Label past tense
Meaning of label
to assign a name, category, or description to someone or something.
Infinitive
- 1. The museum guide carefully labels each artifact to provide visitors with detailed information.
- 2. The teacher labels each drawer to keep all the supplies organized.
- 3. The new software automatically labels emails as important based on your reading habits.
Past Simple
- 1. Yesterday, I labeled all the boxes in the attic to make finding things easier.
- 2. She labeled the jars with the names of the spices to keep the kitchen organized.
- 3. They labeled their luggage carefully before heading to the airport to avoid any mix-ups.
Past Participle
- 1. By the end of the project, they had labeled all the boxes, making unpacking much easier.
- 2. She had labeled each photograph with names and dates, preserving the family history.
- 3. The museum had labeled every exhibit meticulously, offering visitors a comprehensive learning experience.
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Bare infinitive
- To describe habitual actions or routines involving assigning names, categories, or descriptions.Example. She labels all her notebooks by subject.Example. This software automatically labels emails as 'Important' based on content.Example. To stay organized, label each box before moving.
- To state facts or general truths about the act of labeling.Example. She labels all her notebooks by subject.Example. This software automatically labels emails as 'Important' based on content.Example. To stay organized, label each box before moving.
- To give instructions or advice related to the process of labeling.Example. She labels all her notebooks by subject.Example. This software automatically labels emails as 'Important' based on content.Example. To stay organized, label each box before moving.
Past Simple
- To talk about a specific instance in the past when someone assigned a name, category, or description.Example. He labeled the folders yesterday to tidy up his desk.Example. We labeled all the products and then arranged them on the shelves.Example. Before the digital age, librarians manually labeled each book.
- To describe a series of actions in the past involving labeling.Example. He labeled the folders yesterday to tidy up his desk.Example. We labeled all the products and then arranged them on the shelves.Example. Before the digital age, librarians manually labeled each book.
- To express a past habit or state of labeling that is no longer current.Example. He labeled the folders yesterday to tidy up his desk.Example. We labeled all the products and then arranged them on the shelves.Example. Before the digital age, librarians manually labeled each book.
Past Participle
- Perfect tenses - To talk about actions of labeling that have happened, with relevance to the present moment or completed at an unspecified time in the past.Example. The packages were labeled with care to ensure proper delivery.
- Example (Present Perfect). All the ingredients have been labeled clearly in the kitchen.Example. The packages were labeled with care to ensure proper delivery.
- Example (Past Perfect). By the time the conference started, the team had labeled each attendee's seat.Example. The packages were labeled with care to ensure proper delivery.
- Passive voice - To describe situations where the focus is on someone or something being assigned a name, category, or description, rather than who did the labeling.Example. The packages were labeled with care to ensure proper delivery.
Common mistakes
— 01
Inconsistent Doubling
One common mistake is confusion over whether to double the final consonant when adding the '-ed' ending, leading to inconsistencies like 'labeleled' or failing to double the consonant where it is standard in British English, resulting in 'labeled' instead of 'labelled.' This mistake stems from uncertainty about the rules for doubling consonants in verb conjugation, which can vary between American and British English.
— 02
Using the Base Form
Another frequent error is using the base form 'label' instead of the correct past simple or past participle form 'labeled' or 'labelled' in contexts that clearly refer to past events. For example, saying 'Yesterday, I label the boxes' instead of 'Yesterday, I labeled (or labelled) the boxes.' This mistake reflects a lack of understanding of tense usage and the need to modify the verb form to match the past tense.
— 03
Omitting the Past Participle
When forming perfect tense constructions, it's necessary to use the past participle form 'labeled' or 'labelled' with an auxiliary verb. A common mistake involves omitting the past participle form or using the wrong tense, leading to sentences that are grammatically incorrect. An example of this error might be 'I have label all the products' instead of the correct 'I have labeled (or labelled) all the products.' This error usually results from a misunderstanding of how to form perfect tenses or a simple oversight.
Past tense quiz
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