Cling past tense

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Meaning of cling

to hold on tightly to someone or something.

Infinitive

Word: cling /klɪŋ/
Examples:
  • 1. Every morning, the dew clings to the blades of grass in the field.
  • 2. The label clings tightly to the jar, making it hard to remove.
  • 3. She clings to her beliefs, despite the changing opinions around her.

Past Simple

Word: clung /klʌŋ/
Examples:
  • 1. She clung to the edge of the cliff until help arrived.
  • 2. He clung to his beliefs despite the opposing evidence.
  • 3. As the child was scared, she clung to her mother's leg tightly.

Past Participle

Word: clung /klʌŋ/
Examples:
  • 1. The old poster had clung to the wall for years before it was finally removed.
  • 2. They have clung to the hope that the lost painting would one day be found.
  • 3. The memories of that day have clung to me, never fading away.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual actions or general truths
    Example. He clings to his childhood memories as they bring him comfort.
    Example. She clings to the hope that things will get better soon.
  2. Fixed arrangements in the near future (often found in informal contexts)
    Example. He clings to his childhood memories as they bring him comfort.
    Example. She clings to the hope that things will get better soon.

Past Simple

  1. Actions completed at a specific time in the past
    Example. He clung to the side of the mountain until help arrived.
    Example. As children, they clung to the belief that magic was real.
  2. Actions that happened repeatedly in the past, but not anymore
    Example. He clung to the side of the mountain until help arrived.
    Example. As children, they clung to the belief that magic was real.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, etc.) to indicate actions that have an impact on the present or were completed by a certain time in the past
    Example. Present Perfect. She has always clung to her own convictions, despite what others say.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time the debate started, he had already clung to his initial opinion so firmly that nothing could change his mind.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

One of the most common mistakes is confusing the past simple form with the past participle form of 'cling.' The past simple form is 'clung,' and so is the past participle form. However, learners often mistake them for each other or use an incorrect form, thinking they should be distinct. For example, they might mistakenly use 'cling' or 'clinged' as the past participle when it should be 'clung' in perfect tenses (e.g., 'I have clung to the idea').

— 02

Creating Regular Forms

Many English learners tend to regularize irregular verbs. 'Cling' is an irregular verb, but it's common to see learners incorrectly apply a regular verb pattern to it, such as adding '-ed' for its past forms. Thus, one might incorrectly say 'clinged' instead of 'clung' for both the past simple and past participle forms. This mistake stems from the tendency to generalize the more common '-ed' ending rule for past forms in English to all verbs, including irregular ones.

— 03

Misapplication in Perfect Tenses

A frequent error is the Misuse of Past Participle in perfect tenses. Since 'cling' retains the same form 'clung' as both its past simple and past participle forms, learners sometimes replace it with the base form or an incorrect variation when using it in present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect tenses. For instance, saying 'I have clinged' instead of the correct 'I have clung' demonstrates a misunderstanding of how to use the past participle form in perfect tense constructions.

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Frequently asked questions

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

The past simple form of 'cling' is 'clung.' The past participle form is also 'clung.' Unlike regular verbs that follow a specific pattern (e.g., walk/walked/walked), 'cling' is an irregular verb, so its past forms do not end in '-ed.'

How do you use 'clung' in a sentence to indicate past simple tense?

When you want to indicate an action that happened at a specific time in the past and has already finished, you use the past simple tense. For example. 'She clung to her mother when she saw the scary dog.' In this sentence, 'clung' signifies an action that happened at a specific moment in the past.

Can you give an example of how to use 'clung' as a past participle in a sentence?

The past participle form of a verb can be used in perfect tenses or as an adjective. For example, in the sentence 'She has clung to those memories for years,' 'clung' is used as a past participle in the present perfect tense, indicating an action that started in the past and continues into the present. As an adjective, you might say, 'The clung vines on the ancient walls add to the castle's mystique,' though this usage is less common and might be considered stylistically unusual. Is it ever correct to use 'clinged' instead of 'clung' for the past tense or past participle of 'cling'