Chase past tense
Meaning of chase
to pursue in order to catch or catch up with.
Infinitive
- 1. The dog chases the ball with undeniable excitement.
- 2. Every morning, the cat chases its own shadow around the living room.
- 3. In the wild, lions chase their prey over long distances to secure a meal.
Past Simple
- 1. The police officer chased the thief through the narrow alley but lost sight of him in the darkness.
- 2. As a child, I often chased fireflies in the backyard during warm summer evenings.
- 3. The dog chased its tail in circles, amusing everyone in the room with its playful antics.
Past Participle
- 1. The fox was chased by the hounds across the field.
- 2. The stolen car has been chased by the police for miles.
- 3. The criminal was being chased through the alley by the officers.
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Bare infinitive
- Routine or Habitual ActionsExample. The dog chases the postman every morning.Example. Lions chase their prey in the wild.Example. The race chases through the town at 6 PM tomorrow.Example. First, you chase down the leads that are most promising.
- General Truths or FactsExample. The dog chases the postman every morning.Example. Lions chase their prey in the wild.Example. The race chases through the town at 6 PM tomorrow.Example. First, you chase down the leads that are most promising.
- Scheduled Events in the Near Future (primarily in formal contexts)Example. The dog chases the postman every morning.Example. Lions chase their prey in the wild.Example. The race chases through the town at 6 PM tomorrow.Example. First, you chase down the leads that are most promising.
- Instructions or DirectionsExample. The dog chases the postman every morning.Example. Lions chase their prey in the wild.Example. The race chases through the town at 6 PM tomorrow.Example. First, you chase down the leads that are most promising.
Past Simple
- Completed Actions in the PastExample. The detective chased the suspect through the alleys yesterday.Example. When he was a child, he always chased the ice cream truck.Example. The rabbit darted out, and the dog chased it, but quickly lost interest.
- Past Habits or StatesExample. The detective chased the suspect through the alleys yesterday.Example. When he was a child, he always chased the ice cream truck.Example. The rabbit darted out, and the dog chased it, but quickly lost interest.
- Narratives or Series of EventsExample. The detective chased the suspect through the alleys yesterday.Example. When he was a child, he always chased the ice cream truck.Example. The rabbit darted out, and the dog chased it, but quickly lost interest.
Past Participle
- Perfect Tenses Actions Completed at a Certain TimeExample. The robber was chased by the police across the city.Example. Feeling chased and cornered, the fox finally jumped over the fence.Example. If they had chased their passions, life might have been different.
- Present Perfect. They have chased the same dream for years.Example. The robber was chased by the police across the city.Example. Feeling chased and cornered, the fox finally jumped over the fence.Example. If they had chased their passions, life might have been different.
- Past Perfect. The police had chased the thief for hours before catching him.Example. The robber was chased by the police across the city.Example. Feeling chased and cornered, the fox finally jumped over the fence.Example. If they had chased their passions, life might have been different.
- Future Perfect. By next year, they will have chased down all the leads.Example. The robber was chased by the police across the city.Example. Feeling chased and cornered, the fox finally jumped over the fence.Example. If they had chased their passions, life might have been different.
- Passive Voice Denoting an Action Done to the SubjectExample. The robber was chased by the police across the city.Example. Feeling chased and cornered, the fox finally jumped over the fence.Example. If they had chased their passions, life might have been different.
- Adjectival Use Describing a State Resulting from an ActionExample. The robber was chased by the police across the city.Example. Feeling chased and cornered, the fox finally jumped over the fence.Example. If they had chased their passions, life might have been different.
- Conditional StructuresExample. The robber was chased by the police across the city.Example. Feeling chased and cornered, the fox finally jumped over the fence.Example. If they had chased their passions, life might have been different.
Common mistakes
— 01
Incorrect Verb Form
A common mistake is using the wrong form of the past simple or past participle for irregular verbs. While the verb 'chase' is regular and follows the standard rule by adding -ed for both its past simple and past participle forms (chased), learners often mistakenly apply this rule to irregular verbs. For instance, they might incorrectly use 'runned' instead of 'ran' (past simple) and 'run' (past participle) for the verb 'run'. Understanding the distinction between regular and irregular verbs and memorizing the irregular forms is crucial to avoid this mistake.
— 02
Confusing Forms
Another common mistake is Confusing forms when forming perfect tenses. The past simple, such as 'chased,' is used for actions completed at a specific time in the past. In contrast, the past participle, also 'chased' for regular verbs like 'chase,' is used with auxiliary verbs (have/has/had) to form perfect tenses, indicating actions that have relevance to the present or were completed at an unspecified time in the past. For example, incorrectly saying 'I have chased him yesterday' instead of the correct 'I chased him yesterday' mixes the use of the perfect aspect with a specific time expression suited for the simple past.
— 03
Misuse in Passive Voice
Misusing past simple and past participle forms in passive voice constructions is a frequent error. In the passive voice, the past participle form should be used regardless of the tense. A mistake occurs when learners use the past simple form instead of the past participle with the verb 'to be' to form the passive voice, e.g., saying 'The cat was chase by the dog' instead of the correct 'The cat was chased by the dog.' Understanding the role of the past participle in passive constructions is essential to convey the intended meaning accurately.
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