Forbid past tense

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Meaning of forbid

to prohibit or disallow.

Infinitive

Word: forbid /fəˈbɪd/
Examples:
  • 1. The company's policy explicitly forbids smoking in all its offices.
  • 2. Our religion forbids the consumption of alcohol.
  • 3. The school handbook forbids the use of mobile phones during class hours.

Past Simple

Word: forbade /fɔːˈbæd/
Examples:
  • 1. They forbade us from entering the restricted area.
  • 2. My parents forbade me to watch television past 9 PM when I was a child.
  • 3. The government quickly forbade the sale of those products due to safety concerns.

Past Participle

Word: forbidden /fərˈbɪd.ən/
Examples:
  • 1. The entry was forbidden to all unauthorized personnel.
  • 2. Her travel to the area had been forbidden by her parents.
  • 3. They were forbidden from disclosing the confidential information to anyone outside the company.

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Bare infinitive

  1. General/Universal Truths
    Example. 'The school rules forbid running in the hallways.'
    Example. 'He always forbids smoking in his house.'
    Example. 'The policy forbids the use of mobile phones during work hours.'
  2. When stating actions or laws that are generally true or operate as universal principles.
    Example. 'The school rules forbid running in the hallways.'
    Example. 'He always forbids smoking in his house.'
    Example. 'The policy forbids the use of mobile phones during work hours.'
  3. Habitual Actions
    Example. 'The school rules forbid running in the hallways.'
    Example. 'He always forbids smoking in his house.'
    Example. 'The policy forbids the use of mobile phones during work hours.'
  4. When discussing habits or routines.
    Example. 'The school rules forbid running in the hallways.'
    Example. 'He always forbids smoking in his house.'
    Example. 'The policy forbids the use of mobile phones during work hours.'
  5. Fixed Arrangements
    Example. 'The school rules forbid running in the hallways.'
    Example. 'He always forbids smoking in his house.'
    Example. 'The policy forbids the use of mobile phones during work hours.'
  6. Used for fixed plans or timetables (less common with 'forbid').
    Example. 'The school rules forbid running in the hallways.'
    Example. 'He always forbids smoking in his house.'
    Example. 'The policy forbids the use of mobile phones during work hours.'

Past Simple

  1. Completed Action in the Past
    Example. 'The teacher forbade us from using calculators during the exam.'
    Example. 'He came into the room, forbade noise, and left quietly.'
    Example. 'When we were kids, our parents forbade watching TV late at night.'
  2. When talking about a specific action in the past that has been completed.
    Example. 'The teacher forbade us from using calculators during the exam.'
    Example. 'He came into the room, forbade noise, and left quietly.'
    Example. 'When we were kids, our parents forbade watching TV late at night.'
  3. A Series of Completed Actions
    Example. 'The teacher forbade us from using calculators during the exam.'
    Example. 'He came into the room, forbade noise, and left quietly.'
    Example. 'When we were kids, our parents forbade watching TV late at night.'
  4. When listing actions that were completed one after the other in the past.
    Example. 'The teacher forbade us from using calculators during the exam.'
    Example. 'He came into the room, forbade noise, and left quietly.'
    Example. 'When we were kids, our parents forbade watching TV late at night.'
  5. Habit in the Past
    Example. 'The teacher forbade us from using calculators during the exam.'
    Example. 'He came into the room, forbade noise, and left quietly.'
    Example. 'When we were kids, our parents forbade watching TV late at night.'
  6. When referring to habits or situations that were true in the past but are no longer the case.
    Example. 'The teacher forbade us from using calculators during the exam.'
    Example. 'He came into the room, forbade noise, and left quietly.'
    Example. 'When we were kids, our parents forbade watching TV late at night.'

