Complain past tense

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Meaning of complain

express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something.

Infinitive

Word: complain /kəmˈpleɪn/
Examples:
  • 1. He always complains about the weather, regardless of whether it's hot or cold.
  • 2. She complains that her coffee is never hot enough.
  • 3. My neighbor complains about the noise every time we have a gathering.

Past Simple

Word: complained /kəmˈpleɪnd/
Examples:
  • 1. She complained about the noise coming from the upstairs apartment.
  • 2. They complained to the manager about the poor service at the restaurant.
  • 3. After the hike, he complained of sore feet and a stiff back.

Past Participle

Word: complained /kəmˈpleɪnd/
Examples:
  • 1. The issue has been complained about by many residents.
  • 2. The community have complained about the new rules.
  • 3. His behavior was complained about frequently.

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Bare infinitive

  1. To describe habitual actions or general truths.
    Example. She always complains about the weather.
    Example. He complains about his daily commute.
  2. To talk about scheduled events in the near future (usually for public transportation, etc., but can apply in contextsensitive situations).
    Example. She always complains about the weather.
    Example. He complains about his daily commute.

Past Simple

  1. To talk about actions or situations that were completed in the past.
    Example. They complained about the noise last night.
    Example. When we were kids, we often complained about going to school early.
  2. To describe a habit or a general situation in the past.
    Example. They complained about the noise last night.
    Example. When we were kids, we often complained about going to school early.

Past Participle

  1. Used with 'have' to form the present perfect tense, describing actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past or that started in the past and continue to the present.
    Example. Present Perfect. I have never complained about your cooking.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time they arrived, we had already complained to the manager.
  2. Used with 'had' to form the past perfect tense, referring to an action that was completed before another action or time in the past.
    Example. Present Perfect. I have never complained about your cooking.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time they arrived, we had already complained to the manager.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

A common mistake is mixing up the past simple form of 'complain' with its past participle. The past simple form is 'complained,' which is used to describe an action that occurred and was completed in the past. For example, 'Yesterday, I complained about the service at the restaurant.' The past participle form is also 'complained' but is used in perfect tenses and often requires an auxiliary verb like 'have' or 'had.' A correct use is, 'I have complained about this issue several times.' Mistakingly using one form for the other can lead to grammatical errors, such as saying 'I have complained about this yesterday,' which incorrectly mixes the past simple with the construction of the present perfect tense.

— 02

Incorrect Verb Form

Another frequent error is using the base form or the present tense of 'complain' in perfect tenses, instead of its past participle form. For instance, 'I have complain about the noise' is incorrect. The correct construction is 'I have complained about the noise.' This mistake disrupts the grammatical structure and clarity of the sentence.

— 03

Omitting Auxiliary Verbs

Forgetting to include the auxiliary verb when using the past participle form in perfect tenses is a common mistake. Saying 'I complained about the noise yesterday' is correct for past simple, but for present perfect, omitting the auxiliary verb 'have' as in 'I complained about the noise' instead of the correct 'I have complained about the noise' leads to a misunderstanding of the timing and completion of the action. This omission can confuse the listener or reader about the precise meaning and tense of the sentence.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'complain'?

The past simple form of 'complain' is 'complained'. This form is used to describe an action that was completed in the past. For example, 'Yesterday, I complained about the noise.'

What is the past participle form of 'complain'?

The past participle form of 'complain' is also 'complained'. This form is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. For instance, 'I have complained about this issue before' or 'The issue was complained about by many.'

How do I use the past simple form of 'complain' in a sentence?

To use the past simple form, you simply need to conjugate 'complain' to 'complained' and ensure that your sentence reflects an action that occurred and was completed in the past. Example. 'He complained about the service at the restaurant last night.'

Can you give an example of a sentence using the past participle form of 'complain'?

Certainly! When using the past participle form, you'll often find it in perfect tense constructions or passive voice sentences. For a perfect tense example. 'She has complained about the noise three times this week.' For a passive voice example. 'Complaints about the policy have been complained about by numerous employees.' These examples should help clarify how to use the past simple and past participle forms of 'complain' in various sentence constructions.