Gain past tense

Meaning of gain

to acquire or increase in quantity, degree, or value.

Infinitive

Word: gain /ɡeɪn/

Examples:

1. Investors often seek stocks that gain steadily over time.
2. She gains a deep sense of satisfaction from helping others.
3. The company gains a competitive edge by innovating constantly.

Past Simple

Word: gained /ɡeɪnd/

Examples:

1. She gained a lot of experience from her first job.
2. After months of hard work, he finally gained the trust of his team.
3. They gained a strong foothold in the market last year through innovative strategies.

Past Participle

Word: gained /ɡeɪnd/

Examples:

1. She has gained considerable experience in her field over the past few years.
2. They had gained a reputation for excellence before merging with another company.
3. After months of careful investing, he has finally gained a significant profit from the stock market.

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Bare infinitive

General truths or facts. When you want to express a fact or a general truth about gains or achievements.
Example. 'Investment in education often gains significant returns.'
Example. 'He gains more confidence with every public speech he delivers.'
Example. 'The company's stock gains value after every successful product launch.'
Habits or regular actions. To describe a recurring action or habit related to gaining something.
Example. 'Investment in education often gains significant returns.'
Example. 'He gains more confidence with every public speech he delivers.'
Example. 'The company's stock gains value after every successful product launch.'
Scheduled or planned events (in the near future, sometimes used in a narrative sense). Occasionally, it's used to discuss scheduled events in a context where gains are expected.
Example. 'Investment in education often gains significant returns.'
Example. 'He gains more confidence with every public speech he delivers.'
Example. 'The company's stock gains value after every successful product launch.'

Past Simple

Completed actions in the past. When you want to describe an action of gaining something that has been completed in the past at a specific time.
Example. 'She gained her bachelor's degree in 20'
Example. 'He gained a friend, a mentor, and a solid network during his internship.'
Example. 'They gained new clients every month until the market crashed.'
Series of completed actions. To describe a sequence of actions related to gaining.
Example. 'She gained her bachelor's degree in 20'
Example. 'He gained a friend, a mentor, and a solid network during his internship.'
Example. 'They gained new clients every month until the market crashed.'
Past habit or state. To talk about a habitual action or state in the past regarding gains.
Example. 'She gained her bachelor's degree in 20'
Example. 'He gained a friend, a mentor, and a solid network during his internship.'
Example. 'They gained new clients every month until the market crashed.'

Past Participle

Present Perfect Tense. To talk about actions of gaining that occurred at an unspecified time in the past and have relevance to the present.
Example. 'She has gained considerable experience in her field.'
Example. 'By the time the competition started, he had already gained enough strength to win.'
Example. 'Significant popularity has been gained by the new product since its launch.'
Example. 'She had been gaining momentum in her campaign before the sudden change in events.'
Past Perfect Tense. To discuss an action of gaining that was completed before another past action.
Example. 'She has gained considerable experience in her field.'
Example. 'By the time the competition started, he had already gained enough strength to win.'
Example. 'Significant popularity has been gained by the new product since its launch.'
Example. 'She had been gaining momentum in her campaign before the sudden change in events.'
Passive Voice. To describe an action that someone or something receives.
Example. 'She has gained considerable experience in her field.'
Example. 'By the time the competition started, he had already gained enough strength to win.'
Example. 'Significant popularity has been gained by the new product since its launch.'
Example. 'She had been gaining momentum in her campaign before the sudden change in events.'
Perfect Continuous Tenses. Though less common, it’s used for actions of gaining that were ongoing in the past and usually up to a certain point.
Example. 'She has gained considerable experience in her field.'
Example. 'By the time the competition started, he had already gained enough strength to win.'
Example. 'Significant popularity has been gained by the new product since its launch.'
Example. 'She had been gaining momentum in her campaign before the sudden change in events.'

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

A common mistake is confusing the past simple form of a verb with its past participle form. For the verb 'gain,' the past simple is 'gained,' and the past participle is also 'gained.' However, learners often mistakenly use the past participle form when they should use the past simple form, especially in simple past tense sentences. For instance, they might incorrectly say, 'I have gained five pounds last year,' instead of the correct form, 'I gained five pounds last year.' The correct usage of 'have gained' would be in a present perfect construction, such as 'I have gained five pounds over the last year.'

— 02

Incorrect Use in Perfect Tenses

Another mistake is failing to use the past participle form when forming perfect tenses. The past participle form 'gained' is necessary for perfect tenses, but learners sometimes mistakenly use the base form or past simple form. For example, an incorrect sentence would be, 'I have gain a new perspective,' instead of the correct, 'I have gained a new perspective.' This mistake changes the tense and meaning of the sentence, leading to confusion.

— 03

Omitting Auxiliary Verbs

A related mistake is omitting auxiliary verbs when using the past participle in perfect tenses. Forgetting to include 'have' or 'had' before the past participle 'gained' results in grammatically incorrect sentences. An incorrect example would be, 'I gained a lot of experience over the years,' when the intended meaning is in the present perfect tense, which should be, 'I have gained a lot of experience over the years.' This omission can significantly alter the timeline and interpretation of the action being described.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'gain'?

The past simple form of 'gain' is 'gained.' It is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, you might say, 'Last year, I gained a lot of experience in my field.'

What is the past participle form of 'gain'?

The past participle form of 'gain' is also 'gained.' It is used in perfect tense constructions to talk about actions that have an impact on the present or that were completed at some unspecified time in the past. For instance, 'I have gained a new perspective on life.'

How do you use 'gained' in a sentence to indicate a completed action in the past?

To indicate a completed action in the past, you can use 'gained' in the past simple tense. For example, 'She gained her certification last month.' This sentence indicates that the action of gaining her certification is complete and occurred at a specific time in the past.

Can 'gained' be used in both active and passive voice? How?

Yes, 'gained' can be used in both active and passive voice constructions. Active Voice Example. 'The company gained a lot of clients this year.' In this sentence, 'the company' is the subject performing the action of gaining clients. Passive Voice Example. 'A lot of clients were gained by the company this year.' In this sentence, the action of gaining clients is being done to the subject ('a lot of clients'), and 'the company' is mentioned at the end of the sentence as the doer of the action, introduced by the preposition 'by.'