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses
    Example. 'She has always forbidden us from smoking indoors.'
    Example. 'By the time the meeting started, the manager had already forbidden the use of personal laptops.'
    Example. 'By next year, the government will have forbidden the sale of singleuse plastics.'
    Example. 'Smoking is strictly forbidden in all areas of the hospital.'
    Example. 'If he had known the truth, he would have forbidden the expedition.'
    Example. 'The forbidden forest was rumored to be haunted.'
  2. Present Perfect. When discussing actions completed at some point in the past but relevant to the present.
    Example. 'She has always forbidden us from smoking indoors.'
    Example. 'By the time the meeting started, the manager had already forbidden the use of personal laptops.'
    Example. 'By next year, the government will have forbidden the sale of singleuse plastics.'
    Example. 'Smoking is strictly forbidden in all areas of the hospital.'
    Example. 'If he had known the truth, he would have forbidden the expedition.'
    Example. 'The forbidden forest was rumored to be haunted.'
  3. Past Perfect. Used for actions completed before some past moment or other action.
    Example. 'She has always forbidden us from smoking indoors.'
    Example. 'By the time the meeting started, the manager had already forbidden the use of personal laptops.'
    Example. 'By next year, the government will have forbidden the sale of singleuse plastics.'
    Example. 'Smoking is strictly forbidden in all areas of the hospital.'
    Example. 'If he had known the truth, he would have forbidden the expedition.'
    Example. 'The forbidden forest was rumored to be haunted.'
  4. Future Perfect. For actions that will have been completed by a certain future point.
    Example. 'She has always forbidden us from smoking indoors.'
    Example. 'By the time the meeting started, the manager had already forbidden the use of personal laptops.'
    Example. 'By next year, the government will have forbidden the sale of singleuse plastics.'
    Example. 'Smoking is strictly forbidden in all areas of the hospital.'
    Example. 'If he had known the truth, he would have forbidden the expedition.'
    Example. 'The forbidden forest was rumored to be haunted.'
  5. Passive Voice
    Example. 'She has always forbidden us from smoking indoors.'
    Example. 'By the time the meeting started, the manager had already forbidden the use of personal laptops.'
    Example. 'By next year, the government will have forbidden the sale of singleuse plastics.'
    Example. 'Smoking is strictly forbidden in all areas of the hospital.'
    Example. 'If he had known the truth, he would have forbidden the expedition.'
    Example. 'The forbidden forest was rumored to be haunted.'
  6. When the focus is on the action or the state being caused, not who or what performed the action.
    Example. 'She has always forbidden us from smoking indoors.'
    Example. 'By the time the meeting started, the manager had already forbidden the use of personal laptops.'
    Example. 'By next year, the government will have forbidden the sale of singleuse plastics.'
    Example. 'Smoking is strictly forbidden in all areas of the hospital.'
    Example. 'If he had known the truth, he would have forbidden the expedition.'
    Example. 'The forbidden forest was rumored to be haunted.'
  7. Conditional Sentences
    Example. 'She has always forbidden us from smoking indoors.'
    Example. 'By the time the meeting started, the manager had already forbidden the use of personal laptops.'
    Example. 'By next year, the government will have forbidden the sale of singleuse plastics.'
    Example. 'Smoking is strictly forbidden in all areas of the hospital.'
    Example. 'If he had known the truth, he would have forbidden the expedition.'
    Example. 'The forbidden forest was rumored to be haunted.'
  8. Used in the conditional perfect, for conditions relating to the past.
    Example. 'She has always forbidden us from smoking indoors.'
    Example. 'By the time the meeting started, the manager had already forbidden the use of personal laptops.'
    Example. 'By next year, the government will have forbidden the sale of singleuse plastics.'
    Example. 'Smoking is strictly forbidden in all areas of the hospital.'
    Example. 'If he had known the truth, he would have forbidden the expedition.'
    Example. 'The forbidden forest was rumored to be haunted.'
  9. As an Adjective
    Example. 'She has always forbidden us from smoking indoors.'
    Example. 'By the time the meeting started, the manager had already forbidden the use of personal laptops.'
    Example. 'By next year, the government will have forbidden the sale of singleuse plastics.'
    Example. 'Smoking is strictly forbidden in all areas of the hospital.'
    Example. 'If he had known the truth, he would have forbidden the expedition.'
    Example. 'The forbidden forest was rumored to be haunted.'
  10. Describing a state resulting from a previous action.
    Example. 'She has always forbidden us from smoking indoors.'
    Example. 'By the time the meeting started, the manager had already forbidden the use of personal laptops.'
    Example. 'By next year, the government will have forbidden the sale of singleuse plastics.'
    Example. 'Smoking is strictly forbidden in all areas of the hospital.'
    Example. 'If he had known the truth, he would have forbidden the expedition.'
    Example. 'The forbidden forest was rumored to be haunted.'
  11. These use cases and examples should help in understanding when to use the present simple, past simple, and past participle forms of 'forbid.'
    Example. 'She has always forbidden us from smoking indoors.'
    Example. 'By the time the meeting started, the manager had already forbidden the use of personal laptops.'
    Example. 'By next year, the government will have forbidden the sale of singleuse plastics.'
    Example. 'Smoking is strictly forbidden in all areas of the hospital.'
    Example. 'If he had known the truth, he would have forbidden the expedition.'
    Example. 'The forbidden forest was rumored to be haunted.'

Common mistakes

— 01

Regularization of Irregular Verbs

A common mistake is treating irregular verbs like 'forbid' as if they were regular verbs. In English, regular verbs form their past simple and past participle by adding -ed to the base form. However, 'forbid' is an irregular verb, and its past simple form is 'forbade,' not 'forbided,' and its past participle form is 'forbidden,' not 'forbided' or 'forbaded.' Misapplying the rule for regular verbs to irregular ones like 'forbid' leads to errors in verb forms.

— 02

Confusing forms

Another error involves confusing the past simple form 'forbade' with the past participle form 'forbidden.' While 'forbade' is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past, 'forbidden' is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. For example, saying 'I have forbade you from doing that' is incorrect; the correct form is 'I have forbidden you from doing that.' Misunderstanding the distinct roles of these forms can disrupt the clarity and grammaticality of a sentence.

— 03

Misuse in Passive Voice

A mistake specific to the verb 'forbid' is incorrectly using its forms in passive voice sentences. The correct past participle 'forbidden' should be used in passive structures. For instance, 'You were forbade from entering' is incorrect, whereas 'You were forbidden from entering' is the correct form. This error stems from not recognizing or applying the proper past participle form in passive constructions, which is crucial for maintaining the sentence's grammatical integrity.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'forbid'?

The past simple form of 'forbid' is 'forbade.' It is used to describe an action of prohibition that occurred at a specific time in the past. For example, 'Yesterday, the teacher forbade us from using our phones during the lecture.'

How do you use the past participle form of 'forbid'?

The past participle form of 'forbid' is 'forbidden.' It is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses or the passive voice. For example, in the sentence, 'Smartphones have been forbidden in classrooms,' 'forbidden' is used to describe a state resulting from a past action in a passive construction. In perfect tenses, you might say, 'We had forbidden our dog from entering the kitchen before the incident.'

Can 'forbade' and 'forbidden' be used interchangeably?

No, 'forbade' and 'forbidden' cannot be used interchangeably. 'Forbade' is the past simple form and is used to talk about a specific instance of prohibiting something in the past. 'Forbidden' is the past participle form, used with auxiliary verbs in perfect tenses or passive voice constructions. Their usage depends on the grammatical structure of the sentence. Is there a common mistake to avoid when using 'forbade' and 'forbidden'