Like past tense

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Meaning of like

find enjoyable or agreeable.

Infinitive

Word: like /laɪk/
Examples:
  • 1. She likes to read mystery novels before bed.
  • 2. He always likes to have a cup of coffee in the morning.
  • 3. They like to go hiking in the mountains during weekends.

Past Simple

Word: liked /laɪkt/
Examples:
  • 1. Yesterday, I liked the picture you posted on Instagram.
  • 2. She liked the idea so much that she immediately agreed to participate.
  • 3. We liked the food at that new restaurant, so we decided to go there again next week.

Past Participle

Word: liked /laɪkt/
Examples:
  • 1. The book has been liked by everyone in the book club.
  • 2. The song was liked by millions around the world.
  • 3. The proposal has been liked and approved by the committee.

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Bare infinitive

  1. To describe habitual preferences or general tastes.
    Example. She likes to read before bed.
    Example. People usually like compliments.
    Example. I like how peaceful it is here.
  2. To state facts or general truths about preferences or things found agreeable.
    Example. She likes to read before bed.
    Example. People usually like compliments.
    Example. I like how peaceful it is here.
  3. To express current feelings of enjoyment or agreement towards something.
    Example. She likes to read before bed.
    Example. People usually like compliments.
    Example. I like how peaceful it is here.

Past Simple

  1. To talk about a specific instance or period in the past when something was found enjoyable or agreeable.
    Example. They liked the movie they saw last weekend.
    Example. We liked to go hiking every summer when we were younger.
    Example. I liked that restaurant we went to on vacation.
  2. To describe past preferences or tastes that have possibly changed.
    Example. They liked the movie they saw last weekend.
    Example. We liked to go hiking every summer when we were younger.
    Example. I liked that restaurant we went to on vacation.
  3. To express feelings of enjoyment or agreement towards something in the past, not necessarily continuing into the present.
    Example. They liked the movie they saw last weekend.
    Example. We liked to go hiking every summer when we were younger.
    Example. I liked that restaurant we went to on vacation.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses - To talk about past preferences or instances of finding something enjoyable that have relevance to the present moment or were completed at an unspecified time in the past.
    Example. This style has been liked by fans for decades.
  2. Example (Present Perfect). I have always liked classical music.
    Example. This style has been liked by fans for decades.
  3. Example (Past Perfect). Before she tried the new cuisine, she had only liked traditional dishes.
    Example. This style has been liked by fans for decades.
  4. Passive voice - While less commonly used in passive voice due to its subjective nature, it could be constructed in certain contexts.
    Example. This style has been liked by fans for decades.

Common mistakes

— 01

Irregular Verb Patterns

A mistake some learners make is treating 'like' as if it were an irregular verb, leading to incorrect past forms. They might attempt to change the verb more dramatically than simply adding '-ed' due to confusion with irregular verbs that change vowel sounds or have different endings in the past tense. For example, mistakenly saying 'I loked' or 'I likeyed' instead of the correct 'I liked.' This error stems from overgeneralizing patterns from irregular verbs to a regular verb like 'like.'

— 02

Confusion Over Tense

Another common mistake is using the base form 'like' instead of the past form 'liked' when referring to past events, due to confusion over when to use each tense. For instance, someone might say 'Yesterday, I like the movie' instead of the correct 'Yesterday, I liked the movie.' This mistake indicates a misunderstanding of how to express actions that occurred in the past.

— 03

Omitting Auxiliary Verbs

In perfect tenses or passive voice, the past participle 'liked' should be used with the appropriate auxiliary verb ('have' for perfect tenses, 'be' for passive voice). A common error involves omitting the auxiliary verb, leading to grammatically incorrect sentences. For example, saying 'I never liked that song before' when trying to express a present perfect tense without the auxiliary verb, instead of 'I have never liked that song before.'

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Frequently asked questions

What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'like'?

The past simple form of 'like' is 'liked.' This form is used to describe actions or feelings in the past that are completed. The past participle form is also 'liked.' It is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions.

How do I use 'liked' in a past simple sentence?

To use 'liked' in a past simple sentence, you simply place it after the subject to describe a past action or feeling. For example. 'I liked the movie we watched last night.' 'She liked the gift you gave her.' In these sentences, 'liked' indicates that the action of liking something happened in the past.

How is 'liked' used as a past participle in a sentence?

As a past participle, 'liked' is often used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses or in passive voice constructions. For example. Perfect tense. 'They have always liked classical music.' Passive voice. 'The proposal was liked by everyone in the meeting.' In the first example, 'liked' is used with 'have' to form the present perfect tense, indicating an action that happened at an unspecified time in the past and may still be relevant now. In the second example, 'liked' is used in a passive voice construction to indicate that the action of liking was performed by 'everyone in the meeting' on the 'proposal.'

Can you provide an example of 'liked' used in both the past simple and past participle in the same sentence?

Yes, here's an example that combines both uses in one sentence. 'I had always liked that song before it became popular.' In this sentence, 'had liked' is the past perfect tense, combining the past participle 'liked' with the past tense of the auxiliary verb 'have' (had) to indicate that the liking occurred before another past action (the song becoming popular).