Fling past tense

Meaning of fling

to throw or hurl forcefully.

Infinitive

Word: fling /flɪŋ/

Examples:

1. She always flings her coat on the sofa as soon as she gets home.
2. Every morning, he flings open the curtains to let the sunlight in.
3. The cat often flings its toys around the living room when it's playful.

Past Simple

Word: flung /flʌŋ/

Examples:

1. She flung her jacket on the couch as soon as she entered the house.
2. He flung the ball with all his might, aiming for the farthest end of the field.
3. They flung the old, broken furniture out of the window during the cleanup.

Past Participle

Word: flung /flʌŋ/

Examples:

1. The keys had been flung across the room in a moment of anger.
2. By the time we arrived, the confetti had already been flung into the air.
3. The message was flung into the digital void, never to be seen again.

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Bare infinitive

General Actions or States When discussing habitual or regular actions.
Example. He flings the newspaper onto the porch every morning without fail.
Universal Truths or Facts Explaining things that are universally true.
Example. Gravity flings objects towards the ground.
Scheduled Events (in the near future) Talking about scheduled or timetabled events.
Example. The festival flings its gates open at 8 AM sharp tomorrow.
Instructions or Directions Giving instructions, directions, or orders.
Example. First, fling the mixture into the bowl, then stir vigorously.
Commentary Giving realtime commentary or instructions.
Example. And now, he flings the ball across the field to his teammate.

Past Simple

Completed Actions in the Past Discussing actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.
Example. She flung her graduation cap high into the air yesterday.
Sequence of Past Events Telling a story or listing events in the order they occurred.
Example. First, he flung open the doors, then he marched inside.
Past States Talking about states or situations that were true in the past.
Example. They once flung caution to the wind and traveled the world.

Past Participle

Perfect Tenses Discussing actions that have been completed at some point before now (Present Perfect), actions completed before another action in the past (Past Perfect), or future actions completed before another future action or time (Future Perfect). Example (Present Perfect). She has flung the papers across the office in frustration more than once. Example (Past Perfect). By the time we arrived, he had already flung the door shut. Example (Future Perfect). By the end of the week, we will have flung out all the old furniture.
Passive Voice Talking about actions where the focus is on the action itself, rather than who or what is performing the action.
Example. The accusations were flung without evidence, causing chaos.
Adjectives/Descriptions Describing a state resulting from an action.
Example. Feeling utterly flung aside, she decided not to call him again.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing 'flung' with 'flinged'

A common mistake is using 'flinged' instead of the correct past simple and past participle form 'flung.' Since 'fling' is an irregular verb, it does not follow the regular pattern of adding -ed to form its past tense. Therefore, 'Yesterday, he flung the ball across the field' is correct, whereas 'Yesterday, he flinged the ball across the field' is incorrect. This error often arises from the assumption that most English verbs follow a regular conjugation pattern, leading to the mistaken creation of 'flinged.'

— 02

Incorrect use of 'flung' with 'have'

Another mistake involves the misuse of 'flung' as the past participle form without the auxiliary verb 'have' in perfect tenses. For instance, 'I have flung the keys on the table' is correct, demonstrating the past participle form in the present perfect tense. Conversely, saying 'I flung the keys on the table' while intending to use the present perfect tense is incorrect because it lacks the necessary auxiliary verb 'have,' changing the tense to simple past.

— 03

Mixing up 'fling' and 'flung'

Sometimes, writers or speakers might inadvertently switch between 'fling' and 'flung' within a narrative, disrupting tense consistency. For example, in a narrative primarily in the simple past tense, correctly maintaining the use of 'flung' is essential. Incorrectly reverting to 'fling' disrupts the narrative flow and tense consistency, such as in 'He flung the ball, and then he fling his coat on the sofa.' The correct form would be 'He flung the ball, and then he flung his coat on the sofa.'

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Frequently asked questions

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

The past simple form of 'fling' is 'flung', and the past participle form is also 'flung'. Both forms are used to denote actions that occurred in the past, with the past participle often seen in perfect tense constructions.

How do you use 'flung' in a sentence as the past simple?

To use 'flung' as the past simple form, you would typically be describing an action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example. 'Yesterday, she flung the door open in a hurry.' This sentence indicates that the action of flinging the door open occurred at a specific moment in the past (yesterday).

How is 'flung' used as a past participle in a sentence?

As a past participle, 'flung' is commonly used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses. For example, in the present perfect tense. 'She has flung the papers across the room in frustration.' In this sentence, 'has flung' indicates an action that happened at an unspecified time before now but has relevance or consequences in the present.

Can you provide an example of 'flung' used in a passive voice sentence?

Certainly! When using 'flung' in a passive voice sentence, the subject receives the action. An example would be. 'The ball was flung across the yard by the child.' In this sentence, the action (flung) is performed on the ball (the subject) by the child, showcasing the use of 'flung' in a passive construction. These examples should help clarify the usage of the past simple and past participle forms of 'fling'. Remember, the context in which you're writing or speaking will determine which form is appropriate to use.