Fail past tense

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Meaning of fail

be unsuccessful in achieving one's goal.

Infinitive

Word: fail /feɪl/
Examples:
  • 1. She always fails to see the humor in his jokes.
  • 2. He often fails his math tests despite his hard work.
  • 3. The system fails to update correctly whenever there's a power outage.

Past Simple

Word: failed /feɪld/
Examples:
  • 1. She failed her driving test the first time she took it.
  • 2. They failed to notice the warning signs along the trail.
  • 3. He failed the exam despite studying hard.

Past Participle

Word: failed /feɪld/
Examples:
  • 1. The project has been failed by the team due to a lack of resources.
  • 2. Many attempts have been made by students, but the exam was still failed by a significant number.
  • 3. The new software was initially failed by the quality assurance team, citing numerous bugs.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Regular habits or routines
    Example. I fail to understand why he doesn't like chocolate.

Past Simple

  1. Actions completed at a specific time in the past
    Example. He failed the exam last week.
    Example. When I was young, I often failed to wake up early.
    Example. I woke up, had breakfast, and then failed to catch the bus.
    Example. She said she failed her driving test the first time.
  2. Past habits or states
    Example. He failed the exam last week.
    Example. When I was young, I often failed to wake up early.
    Example. I woke up, had breakfast, and then failed to catch the bus.
    Example. She said she failed her driving test the first time.
  3. Sequential actions in the past
    Example. He failed the exam last week.
    Example. When I was young, I often failed to wake up early.
    Example. I woke up, had breakfast, and then failed to catch the bus.
    Example. She said she failed her driving test the first time.
  4. Indirect speech
    Example. He failed the exam last week.
    Example. When I was young, I often failed to wake up early.
    Example. I woke up, had breakfast, and then failed to catch the bus.
    Example. She said she failed her driving test the first time.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect)
    Example. The test was failed by over half the class.
  2. Example (Present Perfect). I have never failed an exam.
    Example. The test was failed by over half the class.
  3. Example (Past Perfect). He had already failed twice before he finally passed.
    Example. The test was failed by over half the class.
  4. Example (Future Perfect). By the end of this semester, I will have failed this course twice.
    Example. The test was failed by over half the class.
  5. Passive voice constructions
    Example. The test was failed by over half the class.

Common mistakes

— 01

Adding an Extra 'ed'

One common mistake is the overapplication of the rule for forming the past tense, leading to the addition of an extra 'ed' to the end of already correctly conjugated verbs. Learners might incorrectly write or say 'failedd' instead of 'failed.' This error is usually due to misunderstanding or overgeneralizing the rules for past tense conjugation of regular verbs.

— 02

Using the Base Form

Another frequent mistake involves using the base form 'fail' instead of the past simple or past participle form 'failed' in contexts that clearly refer to past events. For example, a learner might say 'Yesterday, I fail the test' instead of 'Yesterday, I failed the test.' This indicates a confusion over when to use past tense forms to denote actions that happened at a specific time in the past.

— 03

Omitting the Past Participle

In perfect tenses, the past participle form 'failed' is necessary and should be used with an auxiliary verb. A common mistake is omitting the past participle in such constructions, leading to sentences that are grammatically incorrect. An example of this error would be saying 'I have fail the exam' instead of the correct 'I have failed the exam.'

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'fail'?

The past simple form of 'fail' is 'failed.' It is used to describe an action that was not successful in the past. For example, 'I failed my driving test last year.'

How do you form the past participle of 'fail'?

The past participle form of 'fail' is also 'failed.' This form is used in perfect tenses, such as the present perfect or past perfect, to talk about actions that have happened at some time in the past. For example, 'She has failed the exam twice.'

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

Yes, an example of a sentence using 'failed' in the past simple tense is. 'He failed to complete the project on time.' This sentence indicates that the action of completing the project was not successful at a specific time in the past.

How would you use 'failed' in a sentence using the past participle form?

An example of using 'failed' in the past participle form is. 'They had failed to notify us about the changes.' This sentence is in the past perfect tense and indicates that the action of notifying was not successful before another past action or time. These examples should help clarify how to use the past simple and past participle forms of 'fail' correctly in sentences.