms and disrupts the grammatical consistency of the perfect tense.
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Irregular Verb Patterns
Learners might overapply patterns from irregular verbs to 'bust,' leading to errors. For instance, with verbs like 'sing,' 'sang,' 'sung,' learners might mistakenly create nonexistent forms of 'bust' such as 'bust,' 'bast,' 'busten,' by analogy. This overgeneralization overlooks the fact that 'bust' does not follow the same conjugation pattern as these irregular verbs, leading to incorrect usage and confusion. Understanding that 'busted' is both the past simple and past participle form is crucial to avoid this mistake.
Past tense quiz
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