Cut past tense

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Learn past tenses to communicate in English accurately

Meaning of cut

to make an opening, incision, or wound in (something) with a sharp-edged tool or object.

Infinitive

Word: cut /kʌt/
Examples:
  • 1. She cuts the vegetables every morning for breakfast.
  • 2. He always cuts his own hair instead of going to the barber.
  • 3. The teacher cuts the paper into small pieces for the art project.

Past Simple

Word: cut /kʌt/
Examples:
  • 1. She cut her long hair and donated the money to a charity that makes wigs for children.
  • 2. We cut the budget in order to save money for future investments.
  • 3. She cut the paper into shapes for her art project.

Past Participle

Word: cut /kʌt/
Examples:
  • 1. The paper has been cut into equal pieces by the teacher.
  • 2. By the end of the day, the fabric was cut perfectly by the tailor.
  • 3. The grass had been cut before the rain began.

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Bare infinitive

  1. For habitual actions. When you want to describe an action that happens regularly.
    Example. 'She cuts out coupons from the newspaper every Sunday.'
  2. For universal truths or facts. To state something that is generally true.
    Example. 'A sharp knife cuts better.'
  3. For instructions or directions. Often used in recipes or when giving direct instructions.
    Example. 'First, cut the onions into small pieces.'

Past Simple

  1. For completed actions in the past. When the action is finished and there is a clear indication or implication of when it happened.
    Example. 'He cut his finger while cooking dinner last night.'
  2. For narrations. Telling a story or recounting events that happened at a specific time in the past.
    Example. 'During the crafting session, they cut shapes out of colored paper.'

Past Participle

  1. In perfect tenses. To talk about actions that have a connection with the present (present perfect), happened before another action in the past (past perfect), or will have been completed by a certain future time (future perfect). Since 'cut' is an irregular verb that does not change its form for the past participle, the usage examples demonstrate the form taken with auxiliary verbs.
    Example. Present Perfect. 'She has cut down on sugar recently.'
    Example. Past Perfect. 'They had already cut the cake by the time we arrived.'
    Example. Future Perfect. 'By next year, the company will have cut costs significantly.'
  2. In passive voice. To describe actions where the focus is on the object of the action or when the subject of the action is unknown or irrelevant.
    Example. 'The paper was cut neatly into shapes.'
    Example. Past Perfect. 'They had already cut the cake by the time we arrived.'
    Example. Future Perfect. 'By next year, the company will have cut costs significantly.'
  3. In adjective form. When describing the state of something, often as a result of an action.
    Example. 'The cut rope was too short to use.'
    Example. Past Perfect. 'They had already cut the cake by the time we arrived.'
    Example. Future Perfect. 'By next year, the company will have cut costs significantly.'

Common mistakes

— 01

Incorrectly changing form

A common mistake is believing that the word 'cut' needs to be altered to show past simple or past participle form, leading to incorrect forms like 'cutted' for past actions. Correctly, 'cut' remains the same in present, past simple, and past participle forms. The correct usage is 'cut' for all. 'Yesterday, I cut the paper,' 'I have cut the paper.'

— 02

Misuse in perfect tenses

Another mistake is not realizing that 'cut' doesn’t change form when used in perfect tenses, leading to errors like 'I have cutted the vegetables.' The correct form should be 'I have cut the vegetables,' using 'cut' as both the past simple and past participle form.

— 03

Error in passive voice construction

When constructing sentences in the passive voice, some might mistakenly alter 'cut' for past or past participle forms, such as saying 'The paper was cutted by her.' The correct construction maintains the form of 'cut,' as in 'The paper was cut by her.' This mistake stems from not recognizing that 'cut' is an irregular verb that does not change its form.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'cut'?

The past simple form of 'cut' is 'cut.' It remains the same as the base form. This means that when you want to talk about an action that happened in the past, you would still use 'cut.' For example, 'Yesterday, I cut the paper into shapes.'

What is the past participle form of 'cut'?

The past participle form of 'cut' is also 'cut.' It does not change. The past participle is often used in perfect tenses and passive voice. For instance, in the sentence 'The paper has been cut into shapes,' 'cut' is used as the past participle.

How do you use 'cut' in a sentence to indicate a past action?

To indicate a past action using 'cut,' you simply use the word 'cut' in the past tense context, without any change in its form. For example. 'I cut my hair last month.' 'They cut down the old tree behind the house last year.' In these sentences, 'cut' shows that the action happened at a specific time in the past.

Can you provide an example of a sentence using 'cut' in the present perfect tense?

Certainly! When using 'cut' in the present perfect tense, you combine 'have' or 'has' with the past participle of 'cut,' which remains 'cut.' For example. 'I have cut all the vegetables for the salad.' 'She has cut her hair short for the summer.' These sentences indicate actions that have been completed at some point in the past but are relevant to the present moment, using the present perfect tense structure with 'cut.'