Flee past tense

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Meaning of flee

to run away from a place or situation of danger.

Infinitive

Word: flee /fliː/
Examples:
  • 1. Every time they hear thunder, the dogs flee to a safer place.
  • 2. When faced with danger, his first instinct is to flee rather than confront the situation.
  • 3. In many stories, heroes flee from their homes to embark on great adventures.

Past Simple

Word: fled /flɛd/
Examples:
  • 1. The townspeople fled their homes as the wildfires approached.
  • 2. In the middle of the night, she fled from her captor, taking advantage of the darkness.
  • 3. As the storm grew stronger, the sailors quickly fled the coast to find shelter inland.

Past Participle

Word: fled /flɛd/
Examples:
  • 1. The city had been fled by thousands before the hurricane made landfall.
  • 2. By nightfall, the haunted house was fled by the frightened teenagers.
  • 3. The criminals had been fled across borders by the time authorities arrived.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual actions or routines.
    Example. He often flees from uncomfortable situations.
  2. General truths or facts.
    Example. Predators flee when they sense a greater threat.

Past Simple

  1. Completed actions in the past.
    Example. The prisoners fled their cells during the blackout.
  2. Past habits or states no longer true.
    Example. She fled from her responsibilities before she turned her life around.
  3. Sequential actions in the past.
    Example. He fled the scene, then called his friend for help.
  4. In indirect speech, to express an action that happened before the time of reporting.
    Example. They said they fled the town when the invasion started.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses.
  2. Present Perfect. For actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past or have an outcome in the present.
    Example. They have fled the area due to the conflict.
  3. Past Perfect. For actions that were completed before another action or time in the past.
    Example. They had already fled by the time we arrived.
  4. Future Perfect. For actions that will be completed before a specified future time.
    Example. By next year, they will have fled to a safer country.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

One of the most common mistakes is confusing the past simple form 'fled' with the past participle form, which is also 'fled'. While both forms are identical for the verb 'flee', their usage in sentences is different. The past simple is used for actions completed in the past, e.g., 'He fled the scene yesterday.' The past participle needs auxiliary verbs like 'have' or 'had' to form perfect tenses, e.g., 'He has fled the country.'

— 02

Incorrectly Creating Regular Forms

A frequent error is treating 'flee' as a regular verb and adding -ed to make past forms, resulting in incorrect forms like 'fleeed'. This mistake overlooks the fact that 'flee' is an irregular verb, and its correct past simple and past participle form is 'fled'. Saying or writing 'He fleeed from danger' instead of the correct 'He fled from danger' is a common error stemming from this misunderstanding.

— 03

Misuse in compound tenses

Another mistake involves the incorrect use of 'fled' in compound tenses, either by omitting necessary auxiliary verbs or using the wrong tense. For instance, saying 'I have fled the city last year' instead of the correct 'I fled the city last year' (simple past) or 'I had fled the city by then' (past perfect). This error shows a misunderstanding of how to properly integrate the past participle into different tenses and structures.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'flee'?

The past simple form of 'flee' is 'fled.' Similarly, the past participle form is also 'fled.' This means that both the past simple and the past participle share the same form for the verb 'flee.'

How do I use 'fled' in a past simple sentence?

To use 'fled' in a past simple sentence, you will typically be referring to an action that was completed in the past. Here's an example. 'The villagers fled the town when the volcano erupted.' In this sentence, 'fled' indicates that the action of leaving the town happened at a specific time in the past, which is when the volcano erupted.

How is the past participle form 'fled' used in sentences?

The past participle form 'fled' is often used in perfect tenses or passive voice. In the perfect tenses, it is combined with a form of the auxiliary verb 'have.' For example, in the present perfect tense. 'The thieves have fled the scene.' Here, 'have fled' indicates that the action of fleeing has relevance to the present moment. In passive voice, it might be used as follows. 'The scene was fled by the thieves,' although this construction is less common and may sound awkward because 'flee' typically describes an action taken by the subject, not something done to the subject.

Can you give an example of a sentence that incorrectly uses 'flee,' 'fled,' or 'have fled'?

Sure, an incorrect usage might involve using the wrong form of the verb for the tense or misunderstanding its meaning. For example, 'The bird has flew away when it saw us.' This sentence is incorrect because 'flew' is mistakenly used instead of the correct past participle form 'fled.' The correct sentence should be. 'The bird had fled away when it saw us,' if referring to an action in the past that has relevance to the past moment being discussed, or simply 'The bird fled away when it saw us' for a simple past action.