Fight past tense
Meaning of fight
to engage in battle or in single combat; to strive for or to struggle to gain, resist, or overcome.
Infinitive
- 1. They always fight over the smallest things.
- 2. She fights for justice in her community.
- 3. He fights the urge to check his phone every minute.
Past Simple
- 1. They fought bravely against overwhelming odds.
- 2. She fought hard to overcome her fears.
- 3. The two best friends fought over a misunderstanding but eventually made up.
Past Participle
- 1. The championship was fiercely fought by the two finalists.
- 2. A peace treaty has been successfully fought for by the diplomats.
- 3. The control over the territory had been fought over by the rival clans for decades.
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Bare infinitive
- Habitual actions or routinesExample. He fights every weekend in amateur boxing matches.Example. The immune system fights infections.Example. Their team fights in the championship next Thursday.Example. She fights the impulse to spend all her savings on a luxury vacation.Example. First, you fight the urge to panic, then calmly assess your situation.
- Universal truths or factsExample. He fights every weekend in amateur boxing matches.Example. The immune system fights infections.Example. Their team fights in the championship next Thursday.Example. She fights the impulse to spend all her savings on a luxury vacation.Example. First, you fight the urge to panic, then calmly assess your situation.
- Scheduled events in the near future (often used with timetables or schedules)Example. He fights every weekend in amateur boxing matches.Example. The immune system fights infections.Example. Their team fights in the championship next Thursday.Example. She fights the impulse to spend all her savings on a luxury vacation.Example. First, you fight the urge to panic, then calmly assess your situation.
- Expressing feelings, dislikes, or likesExample. He fights every weekend in amateur boxing matches.Example. The immune system fights infections.Example. Their team fights in the championship next Thursday.Example. She fights the impulse to spend all her savings on a luxury vacation.Example. First, you fight the urge to panic, then calmly assess your situation.
- Instructions or directionsExample. He fights every weekend in amateur boxing matches.Example. The immune system fights infections.Example. Their team fights in the championship next Thursday.Example. She fights the impulse to spend all her savings on a luxury vacation.Example. First, you fight the urge to panic, then calmly assess your situation.
Past Simple
- Actions completed in the past at a specific timeExample. The soldiers fought bravely in the battle of Waterloo.Example. He fought, won, and retired all in the span of a decade.Example. When she was in school, she fought for student rights.Example. People once fought with swords before guns were invented.
- A series of completed actions in the pastExample. The soldiers fought bravely in the battle of Waterloo.Example. He fought, won, and retired all in the span of a decade.Example. When she was in school, she fought for student rights.Example. People once fought with swords before guns were invented.
- Habits in the pastExample. The soldiers fought bravely in the battle of Waterloo.Example. He fought, won, and retired all in the span of a decade.Example. When she was in school, she fought for student rights.Example. People once fought with swords before guns were invented.
- Past facts or generalizationsExample. The soldiers fought bravely in the battle of Waterloo.Example. He fought, won, and retired all in the span of a decade.Example. When she was in school, she fought for student rights.Example. People once fought with swords before guns were invented.
Past Participle
- Present Perfect. Expressing actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past.Example. He has fought in many battles across the world.Example. By the time the reinforcements arrived, the troops had already fought the hardest part of the battle.Example. By this time next year, she will have fought in three international tournaments.Example. The championship has been fought with great determination by all teams.Example. They returned home with foughtover treasures.
- Past Perfect. Expressing actions that were completed before another action in the past.Example. He has fought in many battles across the world.Example. By the time the reinforcements arrived, the troops had already fought the hardest part of the battle.Example. By this time next year, she will have fought in three international tournaments.Example. The championship has been fought with great determination by all teams.Example. They returned home with foughtover treasures.
- Future Perfect. Expressing actions that will be completed before a specific time in the future.Example. He has fought in many battles across the world.Example. By the time the reinforcements arrived, the troops had already fought the hardest part of the battle.Example. By this time next year, she will have fought in three international tournaments.Example. The championship has been fought with great determination by all teams.Example. They returned home with foughtover treasures.
- Passive voiceExample. He has fought in many battles across the world.Example. By the time the reinforcements arrived, the troops had already fought the hardest part of the battle.Example. By this time next year, she will have fought in three international tournaments.Example. The championship has been fought with great determination by all teams.Example. They returned home with foughtover treasures.
- As an adjective (participial adjective)Example. He has fought in many battles across the world.Example. By the time the reinforcements arrived, the troops had already fought the hardest part of the battle.Example. By this time next year, she will have fought in three international tournaments.Example. The championship has been fought with great determination by all teams.Example. They returned home with foughtover treasures.
Common mistakes
— 01
Incorrect Verb Form Usage
A common mistake with the verb 'fight' is confusing its past simple form with its past participle form. The past simple form is 'fought,' and it is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past, for example, 'He fought bravely in the battle yesterday.' In contrast, the past participle form is also 'fought' but it is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses or the passive voice, such as in 'He has fought bravely in many battles' (present perfect) or 'Many battles have been fought on this ground' (passive voice). Mixing up these forms can lead to grammatical errors and confusion about the timeline of events.
— 02
Incorrect Tense Creation
Another common mistake is attempting to add typical past tense endings to 'fight' instead of using its correct irregular forms. Some might mistakenly say or write 'fighted' instead of 'fought' when trying to convey the past simple or past participle form. This error stems from applying regular verb conjugation rules (adding -ed to the base form) to an irregular verb, which does not follow this pattern.
— 03
Misuse in Perfect Tenses
A third mistake involves incorrectly forming perfect tenses with 'fight' by omitting the auxiliary verb or using the wrong form of 'fight.' For instance, saying 'He has fight in the war' instead of the correct 'He has fought in the war.' This mistake distorts the intended meaning and disrupts the grammatical structure, making it difficult for the listener or reader to grasp the timeline or completeness of the action being described.
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