Envy past tense

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Meaning of envy

to feel discontent or covetousness with regard to another's advantages, success, possessions, etc.

Infinitive

Word: envy /ˈɛnvi/
Examples:
  • 1. She always envies her neighbor's beautiful garden.
  • 2. He doesn't envy anyone's success, preferring to focus on his own achievements.
  • 3. They say that to envy others' happiness is to waste your own.

Past Simple

Word: envied /ˈɛnviːd/
Examples:
  • 1. She envied her friend's natural ability to speak in front of large crowds.
  • 2. They envied the neighbors for their new, sleek car.
  • 3. He envied his brother's athletic skills when they were kids.

Past Participle

Word: envied /ˈɛnviːd/
Examples:
  • 1. The new smartphone was greatly envied by everyone in the office.
  • 2. Her talents had always been envied by her peers.
  • 3. The trophy, which was clearly envied, had been displayed prominently in the showcase.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual actions or states
    Example. She always envies her coworker's dedication.
  2. General truths or facts
    Example. People often envy what they can't have.
  3. Scheduled events in the near future (primarily in formal use or timetables)
    Example. The exhibit opens next Monday; I envy those who can attend.
  4. Expressing feelings, thoughts, and senses
    Example. I don't usually envy anyone, but in this case, I do.
  5. Instructions or directions
    Example. If you ever feel envy, reflect on your own achievements.

Past Simple

  1. Completed actions in the past
    Example. He envied his friend's success last year but is now proud of his own progress.
  2. Past habits or states
    Example. She envied her sister when they were children, but they've grown closer now.
  3. Actions in a sequence in the past
    Example. First, he envied the attention his brother received, then he worked hard to achieve his own recognition.
  4. Situations or actions that were true for some time in the past
    Example. They envied their neighbors' lavish lifestyle until they realized the happiness it did not bring.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect, future perfect) to show actions completed at the time of speaking or before another action. Example (Present Perfect). She has always envied those with a natural talent for singing. Example (Past Perfect). Before he achieved his own success, he had envied his colleagues for years. Example (Future Perfect). By the time you return, I will have envied your adventurous spirit throughout your journey.
  2. Passive voice to show the subject is acted upon.
    Example. The achievements of the youngest athlete were envied by many of her competitors.
  3. Adjectives or to describe feelings or conditions.
    Example. Feeling envied by his peers, the student decided to help them instead.
  4. Conditional structures to speculate about situations.
    Example. If he had not been so envied by his coworkers, perhaps his work life would have been more pleasant.

Common mistakes

— 01

Misusing Past Simple

A common mistake with the verb 'envy' is confusing its past simple form 'envied' with its past participle form, which is also 'envied'. This error often occurs in perfect tenses or passive voice constructions. For example, incorrectly saying 'I have envy you for your success' instead of the correct form 'I have envied you for your success.'

— 02

Omitting the 'd' in the past forms

Another mistake is omitting the 'd' in the past simple and past participle forms of 'envy,' leading to incorrect forms like 'envie' instead of the correct 'envied.' This mistake alters the tense and meaning of the sentence, causing confusion. For instance, saying 'Yesterday, I envie my friend's new car' instead of the correct 'Yesterday, I envied my friend's new car.'

— 03

Using an irregular past tense form

Some learners might mistakenly believe 'envy' follows an irregular conjugation pattern, similar to verbs like 'fly' (flew, flown) or 'buy' (bought, bought), and create non-existent past forms. An example of this mistake would be saying 'I have enven' or 'I enveyed' instead of the correct 'I have envied' or 'I envied.' This error stems from misunderstanding the regular conjugation rules that apply to 'envy.'

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'envy'?

The past simple form of 'envy' is 'envied'. This form is used to describe an action or a feeling that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'Last year, I envied my friend for her academic achievements.'

How is the past participle form of 'envy' used?

The past participle form of 'envy' is also 'envied'. It is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. For instance, in the present perfect tense, you might say, 'I have always envied people who can sing well.' In a passive voice construction, you could say, 'She was envied by everyone for her talent.'

Can you give an example of a sentence using 'envied' in the past simple tense?

Certainly! An example of a sentence using 'envied' in the past simple tense is. 'He envied his brother's new bicycle when he was a child.' This sentence indicates that the feeling of envy occurred at a specific past time.

How can I use 'envied' in a sentence that demonstrates its use as a past participle?

To use 'envied' as a past participle in a sentence, you might construct a sentence like. 'The artist was widely envied for her creative skills.' This sentence uses 'envied' in a passive construction, indicating that the feeling of envy towards the artist is ongoing or was felt by people in general at an unspecified time.