Crawl past tense

Meaning of crawl

to move slowly or with difficulty, especially with the body stretched out along the ground or on hands and knees.

Infinitive

Word: crawl /krɔːl/

Examples:

1. Babies often crawl before they learn to walk.
2. Spiders crawl up the wall silently.
3. Ants crawl in a line to gather food.

Past Simple

Word: crawled /krɔːld/

Examples:

1. She crawled under the table to retrieve her fallen earring.
2. The baby crawled across the living room floor for the first time.
3. As we explored the cave, we crawled through narrow passages to reach the other side.

Past Participle

Word: crawled /krɔːld/

Examples:

1. The dark, narrow hallway had been crawled by countless curious children looking for hidden treasures.
2. By the time we arrived, the entire length of the garden was already being crawled by the enthusiastic puppy.
3. The spooky attic floor was slowly crawled by the cat, whose every step released a cloud of dust into the sunbeams.

Learn more words on the go

Master verb forms with Promova!

Download the app

Bare infinitive

To describe habits or routines.
Example. I crawl into bed each night after 11 PM.
Example. Babies usually crawl before they walk.
Example. Spiders crawl with ease across walls and ceilings.
To state facts.
Example. I crawl into bed each night after 11 PM.
Example. Babies usually crawl before they walk.
Example. Spiders crawl with ease across walls and ceilings.
To express general truths.
Example. I crawl into bed each night after 11 PM.
Example. Babies usually crawl before they walk.
Example. Spiders crawl with ease across walls and ceilings.

Past Simple

To talk about a completed action at a specific time in the past.
Example. He crawled through the small window last night during the game.
Example. The baby crawled for the first time, and then she tried to stand up.
To describe a sequence of past events.
Example. He crawled through the small window last night during the game.
Example. The baby crawled for the first time, and then she tried to stand up.

Past Participle

To form present perfect tense, describing an action that happened at an unspecified time before now.
Example. The children have already crawled through the play tunnel.
Example. The troops had crawled to safety before the enemy spotted them.
Example. The course was crawled by hundreds of participants during the challenge.
To form past perfect tense, describing an action that happened before another action in the past.
Example. The children have already crawled through the play tunnel.
Example. The troops had crawled to safety before the enemy spotted them.
Example. The course was crawled by hundreds of participants during the challenge.
To form passive voice sentences.
Example. The children have already crawled through the play tunnel.
Example. The troops had crawled to safety before the enemy spotted them.
Example. The course was crawled by hundreds of participants during the challenge.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

One common mistake is assuming that 'crawl' follows an irregular conjugation pattern in its past simple and past participle forms. Unlike irregular verbs like 'sing,' which changes to 'sang' (past simple) and 'sung' (past participle), 'crawl' is a regular verb. This means its past simple and past participle forms are created by simply adding -ed to the base form. The correct past simple and past participle form is 'crawled,' not 'crowl' or 'crown,' which are errors stemming from misapplying the patterns of irregular verbs.

— 02

Incorrect Spelling

Another mistake involves misspelling the past simple and past participle forms of 'crawl.' Since 'crawl' ends in a consonant followed by a vowel followed by another consonant (l), there's sometimes confusion, leading to incorrect doubling of the final 'l' when adding -ed. However, 'crawl' does not require the final consonant to be doubled before adding -ed. Therefore, 'crawled' is correct, whereas 'crawll' or 'crawleded' are incorrect forms that mistakenly appear due to overgeneralization of spelling rules.

— 03

Misuse in Compound Tenses

A further error occurs when using 'crawl' in compound tenses, such as the present perfect or past perfect. Some might mistakenly use the base form or the past simple form instead of the past participle form. The correct way to use 'crawl' in these tenses involves the past participle 'crawled.' For instance, 'I have crawled' is correct for present perfect, while 'I had crawled' is correct for past perfect. Using 'I have crawl' or 'I had crawl' are common mistakes that fail to convey the action correctly in these compound tenses.

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 'crawl'?

The past simple form of 'crawl' is 'crawled.' This form is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. The past participle form is also 'crawled.' It is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions.

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

To use the past simple form, you structure your sentence to reflect an action that was completed in the past. For example. 'Yesterday, the baby crawled across the living room for the first time.' In this sentence, 'crawled' indicates the action that took place in the past.

Can you give an example of how to use the past participle form of 'crawl' in a sentence?

Yes, the past participle form 'crawled' can be used in perfect tenses or the passive voice. For example, in the present perfect tense. 'The baby has crawled to the other side of the room.' Here, 'has crawled' is used to describe an action that happened at an unspecified time before now. In the passive voice. 'The floor was crawled on by the baby,' although this construction is less common in English. Is there a difference in the usage of 'crawled' between American and British English