Copy past tense

Type your word here
Try:

Learn past tenses to communicate in English accurately

Meaning of copy

to imitate or reproduce something.

Infinitive

Word: copy: /ˈkɒpi/
Examples:
  • 1. She often copies the notes from her friend when she misses a class.
  • 2. He copies the design from the internet for his art project.
  • 3. The printer copies the document swiftly and efficiently.

Past Simple

Word: copied /ˈkɒp.id/
Examples:
  • 1. He copied the notes from his friend because he missed the class.
  • 2. Last night, I copied a few files onto my external hard drive for backup.
  • 3. They copied the design from a magazine and used it for their project.

Past Participle

Word: copied /ˈkɒpiːd/
Examples:
  • 1. By the deadline, she had copied all the documents needed for the meeting.
  • 2. They had copied the key design features from the original model, improving upon them.
  • 3. He had copied the entire manuscript by hand, preserving the author's original formatting.

Learn more words on the go

Master verb forms with Promova!

Download the app
cta-section-decorative-line-left
cta-section-decorative-line-left

Bare infinitive

  1. To describe habits, routines, or facts. This tense is used to talk about actions or situations that are regular, true, habitual, or factual.
    Example. 'I copy my friend's notes after every class.'
    Example. 'Light copies every color except black.'
    Example. 'First, copy the file into your drive.'
    Example. 'The conference starts at 9 AM.'
  2. To express general truths or laws of nature. It refers to situations that are universally accepted and not likely to change.
    Example. 'I copy my friend's notes after every class.'
    Example. 'Light copies every color except black.'
    Example. 'First, copy the file into your drive.'
    Example. 'The conference starts at 9 AM.'
  3. To give instructions or directions. It's used when providing stepbystep guidance.
    Example. 'I copy my friend's notes after every class.'
    Example. 'Light copies every color except black.'
    Example. 'First, copy the file into your drive.'
    Example. 'The conference starts at 9 AM.'
  4. To express scheduled events in the near future (especially in timetables). This use is common in schedules or programs.
    Example. 'I copy my friend's notes after every class.'
    Example. 'Light copies every color except black.'
    Example. 'First, copy the file into your drive.'
    Example. 'The conference starts at 9 AM.'

Past Simple

  1. To describe completed actions in the past. This tense is used for actions that started and finished at a specific time in the past.
    Example. 'I copied the documents yesterday.'
    Example. 'She copied the files, sent the emails, and left the office by 6 PM.'
    Example. 'When I was a student, I regularly copied notes from my classmates.'
    Example. 'She said she copied the entire book by hand.'
  2. To narrate a series of past actions or events. When telling stories or recounting sequences of events that happened in the past.
    Example. 'I copied the documents yesterday.'
    Example. 'She copied the files, sent the emails, and left the office by 6 PM.'
    Example. 'When I was a student, I regularly copied notes from my classmates.'
    Example. 'She said she copied the entire book by hand.'
  3. To express past habits or routines. When talking about habits or routines that were true in the past but no longer exist.
    Example. 'I copied the documents yesterday.'
    Example. 'She copied the files, sent the emails, and left the office by 6 PM.'
    Example. 'When I was a student, I regularly copied notes from my classmates.'
    Example. 'She said she copied the entire book by hand.'
  4. For reported speech. To report what someone said in the past.
    Example. 'I copied the documents yesterday.'
    Example. 'She copied the files, sent the emails, and left the office by 6 PM.'
    Example. 'When I was a student, I regularly copied notes from my classmates.'
    Example. 'She said she copied the entire book by hand.'

Past Participle

  1. To form the perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect, future perfect). the Past Participle is used with the auxiliary verb 'have' to form these tenses.
    Example. Present Perfect. 'I have copied all the necessary files.'
    Example. Past Perfect. 'I had already copied the files before the system crashed.'
    Example. Future Perfect. 'By tomorrow, I will have copied all the documents.'
    Example. 'The novel was copied by hand by monks in the Middle Ages.'
    Example. 'The teacher is impressed by how accurately the poem was copied.'
  2. In passive voice sentences. When the focus is on the action or the receiver of the action rather than who or what is performing the action.
    Example. Present Perfect. 'I have copied all the necessary files.'
    Example. Past Perfect. 'I had already copied the files before the system crashed.'
    Example. Future Perfect. 'By tomorrow, I will have copied all the documents.'
    Example. 'The novel was copied by hand by monks in the Middle Ages.'
    Example. 'The teacher is impressed by how accurately the poem was copied.'
  3. To describe conditions or states resulting from earlier actions. This use often appears with verbs like 'to be' or 'to get' to describe the result of an action.
    Example. Present Perfect. 'I have copied all the necessary files.'
    Example. Past Perfect. 'I had already copied the files before the system crashed.'
    Example. Future Perfect. 'By tomorrow, I will have copied all the documents.'
    Example. 'The novel was copied by hand by monks in the Middle Ages.'
    Example. 'The teacher is impressed by how accurately the poem was copied.'

Common mistakes

— 01

Retaining the 'y'

A frequent mistake is simply adding 'ed' to the end of the base form without changing the 'y' to 'i,' resulting in 'copyed' instead of the correct 'copied.' This error occurs because learners may not be aware of or forget the rule that when a verb ends in a consonant followed by 'y,' the 'y' should change to 'i' before adding 'ed.'

— 02

Using the Base Form

Another common error involves using the base form 'copy' instead of the past simple or past participle form 'copied' when the context requires a reference to past actions. For example, saying 'Yesterday, I copy all the documents' instead of 'Yesterday, I copied all the documents.' This mistake reflects a misunderstanding of tense usage, specifically the need to modify the verb to indicate past action.

— 03

Omitting the Past Participle

In perfect tense constructions, the past participle 'copied' should be used with an auxiliary verb to indicate completed actions. A common mistake is omitting the past participle or misusing the base form, leading to grammatically incorrect sentences. For instance, saying 'I have copy the files to the backup drive' instead of the correct 'I have copied the files to the backup drive.'

Past tense quiz

Check your skills and find areas for improvement

Take quiz

Frequently asked questions

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

The past simple form of 'copy' is 'copied,' and the past participle form is also 'copied.' Both forms are used to indicate actions in the past, but they are applied in different grammatical structures.

How do you use the past simple form 'copied' in a sentence?

The past simple form 'copied' is used to describe an action that was completed at a specific time in the past. For example. 'She copied the notes from the board yesterday.' In this sentence, 'copied' indicates that the action of copying was completed at a specific time in the past, which is 'yesterday.'

How is the past participle 'copied' used in sentences?

The past participle 'copied' is often used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses or the passive voice. For example. Perfect tense. 'He has copied all the documents needed for the meeting.' Passive voice. 'The documents were copied by the assistant.' In the perfect tense example, 'has copied' indicates an action that was completed at some time in the past and has relevance to the present. In the passive voice example, 'were copied' describes an action done to the subject (the documents) by someone else (the assistant).

Can 'copied' be used in both active and passive voice constructions?

Yes, 'copied' can be used in both active and passive voice constructions, depending on the focus of the sentence. In active voice, the subject performs the action, as in. 'The student copied the essay from the internet.' In passive voice, the focus is on the action or the object of the action, rather than who performed it, as in. 'The essay was copied from the internet by the student.'