Drive past tense
Meaning of drive
to operate and control the direction and speed of a motor vehicle.
Infinitive
- 1. She drives to work every day because it's faster than taking the bus.
- 2. He always drives carefully, especially when the roads are wet.
- 3. They drive their children to school before heading to their own jobs.
Past Simple
- 1. She drove through the night to reach her destination before sunrise.
- 2. The unexpected news drove him to reconsider his plans for the weekend.
- 3. A deep sense of responsibility drove her to volunteer for the challenging project at work.
Past Participle
- 1. The car was driven by him along the scenic route yesterday.
- 2. The letters have been driven into the wood with precision.
- 3. By the end of the day, all the cattle were driven into the barn.
Learn more words on the go
Master verb forms with Promova!
Bare infinitive
- General Habit or Routine. Use the present simple form 'drive' when describing an action that is a regular habit or routine.Example. 'I drive to work every day.'Example. 'Electric cars drive quieter than gasoline cars.'Example. 'The bus drives off at 6 PM sharp every evening.'
- Universal Truths or Facts. Use 'drive' for statements that are generally true or are facts.Example. 'Electric cars drive quieter than gasoline cars.'Example. 'The bus drives off at 6 PM sharp every evening.'
- Scheduled Future Events. Sometimes, the present simple form 'drive' can denote a scheduled future event, mainly within a timetable context.Example. 'Electric cars drive quieter than gasoline cars.'Example. 'The bus drives off at 6 PM sharp every evening.'
Past Simple
- Completed Action in the Past. Use the past simple form 'drove' for actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.Example. 'She drove to the coast last summer.'Example. 'When we lived in the countryside, we drove to the market every weekend.'Example. 'He got up, ate breakfast, and then drove to work.'
- Past Habit. Use 'drove' when referring to a habit or routine that occurred in the past but no longer happens.Example. 'She drove to the coast last summer.'Example. 'When we lived in the countryside, we drove to the market every weekend.'Example. 'He got up, ate breakfast, and then drove to work.'
- Sequence of Actions. Use 'drove' when narrating a sequence of past actions.Example. 'She drove to the coast last summer.'Example. 'When we lived in the countryside, we drove to the market every weekend.'Example. 'He got up, ate breakfast, and then drove to work.'
Past Participle
- Present Perfect Tense. Use the Past Participle 'driven' to form the present perfect tense, indicating an action that occurred at an unspecified time in the past or that has relevance to the present moment.Example. 'They have driven across the country twice this year.'Example. 'I had already driven home when she called me.'Example. 'The nail was driven into the wood by the hammer.'Example. 'He could have driven himself to the hospital if he had not been so ill.'
- Past Perfect Tense. Use 'driven' in the past perfect tense to talk about an action that was completed before another action in the past.Example. 'They have driven across the country twice this year.'Example. 'I had already driven home when she called me.'Example. 'The nail was driven into the wood by the hammer.'Example. 'He could have driven himself to the hospital if he had not been so ill.'
- Passive Voice. Use the Past Participle 'driven' when forming the passive voice to show that the subject experiences the action rather than performs it.Example. 'They have driven across the country twice this year.'Example. 'I had already driven home when she called me.'Example. 'The nail was driven into the wood by the hammer.'Example. 'He could have driven himself to the hospital if he had not been so ill.'
- Conditional Sentences and Modals. Use 'driven' with certain conditional forms and modal verbs to express possibility, obligation, or speculation.Example. 'They have driven across the country twice this year.'Example. 'I had already driven home when she called me.'Example. 'The nail was driven into the wood by the hammer.'Example. 'He could have driven himself to the hospital if he had not been so ill.'
Common mistakes
— 01
Confusing forms
One common mistake is confusing the past simple form 'drove' with the past participle form 'driven'. The past simple is used to describe actions that happened at a specific time in the past, e.g., 'Yesterday, I drove to the store.' In contrast, the past participle form is primarily used in perfect tenses or passive voice, e.g., 'I have driven to the store many times,' or 'The car was driven by her.'
— 02
Incorrectly using the base form
Another mistake is using the base form of the verb 'drive' instead of its past participle form 'driven' when forming perfect tenses. For instance, saying 'I have drive to the coast last summer' instead of the correct 'I have driven to the coast last summer.' This error alters the grammatical structure and can significantly impact the clarity and correctness of the sentence, as the perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect, etc.) require the past participle form to communicate actions that have relevance to the present or were completed at a specific time in the past.
— 03
Omitting the auxiliary verb
When using the passive voice, it's a common mistake to omit the auxiliary verb 'be' before the past participle 'driven', e.g., 'The car driven by him.' The correct form should include the auxiliary verb to indicate the passive voice, as in 'The car was driven by him.' This mistake can lead to confusion, as omitting the auxiliary verb might make the sentence appear as if it's using the past simple form incorrectly, which changes the intended meaning and disrupts the clarity of the sentence.
Past tense quiz
Check your skills and find areas for improvement
Frequently asked questions
What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'drive'?
Can you give me an example sentence using both 'drove' and 'driven'?