Cause past tense

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Meaning of cause

to make something happen or exist.

Infinitive

Word: cause /kɔːz/
Examples:
  • 1. Drinking too much coffee often causes me to stay awake at night.
  • 2. The heavy rain causes flooding in the lower parts of the city.
  • 3. Lack of exercise causes health problems for people of all ages.

Past Simple

Word: caused /kɔːzd/
Examples:
  • 1. The heavy rainstorm caused the streets to flood quickly.
  • 2. His sudden departure caused a lot of confusion among his colleagues.
  • 3. The power outage was caused by a tree falling on the lines during the storm.

Past Participle

Word: сaused /kɔːzd/
Examples:
  • 1. The accident was caused by a sudden failure in the braking system.
  • 2. Many problems have been caused by the new policy implementation.
  • 3. The delay in the project was directly caused by unexpected weather conditions.

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Bare infinitive

  1. To describe habitual actions or general truths about making something happen or bringing something into existence.
    Example. Pollution causes significant harm to the environment.
    Example. High sugar intake often causes health problems.
    Example. Smoking in this area can cause a fire hazard.
  2. To state facts or ongoing situations where one thing results in another.
    Example. Pollution causes significant harm to the environment.
    Example. High sugar intake often causes health problems.
    Example. Smoking in this area can cause a fire hazard.
  3. To give instructions or warnings about the consequences of certain actions.
    Example. Pollution causes significant harm to the environment.
    Example. High sugar intake often causes health problems.
    Example. Smoking in this area can cause a fire hazard.

Past Simple

  1. To talk about a specific instance in the past when something was made to happen or was brought into existence.
    Example. The short circuit caused a blackout last night.
    Example. His carelessness caused a series of mistakes in the project.
    Example. The heavy rains caused flooding in the area.
  2. To describe a series of actions or events in the past that resulted in a particular outcome.
    Example. The short circuit caused a blackout last night.
    Example. His carelessness caused a series of mistakes in the project.
    Example. The heavy rains caused flooding in the area.
  3. To express a past action or event that is complete and has resulted in a specific effect.
    Example. The short circuit caused a blackout last night.
    Example. His carelessness caused a series of mistakes in the project.
    Example. The heavy rains caused flooding in the area.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses - To talk about actions or events that have happened, with relevance to the present moment or completed at an unspecified time in the past, and have made something else happen or come into existence.
    Example. The accident was caused by slippery road conditions.
  2. Example (Present Perfect). Deforestation has caused a drastic reduction in biodiversity.
    Example. The accident was caused by slippery road conditions.
  3. Example (Past Perfect). By the time they implemented preventive measures, the disease had already caused widespread illness.
    Example. The accident was caused by slippery road conditions.
  4. Passive voice - To describe situations where the focus is on the effect or outcome, rather than on who or what performed the action.
    Example. The accident was caused by slippery road conditions.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing 'caused'

A common mistake is using an incorrect form of the word 'cause' in the past participle. The correct past simple and past participle form of 'cause' is 'caused' for both. Some may mistakenly use 'causen' or 'causeded,' which are incorrect. For example, the correct usage is 'He has caused a lot of problems,' not 'He has causen a lot of problems.'

— 02

Using 'caused' incorrectly

Another mistake involves using 'caused' incorrectly in passive voice constructions. The correct form should maintain 'caused' for both active and passive voices in the past tense, but the mistake comes from constructing sentences that misunderstand the agent of action. For instance, the correct passive voice sentence is 'The problems were caused by him,' not 'The problems were cause by him.'

— 03

Mistaking 'cause' as an irregular verb

Some learners might mistakenly treat 'cause' as if it were an irregular verb, expecting its past forms to change more dramatically, similar to 'fly' becoming 'flew/flown.' However, 'cause' follows regular verb conjugation rules, where the past simple and past participle are formed by adding -ed to the base form. An incorrect attempt to irregularly conjugate it might lead to forms like 'cause/cose/cosen,' which are incorrect. The proper conjugation is 'cause/caused/caused.'

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'cause'?

The past simple form of 'cause' is 'caused.' It is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example. 'The heavy rain caused flooding in the area yesterday.'

What is the past participle form of 'cause' and how is it used?

The past participle form of 'cause' is also 'caused.' It is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. For example, in the perfect tense. 'The storm has caused significant damage.' In passive voice. 'Significant damage was caused by the storm.'

Can you give an example of 'caused' used in a sentence in the past perfect tense?

Yes, an example of 'caused' used in the past perfect tense would be. 'By the time the firefighters arrived, the short circuit had already caused a fire.' Here, 'had caused' indicates an action (causing a fire) that was completed before another past action (firefighters arriving).

How can I differentiate between when to use the past simple and when to use the past participle form of 'cause'?

The past simple form 'caused' is used to talk about a specific event that happened at a specific time in the past. For example. 'The loud music caused a disturbance.' On the other hand, the past participle form 'caused' is used in perfect tenses to indicate an action that has relevance to the present or was completed at some indefinite time in the past (e.g., 'They have caused trouble before'), and in passive voice constructions to indicate that something was done by someone or something (e.g., 'Trouble was caused by them').