Experience past tense
Meaning of experience
to undergo or feel.
Infinitive
- 1. She often experiences joy when she spends time in nature.
- 2. He experience a lot of stress at his job.
- 3. They regularly experience technical difficulties with their computer system.
Past Simple
- 1. She experienced a sudden surge of excitement as she stepped into the ancient castle for the first time.
- 2. We experienced some technical difficulties during the presentation, but we managed to overcome them.
- 3. He experienced a moment of pure joy when he found out he had passed the exam with flying colors.
Past Participle
- 1. My work has been experienced by many through my exhibitions.
- 2. The ancient ruins had been experienced by few until recently opened to the public.
- 3. Her storytelling was experienced with such emotion that it left the audience in tears.
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Bare infinitive
- Habitual actions or routines.Example. I experience a sense of peace when I meditate every morning.Example. I experience joy when I spend time with my family.
- Expressing feelings, opinions, or states of being.Example. I experience a sense of peace when I meditate every morning.Example. I experience joy when I spend time with my family.
Past Simple
- Completed actions at a specific time in the past.Example. I experienced a sense of achievement when I completed the marathon last year.Example. She finished her homework, then she went to bed early.Example. They lived in France for a year.Example. When I was a child, I experienced the countryside during summer vacations.Example. He was the fastest runner in our school.
- Sequential actions in the past.Example. I experienced a sense of achievement when I completed the marathon last year.Example. She finished her homework, then she went to bed early.Example. They lived in France for a year.Example. When I was a child, I experienced the countryside during summer vacations.Example. He was the fastest runner in our school.
- Duration of a past action or situation.Example. I experienced a sense of achievement when I completed the marathon last year.Example. She finished her homework, then she went to bed early.Example. They lived in France for a year.Example. When I was a child, I experienced the countryside during summer vacations.Example. He was the fastest runner in our school.
- General habits in the past or actions that happened repeatedly but no longer occur.Example. I experienced a sense of achievement when I completed the marathon last year.Example. She finished her homework, then she went to bed early.Example. They lived in France for a year.Example. When I was a child, I experienced the countryside during summer vacations.Example. He was the fastest runner in our school.
- Past facts or generalizations which are no longer true.Example. I experienced a sense of achievement when I completed the marathon last year.Example. She finished her homework, then she went to bed early.Example. They lived in France for a year.Example. When I was a child, I experienced the countryside during summer vacations.Example. He was the fastest runner in our school.
Past Participle
- Perfect aspect to show an action that was completed before another action or before a specific time in the past, present, or future.Example. By the time she arrived, the performance had already started. (Past Perfect)Example. I have experienced this type of problem before. (Present Perfect)Example. By next year, I will have experienced living in three different cities. (Future Perfect)Example. The book was read by the entire class.Example. The experienced teacher handled the situation well.
- Passive voice to show an action that was done to the subject rather than by the subject.Example. By the time she arrived, the performance had already started. (Past Perfect)Example. I have experienced this type of problem before. (Present Perfect)Example. By next year, I will have experienced living in three different cities. (Future Perfect)Example. The book was read by the entire class.Example. The experienced teacher handled the situation well.
- Adjectives or modifiers derived from verbs.Example. By the time she arrived, the performance had already started. (Past Perfect)Example. I have experienced this type of problem before. (Present Perfect)Example. By next year, I will have experienced living in three different cities. (Future Perfect)Example. The book was read by the entire class.Example. The experienced teacher handled the situation well.
Common mistakes
— 01
Misuse of past simple
Some learners of English mistakenly think that 'experienced' when used in sentences like 'He experienced a lot of hardship' serves as an adjective describing the subject. However, in this context, 'experienced' is actually the past simple and past participle form of the verb 'experience'. The confusion arises because 'experienced' can also function as an adjective in sentences like 'He is an experienced teacher', where it describes the subject's level of experience.
— 02
Incorrect Forms
A common mistake is attempting to add an -ed ending to 'experience' to form its past simple or past participle, leading to incorrect forms like 'experiencered'. The correct form for both the past simple and past participle of 'experience' is 'experienced', without altering the base form except for adding -d at the end because the verb already ends in 'e'.
— 03
Misusing past simple
Some learners might use 'experienced' on its own when they should be using it with 'have' or 'has' to form the present perfect tense. For example, saying 'I experienced this before' instead of the correct 'I have experienced this before'. This mistake changes the tense of the sentence and can lead to confusion about the timing of the action. The present perfect tense ('have/has experienced') is used to indicate that an action happened at an unspecified time in the past and has relevance to the present, whereas the simple past ('experienced') refers to a specific completed action in the past.
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