Examine past tense

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Meaning of examine

to inspect or scrutinize carefully.

Infinitive

Word: examine: /ɪɡˈzæmɪn/
Examples:
  • 1. The doctor always examines the patient carefully to ensure an accurate diagnosis.
  • 2. She examines each document thoroughly before approving it.
  • 3. Every semester, the teacher examines the progress of her students to adjust her teaching methods accordingly.

Past Simple

Word: examined /ɪɡˈzæmɪnd/
Examples:
  • 1. The doctor examined the patient thoroughly before making a diagnosis.
  • 2. We examined the evidence carefully, but it didn't add up.
  • 3. They examined their options before deciding on the next course of action.

Past Participle

Word: examined /ɪɡˈzæmɪnd/
Examples:
  • 1. The students have examined the artifacts closely in their history class.
  • 2. By the end of the semester, we had examined various theories in depth.
  • 3. The evidence has been examined thoroughly by the forensic team.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Routine actions or general truths
    Example. The scientist examines the sample under a microscope every day.
    Example. He examines artifacts for the museum as his fulltime job.
    Example. The committee examines all applications on the first Monday of every month.
    Example. First, you examine the material; then, you answer the questions.
    Example. If she examines the evidence closely, she might find the clue.
  2. Permanent situations
    Example. The scientist examines the sample under a microscope every day.
    Example. He examines artifacts for the museum as his fulltime job.
    Example. The committee examines all applications on the first Monday of every month.
    Example. First, you examine the material; then, you answer the questions.
    Example. If she examines the evidence closely, she might find the clue.
  3. Scheduled events in the near future (often found in formal contexts)
    Example. The scientist examines the sample under a microscope every day.
    Example. He examines artifacts for the museum as his fulltime job.
    Example. The committee examines all applications on the first Monday of every month.
    Example. First, you examine the material; then, you answer the questions.
    Example. If she examines the evidence closely, she might find the clue.
  4. Instructions or directions
    Example. The scientist examines the sample under a microscope every day.
    Example. He examines artifacts for the museum as his fulltime job.
    Example. The committee examines all applications on the first Monday of every month.
    Example. First, you examine the material; then, you answer the questions.
    Example. If she examines the evidence closely, she might find the clue.
  5. Conditionals and subordinating conjunctions for future events
    Example. The scientist examines the sample under a microscope every day.
    Example. He examines artifacts for the museum as his fulltime job.
    Example. The committee examines all applications on the first Monday of every month.
    Example. First, you examine the material; then, you answer the questions.
    Example. If she examines the evidence closely, she might find the clue.

Past Simple

  1. Completed actions or events in the past
    Example. The doctor examined the patient yesterday.
    Example. He always examined the data thoroughly before presenting his findings.
    Example. She examined the document, signed it, and sent it back.
    Example. They said they examined the area but found nothing of interest.
  2. Past habits or states
    Example. The doctor examined the patient yesterday.
    Example. He always examined the data thoroughly before presenting his findings.
    Example. She examined the document, signed it, and sent it back.
    Example. They said they examined the area but found nothing of interest.
  3. Sequences of actions in the past
    Example. The doctor examined the patient yesterday.
    Example. He always examined the data thoroughly before presenting his findings.
    Example. She examined the document, signed it, and sent it back.
    Example. They said they examined the area but found nothing of interest.
  4. Indirect speech or reporting what someone said, thought, or felt
    Example. The doctor examined the patient yesterday.
    Example. He always examined the data thoroughly before presenting his findings.
    Example. She examined the document, signed it, and sent it back.
    Example. They said they examined the area but found nothing of interest.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect)
    Example. The artifacts were examined by experts yesterday.
    Example. The thoroughly examined samples showed no signs of contamination.
  2. Present Perfect.
    Example. They have already examined all the evidence.
    Example. The artifacts were examined by experts yesterday.
    Example. The thoroughly examined samples showed no signs of contamination.
  3. Past Perfect.
    Example. She had examined the files before the meeting.
    Example. The artifacts were examined by experts yesterday.
    Example. The thoroughly examined samples showed no signs of contamination.
  4. Future Perfect.
    Example. By next week, the committee will have examined all submissions.
    Example. The artifacts were examined by experts yesterday.
    Example. The thoroughly examined samples showed no signs of contamination.
  5. Passive voice
    Example. The artifacts were examined by experts yesterday.
    Example. The thoroughly examined samples showed no signs of contamination.
  6. As an adjective in a compound adjective
    Example. The artifacts were examined by experts yesterday.
    Example. The thoroughly examined samples showed no signs of contamination.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

A common mistake is using the past simple form of 'examine' (which is 'examined') as if it were the past participle, or vice versa, not acknowledging that they are identical for this verb. This confusion often occurs in perfect tenses or passive voice constructions, where the past participle is needed. For example, incorrectly saying 'I have examine the document' instead of the correct 'I have examined the document.'

— 02

Incorrectly Creating Irregular Forms

Some learners might mistakenly believe that 'examine' follows an irregular conjugation pattern similar to verbs like 'drink' (drank, drunk) or 'sing' (sang, sung), leading to incorrect forms such as 'exam' for past simple or 'examn' for past participle. The correct form for both past simple and past participle is 'examined.'

— 03

Misusing Tense

Another mistake involves using the past simple form 'examined' when the past participle is required in conditional or hypothetical sentences, especially in more complex structures. For instance, incorrectly saying 'If I examined more carefully, I would have found the error' instead of the correct 'If I had examined more carefully, I would have found the error,' where 'had examined' is the correct past perfect form to use in the if-clause of this third conditional sentence.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'examine'?

The past simple form of 'examine' is 'examined.' It is used to describe an action that was completed at a specific time in the past. For example. 'The doctor examined the patient yesterday.'

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

The past participle form of 'examine' is also 'examined.' It is commonly used in perfect tense constructions to describe actions that have been completed at some point in the past or that have relevance to the present moment. For instance, in the sentence 'The police have examined all the evidence,' the past participle 'examined' is used with the auxiliary verb 'have' to form the present perfect tense, indicating an action that has relevance to the current situation.

Can you give an example of 'examined' used in a sentence in the past perfect tense?

Yes. In the past perfect tense, 'examined' is used to talk about an action that was completed before another action or time in the past. For example. 'By the time the meeting started, the committee had already examined the report.' In this sentence, 'had examined' indicates that the examination of the report was completed before the meeting began. Is there a difference in the usage of 'examined' in American and British English