Deny past tense
Meaning of deny
to state that something is not true.
Infinitive
- 1. He always denies being involved in any mischief at school.
- 2. The company denies any responsibility for the pollution in the river.
- 3. She denies that she ever received the letter we sent last week.
Past Simple
- 1. She denied knowing anything about the missing money when questioned by the police.
- 2. He denied ever having seen the document before, despite his signature being on it.
- 3. They denied eating the last piece of cake, but the crumbs on their faces suggested otherwise.
Past Participle
- 1. The allegations have been consistently denied by the accused.
- 2. The request for additional funds was denied by the committee.
- 3. Her claims were firmly denied by the company spokesperson.
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Bare infinitive
- When talking about general truths, habits, or routines.Example. He always denies being late even when he clearly is.Example. This company denies any responsibility for the pollution.Example. She denies any wrongdoing in her monthly reports.
- When making statements that are universally true or factual in the present.Example. He always denies being late even when he clearly is.Example. This company denies any responsibility for the pollution.Example. She denies any wrongdoing in her monthly reports.
- When describing actions that are regularly repeated or scheduled.Example. He always denies being late even when he clearly is.Example. This company denies any responsibility for the pollution.Example. She denies any wrongdoing in her monthly reports.
Past Simple
- When talking about a specific action that happened at a definite time in the past.Example. He denied the allegations last night.Example. The minister denied having any contact with the lobbyist before the scandal erupted.Example. When asked, they all denied knowing anything about the breakin at the museum.
- When you want to express a completed action or state that occurred in the past.Example. He denied the allegations last night.Example. The minister denied having any contact with the lobbyist before the scandal erupted.Example. When asked, they all denied knowing anything about the breakin at the museum.
- When narrating a series of events or actions in the past.Example. He denied the allegations last night.Example. The minister denied having any contact with the lobbyist before the scandal erupted.Example. When asked, they all denied knowing anything about the breakin at the museum.
Past Participle
- Used in the passive voice to describe something that has been done or an action received by the subject.Example. The proposal was unanimously denied by the board.Example. They have always denied being involved in such activities.Example. If he had denied stealing the money, the case might have taken a different turn.
- Used in perfect tenses to talk about actions that have a connection to the present or that happened at an unspecified time in the past.Example. The proposal was unanimously denied by the board.Example. They have always denied being involved in such activities.Example. If he had denied stealing the money, the case might have taken a different turn.
- When forming conditional sentences or expressing hypothetical situations.Example. The proposal was unanimously denied by the board.Example. They have always denied being involved in such activities.Example. If he had denied stealing the money, the case might have taken a different turn.
Common mistakes
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Incorrect Verb Form Usage
One of the most common mistakes occurs when learners confuse the past simple form of a verb with its past participle form, or vice versa. For the verb 'deny', the past simple form is 'denied', and the past participle form is also 'denied'. Errors typically arise when learners use the base form or an incorrect past form in perfect tenses or passive voice constructions. For example, incorrectly saying 'I have deny the accusation' instead of the correct 'I have denied the accusation'.
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Misapplication in Perfect Tenses
Another frequent error involves using the past simple form when the past participle form is required in perfect tense constructions. Since both the past simple and past participle forms of 'deny' are 'denied', the mistake might seem less obvious but becomes apparent in the application of the rule to other verbs. Learners often incorrectly form sentences like 'She had deny it before' instead of 'She had denied it before'. This mistake undermines the grammatical integrity of perfect tenses, which require the use of the past participle.
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Error in Passive Voice Constructions
The third common mistake is misusing the verb form in passive voice sentences. The past participle form should be used in passive constructions, but learners sometimes mistakenly use the past simple form. For 'deny', while the error is less noticeable due to the same form ('denied') being used for both, when applied to other verbs, the mistake becomes clear. An incorrect attempt might be 'The rumor was deny by the official,' instead of the correct 'The rumor was denied by the official.' This error changes the structure and meaning of the sentence, leading to confusion.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'deny'?
How do you use 'denied' in a past simple sentence?
How is 'denied' used as a past participle?
Can you provide an example of 'denied' in a sentence using the past perfect tense?