Foretell past tense

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Meaning of foretell

to predict (something, especially a future event) in advance.

Infinitive

Word: foretell /fɔːˈtɛl/
Examples:
  • 1. Experts often attempt to foretell the outcomes of political elections based on various polls and data.
  • 2. She believes that dreams can sometimes foretell the future.
  • 3. Astrologers claim they can foretell your fortune by studying the positions of the stars and planets.

Past Simple

Word: foretold /fɔːˈtoʊld/
Examples:
  • 1. The old seer foretold the rise and fall of empires with uncanny accuracy.
  • 2. She foretold a great storm coming, and indeed, by evening, the skies darkened ominously.
  • 3. They never believed him when he foretold his own success, but time proved him right.

Past Participle

Word: foretold /fɔːrˈtoʊld/
Examples:
  • 1. The prophecy had been foretold by the seer centuries ago.
  • 2. The outcome of the battle was foretold by the oracles.
  • 3. By the time the eclipse occurred, the disaster had already been foretold.

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Bare infinitive

  1. General Truths or Facts
    Example. 'The ancient oracle can foretell the fate of our city.'
    Example. 'He foretells the weather patterns every morning on the radio.'
  2. When speaking about abilities or general truths related to the act of predicting the future.
    Example. 'The ancient oracle can foretell the fate of our city.'
    Example. 'He foretells the weather patterns every morning on the radio.'
  3. Habitual Actions
    Example. 'The ancient oracle can foretell the fate of our city.'
    Example. 'He foretells the weather patterns every morning on the radio.'
  4. For actions that are routine or habitual occurrences.
    Example. 'The ancient oracle can foretell the fate of our city.'
    Example. 'He foretells the weather patterns every morning on the radio.'

Past Simple

  1. Completed Actions in the Past
    Example. 'The seer foretold the king's death many years ago.'
    Example. 'She foretold fortunes at the local fair every summer until it closed down.'
  2. When the act of predicting or telling the future was completed at a specific time in the past.
    Example. 'The seer foretold the king's death many years ago.'
    Example. 'She foretold fortunes at the local fair every summer until it closed down.'
  3. Past Habitual Actions
    Example. 'The seer foretold the king's death many years ago.'
    Example. 'She foretold fortunes at the local fair every summer until it closed down.'
  4. For actions that were routine or habitual in the past but are no longer done in the present.
    Example. 'The seer foretold the king's death many years ago.'
    Example. 'She foretold fortunes at the local fair every summer until it closed down.'

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses
    Example. 'The end of the empire was foretold by many prophets long before it happened.'
  2. In combinations with auxiliary verbs to form the perfect aspects, indicating actions that have been completed at the time of speaking or at a specific time in the past or future.
    Example. 'The end of the empire was foretold by many prophets long before it happened.'
  3. Example (Present Perfect). 'The prophet has foretold many events that eventually came true.'
    Example. 'The end of the empire was foretold by many prophets long before it happened.'
  4. Example (Past Perfect). 'By the time the news reached the village, the sorceress had already foretold the outcome of the war.'
    Example. 'The end of the empire was foretold by many prophets long before it happened.'
  5. Example (Future Perfect). 'By the end of the week, the astrologer will have foretold your fortune.'
    Example. 'The end of the empire was foretold by many prophets long before it happened.'
  6. Passive Voice
    Example. 'The end of the empire was foretold by many prophets long before it happened.'
  7. Used to form passive sentences where the focus is on the action of predicting rather than who predicts.
    Example. 'The end of the empire was foretold by many prophets long before it happened.'

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

A frequent mistake involves mixing up the past simple form of 'foretell,' which is 'foretold,' with its past participle form, which is also 'foretold.' While both forms share the same spelling, their usage differs significantly. The past simple is used to denote a completed action in the past ('The prophet foretold the disaster yesterday'), whereas the past participle form is often used in perfect tenses and passive voice ('The disaster had been foretold by the prophet').

— 02

Incorrectly Creating Past Forms

Another common mistake is attempting to regularize the past forms of 'foretell' by adding -ed to create foretelled instead of using the correct irregular forms 'foretold' for both past simple and past participle. This error stems from overgeneralizing the rule that many English verbs form their past tense by adding -ed. However, 'foretell' is an irregular verb, and its correct past forms do not follow this pattern. Using an incorrect form like foretelled can make sentences sound awkward and grammatically incorrect.

— 03

Overlooking the letter 'T'

A subtler mistake involves missing the letter 't' in the past forms of 'foretell.' Some might incorrectly write foreold instead of 'foretold,' dropping the 't' altogether. This error likely arises from mishearing the pronunciation or from a misunderstanding of spelling conventions for past forms of verbs. Ensuring the correct spelling, 'foretold' for both past simple and past participle, is crucial for maintaining the accuracy and professionalism of written communication.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'foretell'?

The past simple form of 'foretell' is 'foretold.' It is used to describe an action that was completed at a specific time in the past. For example. 'The fortune teller foretold my future accurately.'

What is the past participle form of 'foretell'?

The past participle form of 'foretell' is also 'foretold.' This form is used in perfect tenses to describe actions that were completed at some point in the past or that have relevance to the present. For example, in the present perfect tense. 'She has foretold many events that eventually happened.'

How do you use 'foretold' in a sentence?

'Foretold' can be used in various tenses. Here are a couple of examples. Past Simple. 'The prophet foretold the king's downfall last year.' Present Perfect. 'The scientist has foretold significant changes in the climate for decades.'

Can 'foretold' be used as an adjective?

Yes, 'foretold' can be used as an adjective to describe something that has been predicted or announced in advance. For example. 'The foretold storm arrived just as the meteorologists predicted.' In this sentence, 'foretold' modifies 'storm,' indicating that the storm's occurrence was predicted before it happened.