Email past tense
Meaning of email
to send a message to someone using email.
Infinitive
- 1. I email my professor regularly to ask for clarifications on assignments.
- 2. She emails her colleagues every morning to update them on project progress.
- 3. They email their invitations out to all their friends two weeks before the party.
Past Simple
- 1. I emailed my teacher last night to clarify the assignment requirements.
- 2. She emailed me back within an hour, which was surprisingly quick.
- 3. They emailed the entire team yesterday to announce the project deadline extension.
Past Participle
- 1. All employees were emailed by the HR department.
- 2. All invitations were emailed by the committee last week.
- 3. The details for the meeting have been emailed to you by your manager.
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Bare infinitive
- For habits and routinesExample. I usually email my boss with updates on Monday mornings.Example. He emails over 20 clients a day.Example. The newsletter emails out at 8 a.m. tomorrow.Example. First, you email the document to the team, then you call the manager.
- For factsExample. I usually email my boss with updates on Monday mornings.Example. He emails over 20 clients a day.Example. The newsletter emails out at 8 a.m. tomorrow.Example. First, you email the document to the team, then you call the manager.
- For scheduled events in the near future (often used with timetables and schedules)Example. I usually email my boss with updates on Monday mornings.Example. He emails over 20 clients a day.Example. The newsletter emails out at 8 a.m. tomorrow.Example. First, you email the document to the team, then you call the manager.
- For giving instructions or directionsExample. I usually email my boss with updates on Monday mornings.Example. He emails over 20 clients a day.Example. The newsletter emails out at 8 a.m. tomorrow.Example. First, you email the document to the team, then you call the manager.
Past Simple
- For completed actions at a specific time in the pastExample. I emailed the proposal to you last night.Example. She emailed the client, called her manager, and then left the office yesterday.Example. He emailed his reports every Monday when he worked there.Example. People emailed more before instant messaging became popular.
- For a series of completed actions in the pastExample. I emailed the proposal to you last night.Example. She emailed the client, called her manager, and then left the office yesterday.Example. He emailed his reports every Monday when he worked there.Example. People emailed more before instant messaging became popular.
- For past habits or routines that are no longer currentExample. I emailed the proposal to you last night.Example. She emailed the client, called her manager, and then left the office yesterday.Example. He emailed his reports every Monday when he worked there.Example. People emailed more before instant messaging became popular.
- For past facts or generalizations which are no longer trueExample. I emailed the proposal to you last night.Example. She emailed the client, called her manager, and then left the office yesterday.Example. He emailed his reports every Monday when he worked there.Example. People emailed more before instant messaging became popular.
Past Participle
- To form the perfect tensesExample. The monthly newsletter was emailed to all subscribers.Example. The completed project, emailed last night, is now under review.Example. If he had emailed the report on time, we wouldn't have faced a delay.Example. The emailed attachments include all the necessary documentation.
- Present Perfect. I have already emailed the documents today.Example. The monthly newsletter was emailed to all subscribers.Example. The completed project, emailed last night, is now under review.Example. If he had emailed the report on time, we wouldn't have faced a delay.Example. The emailed attachments include all the necessary documentation.
- Past Perfect. She had emailed the confirmation before the meeting started.Example. The monthly newsletter was emailed to all subscribers.Example. The completed project, emailed last night, is now under review.Example. If he had emailed the report on time, we wouldn't have faced a delay.Example. The emailed attachments include all the necessary documentation.
- Future Perfect. By next week, we will have emailed the invitations.Example. The monthly newsletter was emailed to all subscribers.Example. The completed project, emailed last night, is now under review.Example. If he had emailed the report on time, we wouldn't have faced a delay.Example. The emailed attachments include all the necessary documentation.
- As part of the passive voiceExample. The monthly newsletter was emailed to all subscribers.Example. The completed project, emailed last night, is now under review.Example. If he had emailed the report on time, we wouldn't have faced a delay.Example. The emailed attachments include all the necessary documentation.
- To describe past actions with a result in the presentExample. The monthly newsletter was emailed to all subscribers.Example. The completed project, emailed last night, is now under review.Example. If he had emailed the report on time, we wouldn't have faced a delay.Example. The emailed attachments include all the necessary documentation.
- In conditional sentencesExample. The monthly newsletter was emailed to all subscribers.Example. The completed project, emailed last night, is now under review.Example. If he had emailed the report on time, we wouldn't have faced a delay.Example. The emailed attachments include all the necessary documentation.
- In expressions that require the Past Participle formExample. The monthly newsletter was emailed to all subscribers.Example. The completed project, emailed last night, is now under review.Example. If he had emailed the report on time, we wouldn't have faced a delay.Example. The emailed attachments include all the necessary documentation.
Common mistakes
— 01
Irregular Forms
A common error involves applying irregular verb patterns to verbs that are actually regular, such as 'email.' Since both the past simple and past participle forms of 'email' are 'emailed,' following the regular verb rule of adding '-ed' or '-d' to the base form, some might incorrectly invent an irregular form due to overgeneralization. They might say 'emailed' correctly but wrongly believe an irregular form exists, similar to 'send' becoming 'sent' in both past simple and past participle forms, and look for an alternative to 'emailed' that does not exist.
— 02
Mispronunciation
Pronunciation errors can occur with the past simple and past participle forms of regular verbs like 'email.' The correct pronunciation is /ˈiːmeɪld/, but learners might mispronounce the '-ed' ending, not realizing it should be a quick 'd' sound following a vowel sound in this context. Instead, they might pronounce it as a separate syllable (e.g., /eɪl-ed/ instead of /ˈiːmeɪld/), not understanding that the pronunciation of '-ed' endings can vary depending on the preceding sound (as a 't' sound, a 'd' sound, or an 'id' sound).
— 03
Incorrect Use of Tense
Another mistake is using the past simple form 'emailed' where the past participle is needed, and vice versa, especially in perfect tenses and passive constructions. Some learners might say 'I have email yesterday' instead of 'I emailed yesterday' (confusing the need for a simple past) or 'I have email' instead of 'I have emailed' when trying to use the present perfect tense. This misunderstanding of when to use the simple past versus the past participle in different grammatical structures leads to tense-related errors.
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