Forsake past tense
Meaning of forsake
abandon or leave someone or something.
Infinitive
- 1. He promises never to forsake his family, regardless of the circumstances.
- 2. She forsakes her worldly possessions to live a more spiritual life.
- 3. They never forsake their duty to help those in need in their community.
Past Simple
- 1. She forsook all her dreams to take care of her family during the crisis.
- 2. The captain never forsook his crew, even in the face of imminent danger.
- 3. He forsook his comfortable lifestyle to live among the locals and learn their ways.
Past Participle
- 1. The old traditions had been forsaken by the community in favor of modern practices.
- 2. By the time she arrived, the village had already been forsaken by most of its inhabitants.
- 3. The ancient ruins, once a bustling city, were completely forsaken by the end of the century.
Learn more words on the go
Master verb forms with Promova!
Bare infinitive
- General actions or truths. Use the present simple when discussing general actions or truths that are timeless or habitual.Example. 'He often forsakes his comfort for others.'Example. 'Tomorrow, I forsake my homeland.'
- Scheduled events in the near future. In some contexts, particularly formal or literary, it's used for scheduled or certain future events.Example. 'He often forsakes his comfort for others.'Example. 'Tomorrow, I forsake my homeland.'
Past Simple
- Completed actions in the past. Use the past simple for actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.Example. 'He forsook his principles when it mattered most.'Example. 'She forsook her daily walks after moving to the city.'Example. 'First, he forsook his studies, and then he left the school.'Example. 'In those days, people often forsook their traditions.'
- Habitual actions in the past. When referring to habitual actions or states in the past that are no longer true.Example. 'He forsook his principles when it mattered most.'Example. 'She forsook her daily walks after moving to the city.'Example. 'First, he forsook his studies, and then he left the school.'Example. 'In those days, people often forsook their traditions.'
- Sequences of actions in the past. To describe sequences of actions that happened in the past.Example. 'He forsook his principles when it mattered most.'Example. 'She forsook her daily walks after moving to the city.'Example. 'First, he forsook his studies, and then he left the school.'Example. 'In those days, people often forsook their traditions.'
- Past facts or generalizations. When making generalizations about the past based on personal experience or belief.Example. 'He forsook his principles when it mattered most.'Example. 'She forsook her daily walks after moving to the city.'Example. 'First, he forsook his studies, and then he left the school.'Example. 'In those days, people often forsook their traditions.'
Past Participle
- Perfect aspects (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect). Used to describe actions that have been completed at some point in the past, before another past action, or will be completed by a certain future point.Example. Present Perfect. 'She has forsaken all her past ambitions.'Example. Past Perfect. 'By the time we arrived, she had already forsaken her post.'Example. Future Perfect. 'By next year, he will have forsaken many opportunities.'Example. 'He was forsaken by his friends in his time of need.'Example. 'The forsaken house atop the hill has a mysterious allure.'
- Passive voice. To form the passive voice, indicating that the subject of the sentence has something done to it.Example. Present Perfect. 'She has forsaken all her past ambitions.'Example. Past Perfect. 'By the time we arrived, she had already forsaken her post.'Example. Future Perfect. 'By next year, he will have forsaken many opportunities.'Example. 'He was forsaken by his friends in his time of need.'Example. 'The forsaken house atop the hill has a mysterious allure.'
- Adjective. Often, the past participle can function as an adjective, describing a noun.Example. Present Perfect. 'She has forsaken all her past ambitions.'Example. Past Perfect. 'By the time we arrived, she had already forsaken her post.'Example. Future Perfect. 'By next year, he will have forsaken many opportunities.'Example. 'He was forsaken by his friends in his time of need.'Example. 'The forsaken house atop the hill has a mysterious allure.'
Common mistakes
— 01
Confusing forms
A common mistake is using 'forsaken' instead of 'forsook' when forming the past simple tense of 'forsake.' The correct past simple form is 'forsook.' For instance, one should say, 'He forsook his responsibilities,' not 'He forsaken his responsibilities.' 'Forsaken' is the past participle form, used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses, not the past simple tense.
— 02
Incorrectly Using 'Forsake'
Another frequent error involves not using the past participle form 'forsaken' in perfect tenses, leading to grammatically incorrect sentences. For example, the correct construction in the present perfect tense is 'She has forsaken her old habits,' not 'She has forsook her old habits.' The past participle 'forsaken' is necessary when forming present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses, working in conjunction with auxiliary verbs like 'has,' 'have,' or 'had.'
— 03
Misapplication of Tense Forms
People often misuse the past simple form 'forsook' when an adjective is intended, instead of using the correct past participle form 'forsaken.' For example, in the phrase 'a forsook castle,' the correct form is 'a forsaken castle.' The past participle 'forsaken' serves as an adjective describing something that has been abandoned or deserted, whereas 'forsook' is solely for indicating the action in the past simple tense.
Past tense quiz
Check your skills and find areas for improvement