Have past tense

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Meaning of have

possess, own, or hold.

Infinitive

Word: have /hæv/
Examples:
  • 1. I have two dogs and a cat.
  • 2. She often has coffee in the morning before work.
  • 3. We have a big test coming up next week.

Past Simple

Word: had /hæd/
Examples:
  • 1. I had a great time at the concert last night.
  • 2. They had dinner at a new restaurant before the movie.
  • 3. She had a great time near the ocean.

Past Participle

Word: had /hæd/
Examples:
  • 1. They have had tight dealines to submit their project, when they were studying in the unvirsity.
  • 2. She had had a feeling of déjà vu when she came to the neighborhood.
  • 3. He had had a great time at the theme park over the weekend.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual or Routine Actions. When describing habits, routines, or general truths.
    Example. She has lunch at 1 pm every day.
    Example. He has two cars.
    Example. The train has a departure at 5 am daily.
    Example. She has a great personality.
  2. Permanent Situations. To describe situations that are not expected to change.
    Example. She has lunch at 1 pm every day.
    Example. He has two cars.
    Example. The train has a departure at 5 am daily.
    Example. She has a great personality.
  3. Fixed Arrangements. For timetables or schedules.
    Example. She has lunch at 1 pm every day.
    Example. He has two cars.
    Example. The train has a departure at 5 am daily.
    Example. She has a great personality.
  4. State Descriptions. When describing states of being, feelings, or ownership.
    Example. She has lunch at 1 pm every day.
    Example. He has two cars.
    Example. The train has a departure at 5 am daily.
    Example. She has a great personality.

Past Simple

  1. Completed Actions in the Past. For actions that started and finished in the past.
    Example. They had dinner at a restaurant last night.
    Example. He had a walk every morning before he moved to the city.
    Example. She had a cat when she lived in France.
  2. Past Habits. For actions that were habits in the past but not anymore.
    Example. They had dinner at a restaurant last night.
    Example. He had a walk every morning before he moved to the city.
    Example. She had a cat when she lived in France.
  3. Past State or Situation. To describe a state or situation that was in the past.
    Example. They had dinner at a restaurant last night.
    Example. He had a walk every morning before he moved to the city.
    Example. She had a cat when she lived in France.

Past Participle

  1. Present Perfect Tense. To talk about actions or situations in the past that have relevance or connection to the present.
    Example. They have had the same car for ten years.
    Example. She had had dinner by the time we arrived.
    Example. The work has been had by the team tirelessly. (Note. This example is awkward because 'have' generally does not lend itself well to passive constructions related to possession or states of being. A more accurate example might be. 'The mail has been had by him,' implying possession, but this is still an unusual construction. 'Have' in passive voice is rare unless used in a causative form like 'I had my car washed.')
    Example. They would have had to leave early to catch the train.
  2. Past Perfect Tense. For actions that were completed before another action in the past.
    Example. They have had the same car for ten years.
    Example. She had had dinner by the time we arrived.
    Example. The work has been had by the team tirelessly. (Note. This example is awkward because 'have' generally does not lend itself well to passive constructions related to possession or states of being. A more accurate example might be. 'The mail has been had by him,' implying possession, but this is still an unusual construction. 'Have' in passive voice is rare unless used in a causative form like 'I had my car washed.')
    Example. They would have had to leave early to catch the train.
  3. Passive Voice. When the subject is the receiver of the action.
    Example. They have had the same car for ten years.
    Example. She had had dinner by the time we arrived.
    Example. The work has been had by the team tirelessly. (Note. This example is awkward because 'have' generally does not lend itself well to passive constructions related to possession or states of being. A more accurate example might be. 'The mail has been had by him,' implying possession, but this is still an unusual construction. 'Have' in passive voice is rare unless used in a causative form like 'I had my car washed.')
    Example. They would have had to leave early to catch the train.
  4. Perfect Infinitive. To express a hypothetical situation or condition in the past.
    Example. They have had the same car for ten years.
    Example. She had had dinner by the time we arrived.
    Example. The work has been had by the team tirelessly. (Note. This example is awkward because 'have' generally does not lend itself well to passive constructions related to possession or states of being. A more accurate example might be. 'The mail has been had by him,' implying possession, but this is still an unusual construction. 'Have' in passive voice is rare unless used in a causative form like 'I had my car washed.')
    Example. They would have had to leave early to catch the train.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

The past simple form is 'had,' and it is used for actions that happened at a specific time in the past. The past participle form is also 'had,' but it's used in perfect tense constructions (e.g., 'I have had breakfast'). For example, incorrectly using 'had' as if it were a past participle without an auxiliary verb. 'I had breakfast' (correct usage in past simple) vs. 'I had had breakfast' (correct usage in past participle form when emphasizing the action was completed before another action in the past).

— 02

Omitting Auxiliary Verbs

Another mistake is omitting auxiliary verbs when using the past participle form. The past participle 'had' must be accompanied by an auxiliary verb to form perfect tenses. For instance, in the present perfect tense, it's correct to say, 'I have had lunch.' A common error is omitting the auxiliary 'have,' resulting in 'I had lunch' when intending to use the present perfect tense.

— 03

Misusing 'Had'

A third mistake involves the misuse of 'had' in conditional sentences, particularly in the third conditional. The correct structure for these sentences is 'If + subject + had + past participle, subject + would + have + past participle.' A frequent error is using the past simple instead of the past participle after 'had,' or omitting 'had' altogether, which alters the meaning and grammatical correctness of the sentence. For example, incorrectly saying 'If I knew' instead of the correct 'If I had known.'

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple of 'have'?

The past simple form of 'have' is 'had.' It is used to describe actions or situations that occurred in the past and are no longer happening. For example. 'Yesterday, I had a meeting with my manager.'

What is the past participle of 'have'?

The past participle form of 'have' is also 'had.' The past participle is often used to form perfect tenses in conjunction with auxiliary verbs (have/has for present perfect, had for past perfect). For example, in the present perfect tense. 'I have had lunch already,' and in the past perfect tense. 'By the time she arrived, we had already had dinner.'

How do you use 'had' in a sentence to indicate past perfect tense?

To indicate the past perfect tense, 'had' is used with the past participle form of the main verb to show that one action was completed before another in the past. For example. 'I had finished my homework before I went out to play.' In this sentence, 'had finished' is in the past perfect tense, indicating that finishing homework occurred before going out to play.

Can 'had' be used by itself without another verb to indicate past possession?

Yes, 'had' can be used by itself to indicate past possession or to denote that someone owned or possessed something in the past. For example. 'I had a bicycle when I was a child.' In this sentence, 'had' indicates that the possession of the bicycle occurred in the past.