Develop past tense

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Meaning of develop

to grow or cause to grow and become more mature, advanced, or elaborate.

Infinitive

Word: develop /dɪˈvɛləp/
Examples:
  • 1. The software company regularly develops innovative applications to meet the needs of its customers.
  • 2. This region develops some of the finest wines due to its unique climate and soil conditions.
  • 3. A child's brain develops rapidly during the first few years of life, absorbing vast amounts of information.

Past Simple

Word: developed /dɪˈvɛləpt/
Examples:
  • 1. The city developed rapidly during the industrial revolution.
  • 2. Our team developed a new strategy to improve sales last quarter.
  • 3. She developed a keen interest in photography while traveling through Europe.

Past Participle

Word: developed /dɪˈvɛləpt/
Examples:
  • 1. The software has been developed by a team of experts.
  • 2. The entire project was developed over the course of two years.
  • 3. The concept for the new product was developed after months of research.

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Bare infinitive

  1. To describe habitual actions or ongoing processes involving growth or advancement in maturity, complexity, or elaboration.
    Example. The company develops new technologies every year.
    Example. Skills develop with practice and time.
    Example. To develop a stronger team spirit, encourage open communication.
  2. To state facts or general truths about the process of development or advancement.
    Example. The company develops new technologies every year.
    Example. Skills develop with practice and time.
    Example. To develop a stronger team spirit, encourage open communication.
  3. To give instructions or advice related to fostering growth or creating more advanced or elaborate projects or states.
    Example. The company develops new technologies every year.
    Example. Skills develop with practice and time.
    Example. To develop a stronger team spirit, encourage open communication.

Past Simple

  1. To talk about a specific instance in the past when something grew or became more mature, advanced, or elaborate.
    Example. The scientist developed a new vaccine last year.
    Example. Over the decades, they developed the small startup into a multinational corporation.
    Example. He developed his expertise in digital marketing while working for various startups.
  2. To describe a series of actions in the past that involved the process of development or advancement.
    Example. The scientist developed a new vaccine last year.
    Example. Over the decades, they developed the small startup into a multinational corporation.
    Example. He developed his expertise in digital marketing while working for various startups.
  3. To express a past action or series of actions of development that is complete.
    Example. The scientist developed a new vaccine last year.
    Example. Over the decades, they developed the small startup into a multinational corporation.
    Example. He developed his expertise in digital marketing while working for various startups.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses - To talk about actions of growth or becoming more mature, advanced, or elaborate that have happened, with relevance to the present moment or completed at an unspecified time in the past.
    Example. A cure for the disease was developed after years of research.
  2. Example (Present Perfect). They have developed a new method to increase crop yields.
    Example. A cure for the disease was developed after years of research.
  3. Example (Past Perfect). By the time the conference took place, the team had already developed a prototype.
    Example. A cure for the disease was developed after years of research.
  4. Passive voice - To describe situations where the focus is on something being grown, made more mature, advanced, or elaborate, rather than who performed the action.
    Example. A cure for the disease was developed after years of research.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

A common mistake with the verb 'develop' involves confusing its past simple form, 'developed,' with its past participle form, which is also 'developed.' While both forms are spelled the same, their usage differs significantly. The past simple form is used to describe actions that were completed in the past, often at a specific time, e.g., 'Yesterday, they developed a new prototype.' In contrast, the past participle form is primarily used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions, e.g., 'The new prototype has been developed by the team.' Misusing these forms can lead to confusion about the timing or nature of the action described.

— 02

Incorrectly Creating Irregular Forms

Another mistake is attempting to irregularly conjugate 'develop' into its past forms. Some learners might mistakenly believe that because many English verbs have irregular past forms, 'develop' should follow a similar pattern, leading to incorrect forms like 'developt' or 'developen.' The correct past simple and past participle form of 'develop' is 'developed,' following the regular conjugation pattern of adding '-ed' to the base form.

— 03

Omitting Past Participle

Users often omit the past participle form when constructing perfect tenses, leading to grammatically incorrect sentences. For instance, saying 'I have develop a new skill' instead of the correct 'I have developed a new skill.' This mistake alters the tense of the sentence and can confuse the listener or reader about the time frame of the action. Properly using 'developed' in perfect tenses is crucial for conveying the completion of an action relative to another point in time.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'develop'?

The past simple form of 'develop' is 'developed'. It is used to describe actions that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'Yesterday, they developed a new strategy for the marketing campaign.'

What is the past participle form of 'develop'?

The past participle form of 'develop' is also 'developed'. This form is used in perfect tenses and passive voice sentences. For example, in the present perfect tense, you might say, 'They have developed a new software update.' In a passive voice sentence, you could say, 'A new model was developed by the team last year.'

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

To indicate a past action using 'developed', you should determine if the sentence structure requires the past simple or the past participle form. If it's a straightforward action completed in the past, use the past simple form. For instance, 'The company developed a new product line two years ago.' This sentence indicates a completed action in the past.

Can you give an example of a sentence using 'developed' in passive voice?

Yes, in passive voice, the subject of the sentence is the recipient of the action, not the doer. An example using 'developed' in passive voice would be, 'A comprehensive plan was developed by the team to increase efficiency.' This sentence emphasizes the plan that was created rather than who created it.