Forecast past tense
Meaning of forecast
to predict or estimate (a future event or trend).
Infinitive
- 1. The meteorologist forecast sunny skies for the rest of the week.
- 2. Based on current trends, analysts forecast an increase in market demand for electric vehicles.
- 3. The app forecast a high chance of rain tomorrow, so I'll bring my umbrella.
Past Simple
- 1. The meteorologist forecast heavy rain for the weekend, but luckily it turned out to be sunny instead.
- 2. They had forecast a decline in sales, but the marketing campaign turned things around.
- 3. We forecast a significant drop in temperature, so we were surprised when it remained warm.
Past Participle
- 1. The financial results for next quarter have been forecast by the analysts.
- 2. The storm's arrival was accurately forecast by the meteorologists.
- 3. The economic growth for the upcoming year has already been forecast by the government.
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Bare infinitive
- To express universal truths or facts.Example. Economists forecast that the economic principles governing supply and demand rarely change.Example. She always forecasts the weather accurately for her region.Example. The news channel forecasts the weather daily at 6 PM.
- To mention habits or occurrences that are regular or habitual.Example. Economists forecast that the economic principles governing supply and demand rarely change.Example. She always forecasts the weather accurately for her region.Example. The news channel forecasts the weather daily at 6 PM.
- For scheduled future events, especially in timetables or programs.Example. Economists forecast that the economic principles governing supply and demand rarely change.Example. She always forecasts the weather accurately for her region.Example. The news channel forecasts the weather daily at 6 PM.
Past Simple
- To describe an action or situation that was completed in the past.Example. The meteorologist forecast the storm's path accurately last week.Example. Last year, she forecast several weather patterns that helped the farmers save their crops.Example. They said they forecast a decrease in temperatures, but it didn't happen.
- To narrate a series of completed actions or events in the past.Example. The meteorologist forecast the storm's path accurately last week.Example. Last year, she forecast several weather patterns that helped the farmers save their crops.Example. They said they forecast a decrease in temperatures, but it didn't happen.
- For reported speech referring to past events.Example. The meteorologist forecast the storm's path accurately last week.Example. Last year, she forecast several weather patterns that helped the farmers save their crops.Example. They said they forecast a decrease in temperatures, but it didn't happen.
Past Participle
- To form the present perfect tense, describing actions or situations that occurred at an indefinite time in the past or events that have relevance to the present moment.Example. The team has forecast higher sales for this quarter.Example. By the time the conference began, the economist had forecast an impending recession.Example. Accurate weather predictions had been forecast by the meteorologists before the hurricane hit.
- To form the past perfect tense, used to describe an action that was completed before another action or point in time in the past.Example. The team has forecast higher sales for this quarter.Example. By the time the conference began, the economist had forecast an impending recession.Example. Accurate weather predictions had been forecast by the meteorologists before the hurricane hit.
- For passive voice sentences, to describe actions that were done to the subject.Example. The team has forecast higher sales for this quarter.Example. By the time the conference began, the economist had forecast an impending recession.Example. Accurate weather predictions had been forecast by the meteorologists before the hurricane hit.
Common mistakes
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Confusing forms
One of the most common mistakes is confusing the past simple form of 'forecast' with its past participle form. The past simple form is 'forecast' while the past participle form is also 'forecast'. Many people mistakenly believe that the past participle should take a different form, such as 'forecasted', because this is a common pattern with many other verbs in English. However, 'forecast' is an irregular verb, and it retains the same form for both past simple and past participle.
— 02
Forming the Perfect Tenses
Another mistake is incorrectly forming perfect tenses with 'forecast'. Since 'forecast' remains the same in both past simple and past participle forms, it's essential to use it correctly when forming perfect tenses. A common error is using 'forecasted' instead of 'forecast' in perfect tenses, such as 'has forecasted' or 'had forecasted'. The correct constructions are 'has forecast' or 'had forecast'. For example, 'The weather service has forecast rain for tomorrow.'
— 03
Misapplying Regular Verb Rules
Many learners of English apply regular verb conjugation rules to 'forecast', leading to the incorrect addition of -ed for its past forms. This mistake stems from the tendency to regularize irregular verbs. Since 'forecast' does not follow the regular -ed ending pattern, it's crucial to remember its uniqueness. Correct usage does not add -ed, so 'The company forecast significant growth last year,' not 'The company forecasted significant growth last year.'
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Frequently asked questions
What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'forecast'?
How do I know when to use 'forecast' or 'forecasted' in a sentence?
Can you give examples of sentences using 'forecast' as both the past simple and past participle?