Destroy past tense

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Meaning of destroy

to put an end to the existence of (something) by damaging or attacking it.

Infinitive

Word: destroy /dɪˈstrɔɪ/
Examples:
  • 1. Plastic pollution destroys marine ecosystems at an alarming rate.
  • 2. Acid rain destroys the surfaces of historical monuments.
  • 3. The company destroys old documents to protect confidential information.

Past Simple

Word: destroyed /dɪˈstrɔɪd/
Examples:
  • 1. The hurricane destroyed many homes in its path, leaving devastation behind.
  • 2. They destroyed the old bridge to make way for a new, modern structure.
  • 3. After the game, the losing team's fans destroyed some of the seats in the stadium in frustration.

Past Participle

Word: destroyed /dɪˈstrɔɪd/
Examples:
  • 1. The city was destroyed by a powerful earthquake.
  • 2. By the time the firefighters arrived, the entire building had been destroyed by the flames.
  • 3. The documents were completely destroyed to prevent any unauthorized access.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual actions
    Example. I destroy sensitive documents every Friday.
    Example. Fire destroys paper.
    Example. The demolition team destroys the old building tomorrow at dawn.
  2. General truths or facts
    Example. I destroy sensitive documents every Friday.
    Example. Fire destroys paper.
    Example. The demolition team destroys the old building tomorrow at dawn.
  3. Scheduled future events (in some contexts)
    Example. I destroy sensitive documents every Friday.
    Example. Fire destroys paper.
    Example. The demolition team destroys the old building tomorrow at dawn.

Past Simple

  1. Completed actions at a specific time in the past
    Example. The fire destroyed the warehouse last night.
    Example. The army marched into the city and destroyed everything in their path.
    Example. There once existed a civilization that destroyed itself through war.
  2. A series of completed actions in the past
    Example. The fire destroyed the warehouse last night.
    Example. The army marched into the city and destroyed everything in their path.
    Example. There once existed a civilization that destroyed itself through war.
  3. Past habits
    Example. The fire destroyed the warehouse last night.
    Example. The army marched into the city and destroyed everything in their path.
    Example. There once existed a civilization that destroyed itself through war.
  4. When I was a child, I destroyed my toys because I was curious about how they worked.
    Example. The fire destroyed the warehouse last night.
    Example. The army marched into the city and destroyed everything in their path.
    Example. There once existed a civilization that destroyed itself through war.
  5. Past facts or generalizations which are no longer true
    Example. The fire destroyed the warehouse last night.
    Example. The army marched into the city and destroyed everything in their path.
    Example. There once existed a civilization that destroyed itself through war.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect, future perfect)
    Example. Present Perfect. I have destroyed the evidence.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time they arrived, the evidence had already been destroyed.
    Example. Future Perfect. By next year, the new virus will have destroyed many habitats.
    Example. The ancient ruins were destroyed by a natural disaster.
    Example. The destroyed building will take years to rebuild.
  2. Passive voice
    Example. Present Perfect. I have destroyed the evidence.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time they arrived, the evidence had already been destroyed.
    Example. Future Perfect. By next year, the new virus will have destroyed many habitats.
    Example. The ancient ruins were destroyed by a natural disaster.
    Example. The destroyed building will take years to rebuild.
  3. Adjective or descriptor
    Example. Present Perfect. I have destroyed the evidence.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time they arrived, the evidence had already been destroyed.
    Example. Future Perfect. By next year, the new virus will have destroyed many habitats.
    Example. The ancient ruins were destroyed by a natural disaster.
    Example. The destroyed building will take years to rebuild.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

One of the most common mistakes with the word 'destroy' is confusing its past simple form (destroyed) with its past participle form (also destroyed). Although both forms are identical for this verb, the error usually arises in their application within sentences. The past simple form is used to denote an action that was completed in the past ('The fire destroyed the building last night.'), whereas the past participle is often used with auxiliary verbs in perfect tenses or passive voice ('The building has been destroyed by fire.'). Mistaking these forms' functions can lead to incorrect tense usage and misunderstanding of the sentence's temporal context.

— 02

Incorrect Inflection

A second mistake involves incorrectly inflecting the past forms of 'destroy.' Some might mistakenly add an extra -ed (e.g., 'destroyeded') or alter the word inappropriately because they apply the regular past tense rule without recognizing that 'destroy' already follows the rule with 'destroyed' as both its past simple and past participle forms. This kind of error typically stems from overgeneralizing the rules for forming past tenses in English without remembering the correct forms of irregular verbs or verbs that do not change.

— 03

Overuse of Past Participle

Lastly, a frequent error is the overuse or misuse of the past participle form without the necessary auxiliary verbs to form the correct tense. For instance, saying 'I destroyed to the store' instead of the correct present perfect tense 'I have destroyed the letter.' This misuse demonstrates a misunderstanding of how auxiliary verbs work with the past participle to express perfect aspects or the passive voice. Recognizing when to pair 'destroyed' with auxiliary verbs like 'have,' 'has,' or 'had' is crucial for conveying the correct tense and voice.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'destroy'?

The past simple form of 'destroy' is 'destroyed'. It is used to talk about actions that happened and were completed at a specific time in the past. For example. 'The fire destroyed the ancient temple last year.'

What is the past participle form of 'destroy'?

The past participle form of 'destroy' is also 'destroyed'. It is used in perfect tenses and passive voice sentences. For example, in the present perfect tense. 'The company has destroyed all the old records.' In a passive voice sentence. 'The old records were destroyed by the company.'

How do I use 'destroyed' in a sentence to indicate a past action?

To indicate a past action using 'destroyed', you would typically use it in the past simple tense if referring to a specific event, or in the past perfect tense if you need to emphasize that the action happened before another past event. Example in past simple. 'The hurricane destroyed many homes last summer.' Example in past perfect. 'By the time help arrived, the fire had already destroyed the entire village.'

Can 'destroyed' be used in both active and passive voice sentences? How?

Yes, 'destroyed' can be used in both active and passive voice sentences. In active voice, the subject performs the action, and in passive voice, the subject receives the action. Active Voice Example. 'The developers destroyed the old theater to make way for the new shopping mall.' (Here, 'the developers' is the subject performing the action of destroying.) Passive Voice Example. 'The old theater was destroyed by the developers to make way for the new shopping mall.' (In this case, 'the old theater' is the subject that receives the action of being destroyed, and 'the developers' are mentioned later as the agents performing the action.)