Cry past tense

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Meaning of cry

to shed tears as an expression of emotion.

Infinitive

Word: cry /kraɪ/
Examples:
  • 1. She often cries when watching sad movies.
  • 2. He cries out in pain whenever he moves his injured leg.
  • 3. The baby cries every time someone new holds her.

Past Simple

Word: cried /kraɪd/
Examples:
  • 1. She cried softly during the sad movie.
  • 2. He cried out in pain when he stubbed his toe.
  • 3. They cried tears of joy when they were reunited after many years.

Past Participle

Word: cried /kraɪd/
Examples:
  • 1. By the end of the movie, she had cried so much that her eyes were swollen.
  • 2. They had cried tears of joy when they heard the good news.
  • 3. He had cried himself to sleep after the day's upsetting events.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Regular or habitual actions.
    Example. She usually cries when she watches a sad movie.
    Example. Babies cry when they are hungry.
    Example. The play begins at 8 PM, and she cries during the final scene.
  2. General truths or facts.
    Example. She usually cries when she watches a sad movie.
    Example. Babies cry when they are hungry.
    Example. The play begins at 8 PM, and she cries during the final scene.
  3. Fixed arrangements in the near future (often found in a timetable or schedule context).
    Example. She usually cries when she watches a sad movie.
    Example. Babies cry when they are hungry.
    Example. The play begins at 8 PM, and she cries during the final scene.

Past Simple

  1. Actions completed at a specific time in the past.
    Example. She cried when she heard the news yesterday.
    Example. She came home, sat on the sofa, and cried.
    Example. I cried last night after the movie.
  2. A sequence of actions in the past.
    Example. She cried when she heard the news yesterday.
    Example. She came home, sat on the sofa, and cried.
    Example. I cried last night after the movie.
  3. With expressions of time indicating when the action happened.
    Example. She cried when she heard the news yesterday.
    Example. She came home, sat on the sofa, and cried.
    Example. I cried last night after the movie.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses (have/has/had cried) to indicate actions that were completed at an indefinite time in the past or that occurred before another action.
    Example. Present Perfect. I have never cried at a wedding.
    Example. Past Perfect. She had already cried by the time the movie started.
    Example. Passive Voice. The sad story was cried over by many.
  2. Passive voice to show that the subject is acted upon.
    Example. Present Perfect. I have never cried at a wedding.
    Example. Past Perfect. She had already cried by the time the movie started.
    Example. Passive Voice. The sad story was cried over by many.

Common mistakes

— 01

Incorrect Regular Verb

A common mistake is treating irregular verbs like 'cry' as if they were regular verbs when forming the past simple and past participle. The correct past simple and past participle form of 'cry' is 'cried', not 'cryed'. This error occurs because learners often apply the regular verb rule of adding '-ed' to the base form without considering irregular verb patterns. In the case of 'cry', the correct transformation involves changing the 'y' to 'i' before adding '-ed', which is a specific rule for verbs ending in a consonant followed by 'y'.

— 02

Confusion Between Forms

Another mistake involves using the past simple form when the past participle is required, and vice versa. For 'cry', both the past simple and past participle forms are 'cried', making it seem straightforward. However, learners might mistakenly use 'cried' as a past participle without the auxiliary verb (have/has/had) in perfect tenses or choose an incorrect form believing a distinction must exist. For example, saying 'I have cry yesterday' instead of 'I cried yesterday' or 'I have cried yesterday' shows confusion in applying the correct tense and form.

— 03

Misuse in Passive Voice

A frequent error is failing to use the past participle form correctly in passive voice constructions and perfect tenses. Since 'cry' becomes 'cried' in both the past simple and past participle, it might seem simple, but learners often forget to pair it with the appropriate auxiliary verbs in these constructions. For instance, saying 'The baby was cried all night' instead of 'The baby cried all night' or 'The baby has cried all night' displays a misunderstanding of how to form passive voice and perfect aspect sentences correctly.

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Frequently asked questions

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

The past simple form of 'cry' is 'cried.' This form is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. The past participle form is also 'cried,' which is used in perfect tense constructions to describe actions that have an effect on the present or actions that were completed at some unspecified time in the past.

How do I use 'cried' in a past simple sentence?

To use 'cried' in a past simple sentence, you should be referring to a specific instance in the past when someone cried. Here is an example. 'Yesterday, she cried when she watched the sad movie.' In this sentence, 'cried' indicates a specific action that happened at a known time in the past, which is yesterday.

How is 'cried' used in a sentence with a perfect tense?

In perfect tenses, 'cried' is used to indicate an action related to crying that has relevance to the present moment (present perfect), was completed by a certain time in the past (past perfect), or will be completed by a certain time in the future (future perfect). For example, in the present perfect tense. 'She has cried several times this week.' This sentence suggests that the action of crying has occurred multiple times up until now.

Can 'cried' be used differently in a sentence, depending on the context?

Yes, the context can change how 'cried' is used in a sentence. While its form does not change, its meaning can shift slightly based on the surrounding words and the tense of the sentence. For instance, in a figurative sense, 'cried' can be used to express a strong emotional outburst other than sorrow, such as joy or frustration. 'He cried out in frustration when he couldn't solve the puzzle.' Despite the different emotional context, 'cried' still follows the same grammatical rules for past simple and past participle usage.