Forbear past tense

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Meaning of forbear

to refrain or hold back from doing something.

Infinitive

Word: forbear /fɔːrˈbeər/
Examples:
  • 1. I forbear from making any comments until I know all the details.
  • 2. She always forbears to criticize her friends, even when she disagrees with them.
  • 3. They forbear to eat meat on Fridays as a part of their religious practice.

Past Simple

Word: forbore /fɔːrˈbɔːr/
Examples:
  • 1. She forbore from making any comment about his mistake to keep the peace.
  • 2. Despite the mounting pressure, he forbore from retaliating against his critics.
  • 3. They forbore entering the abandoned house, heeding the warnings of the locals.

Past Participle

Word: forborne /fɔːrˈbɔːrn/
Examples:
  • 1. The secret had been forborne by the family for generations.
  • 2. Promises were forborne by everyone involved in the agreement.
  • 3. By the council, the truth was forborne from the public.

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Bare infinitive

  1. General Use.
    Example. She always forbears from commenting on sensitive topics.
    Example. He forbears to judge others hastily.
  2. We use the Present Simple form 'forbear' to describe a habitual action, a universal truth, or a repeated or regular action in the present.
    Example. She always forbears from commenting on sensitive topics.
    Example. He forbears to judge others hastily.
  3. Stative Use.
    Example. She always forbears from commenting on sensitive topics.
    Example. He forbears to judge others hastily.
  4. It describes a state of being, often involving thoughts, emotions, relationships, senses, or states of existence.
    Example. She always forbears from commenting on sensitive topics.
    Example. He forbears to judge others hastily.

Past Simple

  1. Action Completed in the Past.
    Example. She forbore to mention the incident yesterday evening.
    Example. In his youth, he often forbore from engaging in frivolous activities.
    Example. Even when provoked, he always forbore from retaliating.
  2. We use the Past Simple form 'forbore' to talk about a specific action or situation that started and finished at a particular time in the past.
    Example. She forbore to mention the incident yesterday evening.
    Example. In his youth, he often forbore from engaging in frivolous activities.
    Example. Even when provoked, he always forbore from retaliating.
  3. Habitual Action in the Past.
    Example. She forbore to mention the incident yesterday evening.
    Example. In his youth, he often forbore from engaging in frivolous activities.
    Example. Even when provoked, he always forbore from retaliating.
  4. To describe a habit or a repeated action which took place in the past but does not happen in the present.
    Example. She forbore to mention the incident yesterday evening.
    Example. In his youth, he often forbore from engaging in frivolous activities.
    Example. Even when provoked, he always forbore from retaliating.
  5. Past State.
    Example. She forbore to mention the incident yesterday evening.
    Example. In his youth, he often forbore from engaging in frivolous activities.
    Example. Even when provoked, he always forbore from retaliating.
  6. To indicate a state that was true in the past.
    Example. She forbore to mention the incident yesterday evening.
    Example. In his youth, he often forbore from engaging in frivolous activities.
    Example. Even when provoked, he always forbore from retaliating.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses.
    Example. Despite the provocation, restraint was forborne by the team.
    Example. In her forborne silence, there was a strength that words could not convey.
  2. Use case (Present Perfect). We use 'forborne' with 'have' or 'has' to talk about an action or state that occurred at an unspecified time in the past and has relevance to the present.
    Example. Despite the provocation, restraint was forborne by the team.
    Example. In her forborne silence, there was a strength that words could not convey.
  3. Example (Present Perfect). She has forborne from making any comments until now.
    Example. Despite the provocation, restraint was forborne by the team.
    Example. In her forborne silence, there was a strength that words could not convey.
  4. Use case (Past Perfect). Used with 'had' to talk about an action that occurred before another action or time in the past.
    Example. Despite the provocation, restraint was forborne by the team.
    Example. In her forborne silence, there was a strength that words could not convey.
  5. Example (Past Perfect). He had forborne from revealing the secret, even before the meeting started.
    Example. Despite the provocation, restraint was forborne by the team.
    Example. In her forborne silence, there was a strength that words could not convey.
  6. Use case (Future Perfect). Used with 'will have' to talk about an action that will have been completed at a certain future point.
    Example. Despite the provocation, restraint was forborne by the team.
    Example. In her forborne silence, there was a strength that words could not convey.
  7. Example (Future Perfect). By the end of the month, I will have forborne from sweets for a year.
    Example. Despite the provocation, restraint was forborne by the team.
    Example. In her forborne silence, there was a strength that words could not convey.
  8. Passive Voice.
    Example. Despite the provocation, restraint was forborne by the team.
    Example. In her forborne silence, there was a strength that words could not convey.
  9. We use 'forborne' to form passive voice constructions, referring to actions done to the subject rather than actions performed by the subject.
    Example. Despite the provocation, restraint was forborne by the team.
    Example. In her forborne silence, there was a strength that words could not convey.
  10. Adjectival Use.
    Example. Despite the provocation, restraint was forborne by the team.
    Example. In her forborne silence, there was a strength that words could not convey.
  11. Sometimes used adjectivally to describe the noun that follows, referring to the action of forbearing.
    Example. Despite the provocation, restraint was forborne by the team.
    Example. In her forborne silence, there was a strength that words could not convey.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing 'forbore' with 'forbear'

A common mistake is using 'forbear' instead of 'forbore' when referring to the past simple tense. 'Forbear' is the base form of the verb, meaning to refrain or hold back from doing something. However, when referring to an action that happened in the past, the correct form is 'forbore.' For example, it's incorrect to say, 'He forbear from making any comments.' The correct form is, 'He forbore from making any comments.'

— 02

Misusing the past participle

Another mistake involves the past participle form 'forborne.' Some might incorrectly use 'forbore' or 'forbear' in situations that require the past participle. This error typically occurs in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. For instance, it's incorrect to say, 'He has forbore his right to appeal,' or 'He has forbear his right to appeal.' The correct sentence should be, 'He has forborne his right to appeal.' Understanding the distinction between the past simple and past participle forms is crucial for proper tense usage.

— 03

Regular verb patterns

A frequent mistake is applying the regular verb conjugation pattern (adding -ed for past simple and past participle) to 'forbear.' Since 'forbear' is an irregular verb, it does not follow the standard pattern of adding -ed for its past forms. Incorrectly transforming 'forbear' into 'forbeared' for past simple or past participle uses is a common error. The correct forms are 'forbore' (past simple) and 'forborne' (past participle), not 'forbeared.' Understanding that 'forbear' is an exception to the regular conjugation rules is essential for accurate verb usage.

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Frequently asked questions

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

The verb 'forbear' has two forms for its past simple and past participle. 'forbore' for the past simple and 'forborne' for the past participle. It is important to use these forms correctly to convey the right tense in your sentences.

How do I use 'forbore' in a sentence?

'Forbore' is used to describe an action that happened in the past and is now completed. It should be used similarly to other past simple verbs. Here is an example. 'She forbore from making any comment about the issue last year.' This sentence means that she refrained from commenting on the issue at some point in the past.

Can you give an example of how to use 'forborne' in a sentence?

Yes, 'forborne' is used as the past participle form and often appears in perfect tenses or passive voice constructions. An example would be, 'They had forborne from taking part in the controversial debate.' This sentence indicates that they had refrained from participating in the debate at some point before now, emphasizing the action's completion. Is it common to use 'forbear' in everyday language, and are there any modern alternatives