Fear past tense
Meaning of fear
to be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening.
Infinitive
- 1. She fears heights, which makes climbing mountains a challenge for her.
- 2. He fears failing his exams more than anything, so he studies diligently every night.
- 3. The community fears the spread of the disease and takes measures to prevent it.
Past Simple
- 1. She feared the dark when she was a child, but she overcame that fear as she grew older.
- 2. They feared the worst when the news about the hurricane broke, but luckily, their area was spared.
- 3. He feared he might fail the exam, so he studied harder than ever before and passed with flying colors.
Past Participle
- 1. The village had been feared by all who heard its name whispered in the dark.
- 2. Every sound in the night was feared by the child, alone in their room.
- 3. The creature lurking in the shadows has always been feared by the townsfolk.
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Bare infinitive
- To describe habitual or ongoing feelings of fear towards someone or something perceived as dangerous, painful, or threatening.Example. She fears spiders and tries to avoid them.Example. Many people fear public speaking more than death.Example. Always fear the consequences of unethical actions.
- To state facts or general truths about what or whom one finds intimidating or worrisome.Example. She fears spiders and tries to avoid them.Example. Many people fear public speaking more than death.Example. Always fear the consequences of unethical actions.
- To express a general advice or recommendation involving caution or awareness of potential danger.Example. She fears spiders and tries to avoid them.Example. Many people fear public speaking more than death.Example. Always fear the consequences of unethical actions.
Past Simple
- To talk about a specific instance in the past when someone was afraid of something or someone.Example. He feared the storm as it approached.Example. As a child, she feared the dark, but she overcame that fear as she grew older.Example. They feared the project would fail, but it was a success.
- To describe a change in the state of fear over a period of time in the past.Example. He feared the storm as it approached.Example. As a child, she feared the dark, but she overcame that fear as she grew older.Example. They feared the project would fail, but it was a success.
- To recount a past belief or feeling about a potential threat that has since been resolved or no longer exists.Example. He feared the storm as it approached.Example. As a child, she feared the dark, but she overcame that fear as she grew older.Example. They feared the project would fail, but it was a success.
Past Participle
- Perfect tenses - To talk about feelings of fear that have occurred, with relevance to the present moment or completed at an unspecified time in the past.Example. The dictator was feared by all who lived under his rule.
- Example (Present Perfect). I have always feared being alone in large crowds.Example. The dictator was feared by all who lived under his rule.
- Example (Past Perfect). By the time help arrived, she had already feared the worst.Example. The dictator was feared by all who lived under his rule.
- Passive voice - To describe situations where the focus is on being the object of fear, rather than on who is experiencing the fear.Example. The dictator was feared by all who lived under his rule.
Common mistakes
— 01
Confusing Forms
A common mistake is treating an irregular verb like a regular one. For regular verbs, the past simple and past participle forms are created by adding -ed to the base form (e.g., 'walked' for both past simple and past participle from 'walk'). However, irregular verbs do not follow this pattern. For example, the verb 'fear' is regular, so its past simple and past participle form are both 'feared.' A mistake would be to alter it irregularly, such as saying 'fearred' or misapplying irregular patterns from other verbs, like 'fought' from 'fight.'
— 02
Past Participle Without Auxiliaries
The past participle form of a verb is often incorrectly used on its own when it should be accompanied by an auxiliary verb in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. For 'fear,' the correct past participle form is 'feared,' and it should be used with auxiliary verbs to form correct sentences in perfect tenses (e.g., 'He has feared spiders since childhood') or passive voice (e.g., 'They were feared by everyone'). A mistake would be using the past participle without an auxiliary verb where one is required, leading to grammatically incorrect sentences.
— 03
Misidentifying Past Simple
Another common error is using the past simple form of a verb when the past participle is needed, particularly in perfect tense constructions and passive voice. Since 'feared' serves as both the past simple and past participle form for 'fear,' this mistake is more frequently observed with irregular verbs but understanding this distinction is crucial. Using 'feared' correctly is not typically problematic, but misapplying the rule to irregular verbs can lead to errors, such as using 'ran' (past simple of 'run') instead of 'run' (past participle) in sentences like 'I have ran a marathon' instead of the correct 'I have run a marathon.'
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Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple form of 'fear'?
How is the past participle form of 'fear' used?
Can you provide an example of 'feared' in a sentence using the past perfect tense?