Highlight past tense
Meaning of highlight
to emphasize or make conspicuous.
Infinitive
- 1. These guidelines highlight the most critical steps in the process.
- 2. The review paper aims to highlight the latest advancements in renewable energy technologies.
- 3. The teacher uses a bright marker to highlight important dates on the classroom calendar.
Past Simple
- 1. She highlighted the important dates on the calendar to ensure she wouldn't forget any appointments.
- 2. During the meeting, the manager highlighted the team's accomplishments over the past quarter.
- 3. He highlighted the key points in the document before submitting it for review.
Past Participle
- 1. The book was highlighted by the teacher for important sections.
- 2. The project has been highlighted as a top priority for this quarter.
- 3. The achievements of the team were highlighted in the annual report.
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Bare infinitive
- To describe habitual actions or routines involving making something emphasized or conspicuous.Example. The teacher highlights important points during the lecture.Example. This report highlights the need for immediate action.Example. Always highlight the keywords in your notes for easy review.
- To state facts or general truths about the action of emphasizing or making something stand out.Example. The teacher highlights important points during the lecture.Example. This report highlights the need for immediate action.Example. Always highlight the keywords in your notes for easy review.
- To give instructions or advice related to emphasizing or drawing attention to something.Example. The teacher highlights important points during the lecture.Example. This report highlights the need for immediate action.Example. Always highlight the keywords in your notes for easy review.
Past Simple
- To talk about a specific instance in the past when something was emphasized or made conspicuous.Example. The presentation highlighted the company's achievements over the past year.Example. The documentary highlighted various environmental issues through compelling storytelling.Example. She highlighted all the changes that needed to be made in the draft.
- To describe a series of actions in the past involving the emphasis or highlighting of something.Example. The presentation highlighted the company's achievements over the past year.Example. The documentary highlighted various environmental issues through compelling storytelling.Example. She highlighted all the changes that needed to be made in the draft.
- To express a past action of emphasizing or making something stand out that is complete.Example. The presentation highlighted the company's achievements over the past year.Example. The documentary highlighted various environmental issues through compelling storytelling.Example. She highlighted all the changes that needed to be made in the draft.
Past Participle
- Perfect tenses - To talk about actions of emphasizing or making something conspicuous that have happened, with relevance to the present moment or completed at an unspecified time in the past.Example. The problems were highlighted by the auditor in the final report.
- Example (Present Perfect). The research has highlighted significant gaps in our understanding of the subject.Example. The problems were highlighted by the auditor in the final report.
- Example (Past Perfect). By the time the meeting took place, the issues had already been highlighted in the pre-meeting documents.Example. The problems were highlighted by the auditor in the final report.
- Passive voice - To describe situations where the focus is on something being made emphasized or conspicuous, rather than who performed the action.Example. The problems were highlighted by the auditor in the final report.
Common mistakes
— 01
Extra Suffix
One mistake is adding an unnecessary suffix or doubling a consonant that doesn't need to be doubled, leading to incorrect forms such as 'highlightted' instead of 'highlighted.' This error can arise from confusion with verbs that require the final consonant to be doubled before adding '-ed.' In the case of 'highlight,' the correct form simply adds '-ed' to the end without any changes to the base verb.
— 02
Using the Base Form
Another common error involves using the base form 'highlight' instead of the past simple or past participle form 'highlighted' when referring to past actions. For instance, saying 'Yesterday, I highlight the key points in the report' instead of 'Yesterday, I highlighted the key points in the report.' This mistake reflects a misunderstanding of tense usage and the necessity to modify the verb to accurately denote past actions.
— 03
Omitting the Past Participle
In perfect tense constructions, the past participle 'highlighted' should be used with an auxiliary verb (have/has/had) to indicate actions that have been completed. A common mistake is omitting the past participle or misusing the base form, leading to grammatically incorrect sentences. For example, saying 'I have highlight all the important dates' instead of the correct 'I have highlighted all the important dates.'
Past tense quiz
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