Float past tense
Meaning of float
to move or hover slowly and lightly in a liquid or the air; drift.
Infinitive
- 1. Leaves float gently down the river during autumn.
- 2. Balloons filled with helium float up into the sky.
- 3. Objects with lower density than water float on its surface.
Past Simple
- 1. The paper boat floated gently down the stream yesterday.
- 2. We watched in awe as the lanterns floated up into the sky during the festival last night.
- 3. The children's balloons floated away when they accidentally let go of the strings at the park last weekend.
Past Participle
- 1. The message in a bottle has been floated across the ocean for years before it was finally discovered.
- 2. The boats were floated gently down the river by the tranquil currents.
- 3. The balloons have been floated up to the ceiling to create a festive atmosphere.
Learn more words on the go
Master verb forms with Promova!
Bare infinitive
- Routine or Habitual Actions. For actions that happen regularly or form a routine.Example. Boats usually float on water.Example. Ice floats in water because it's less dense.Example. The carnival float appears every year in the parade.
- General Truths or Laws of Nature. For stating general truths or laws of nature.Example. Boats usually float on water.Example. Ice floats in water because it's less dense.Example. The carnival float appears every year in the parade.
- Fixed Arrangements. For events that are scheduled or arranged in the future.Example. Boats usually float on water.Example. Ice floats in water because it's less dense.Example. The carnival float appears every year in the parade.
Past Simple
- Completed Action in the Past. For actions that were completed at some specific point in the past.Example. The paper boat floated on the pond yesterday before it sank.Example. The kids made paper boats and floated them on the stream last Sunday.Example. In my childhood, I floated paper boats in the rainwater near my house regularly.
- A Series of Completed Actions. For listing a series of actions that happened one after another in the past.Example. The paper boat floated on the pond yesterday before it sank.Example. The kids made paper boats and floated them on the stream last Sunday.Example. In my childhood, I floated paper boats in the rainwater near my house regularly.
- Habit in the Past. For habits that were true in the past but not anymore.Example. The paper boat floated on the pond yesterday before it sank.Example. The kids made paper boats and floated them on the stream last Sunday.Example. In my childhood, I floated paper boats in the rainwater near my house regularly.
Past Participle
- Perfect Tenses.Example. Scientists have floated many theories about the origin of the universe.Example. The divers had floated back to the surface before the boat came to pick them up.Example. By next year, the company will have floated its shares on the stock market.Example. Proposals for the new project were floated during the meeting.
- Present Perfect. For actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past or have relevance to the present.Example. Scientists have floated many theories about the origin of the universe.Example. The divers had floated back to the surface before the boat came to pick them up.Example. By next year, the company will have floated its shares on the stock market.Example. Proposals for the new project were floated during the meeting.
- Past Perfect. For actions that were completed before another action in the past.Example. Scientists have floated many theories about the origin of the universe.Example. The divers had floated back to the surface before the boat came to pick them up.Example. By next year, the company will have floated its shares on the stock market.Example. Proposals for the new project were floated during the meeting.
- Future Perfect. For actions that will have been completed by a certain future time.Example. Scientists have floated many theories about the origin of the universe.Example. The divers had floated back to the surface before the boat came to pick them up.Example. By next year, the company will have floated its shares on the stock market.Example. Proposals for the new project were floated during the meeting.
- Passive Voice. For forming passive voice sentences where the focus is on the action rather than who performs it.Example. Scientists have floated many theories about the origin of the universe.Example. The divers had floated back to the surface before the boat came to pick them up.Example. By next year, the company will have floated its shares on the stock market.Example. Proposals for the new project were floated during the meeting.
Common mistakes
— 01
Incorrectly Adding Suffix
A common mistake is misunderstanding the rule for adding the '-ed' suffix to verbs ending in a vowel plus 't,' leading to the incorrect addition of an extra 'ed' or another incorrect suffix, such as 'floatted' instead of 'floated.' This error stems from overgeneralizing the rule that verbs ending in a consonant require the consonant to be doubled before adding '-ed.'
— 02
Using the Base Form
Another frequent error involves using the base form 'float' instead of the past simple or past participle form 'floated' in sentences referring to past actions. For instance, saying 'Yesterday, the leaf float on the water' instead of 'Yesterday, the leaf floated on the water.' This mistake indicates a lack of understanding about when to use the past tense to denote completed actions.
— 03
Omitting the Past Participle
In perfect tense constructions, the past participle 'floated' should be used with an auxiliary verb to indicate actions that have been completed. A common mistake is omitting the past participle or using the incorrect form, leading to grammatically incomplete sentences. For example, saying 'I have float in the pool last summer' instead of the correct 'I have floated in the pool last summer.'
Past tense quiz
Check your skills and find areas for improvement