Look past tense

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Meaning of look

to direct one's gaze towards someone or something.

Infinitive

Word: look /lʊk/
Examples:
  • 1. I always look up to see the stars at night.
  • 2. She looks for her keys before she leaves the house.
  • 3. They look out the window whenever they hear a noise.

Past Simple

Word: looked /lʊkt/
Examples:
  • 1. I looked around the room, searching for my lost phone.
  • 2. She looked through the telescope, amazed at the stars and planets.
  • 3. They looked at each other and simultaneously burst into laughter.

Past Participle

Word: looked /lʊkt/
Examples:
  • 1. The entire document was looked over by the committee before the final approval.
  • 2. Every possibility had been looked into by the researchers by the end of the study.
  • 3. The painting was looked at with admiration by all the gallery visitors.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual Actions Describing actions done on a regular basis.
    Example. I look at the sky every morning.
    Example. Cats look for comfort when they choose a sleeping spot.
    Example. The train looks to arrive at 10 PM.
    Example. First, look both ways before crossing the street.
    Example. You look fabulous in that dress!
  2. General Truths Stating facts that are always true.
    Example. I look at the sky every morning.
    Example. Cats look for comfort when they choose a sleeping spot.
    Example. The train looks to arrive at 10 PM.
    Example. First, look both ways before crossing the street.
    Example. You look fabulous in that dress!
  3. Scheduled Events in the Near Future (often related to public transport, schedules)
    Example. I look at the sky every morning.
    Example. Cats look for comfort when they choose a sleeping spot.
    Example. The train looks to arrive at 10 PM.
    Example. First, look both ways before crossing the street.
    Example. You look fabulous in that dress!
  4. Instructions or Directions
    Example. I look at the sky every morning.
    Example. Cats look for comfort when they choose a sleeping spot.
    Example. The train looks to arrive at 10 PM.
    Example. First, look both ways before crossing the street.
    Example. You look fabulous in that dress!
  5. Immediate Present Describing what is happening exactly now (this is less common and often contextual).
    Example. I look at the sky every morning.
    Example. Cats look for comfort when they choose a sleeping spot.
    Example. The train looks to arrive at 10 PM.
    Example. First, look both ways before crossing the street.
    Example. You look fabulous in that dress!

Past Simple

  1. Completed Actions in the Past Describing an action that started and finished at a specific time in the past.
    Example. He looked at the painting for hours yesterday.
    Example. She finished her dinner, looked out the window, and then started washing the dishes.
    Example. When I was a child, I looked under my bed every night for monsters.
    Example. She looked so much like her mother when she was younger.
  2. A Series of Completed Actions Narrating events or actions that happened one after another in the past.
    Example. He looked at the painting for hours yesterday.
    Example. She finished her dinner, looked out the window, and then started washing the dishes.
    Example. When I was a child, I looked under my bed every night for monsters.
    Example. She looked so much like her mother when she was younger.
  3. Habitual Actions in the Past Describing habits or actions regularly done in the past but not anymore.
    Example. He looked at the painting for hours yesterday.
    Example. She finished her dinner, looked out the window, and then started washing the dishes.
    Example. When I was a child, I looked under my bed every night for monsters.
    Example. She looked so much like her mother when she was younger.
  4. Past Facts or Generalizations Stating facts or generalizations that were true in the past.
    Example. He looked at the painting for hours yesterday.
    Example. She finished her dinner, looked out the window, and then started washing the dishes.
    Example. When I was a child, I looked under my bed every night for monsters.
    Example. She looked so much like her mother when she was younger.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses.
    Example. I have looked for you everywhere!
    Example. She had already looked through those documents before the meeting started.
    Example. By next year, they will have looked into all the applications.
    Example. The premises were looked over by security before the event.
    Example. The lookedafter children were happy and healthy under their grandmother’s care.
  2. Present Perfect For actions that happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important.
    Example. I have looked for you everywhere!
    Example. She had already looked through those documents before the meeting started.
    Example. By next year, they will have looked into all the applications.
    Example. The premises were looked over by security before the event.
    Example. The lookedafter children were happy and healthy under their grandmother’s care.
  3. Past Perfect For actions that were completed before another action took place in the past.
    Example. I have looked for you everywhere!
    Example. She had already looked through those documents before the meeting started.
    Example. By next year, they will have looked into all the applications.
    Example. The premises were looked over by security before the event.
    Example. The lookedafter children were happy and healthy under their grandmother’s care.
  4. Future Perfect For actions that will be completed before a specified future time.
    Example. I have looked for you everywhere!
    Example. She had already looked through those documents before the meeting started.
    Example. By next year, they will have looked into all the applications.
    Example. The premises were looked over by security before the event.
    Example. The lookedafter children were happy and healthy under their grandmother’s care.
  5. Passive Voice When the focus is on the action, not who is performing the action.
    Example. I have looked for you everywhere!
    Example. She had already looked through those documents before the meeting started.
    Example. By next year, they will have looked into all the applications.
    Example. The premises were looked over by security before the event.
    Example. The lookedafter children were happy and healthy under their grandmother’s care.
  6. As an Adjective Describing the state of something following the action.
    Example. I have looked for you everywhere!
    Example. She had already looked through those documents before the meeting started.
    Example. By next year, they will have looked into all the applications.
    Example. The premises were looked over by security before the event.
    Example. The lookedafter children were happy and healthy under their grandmother’s care.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing 'looked'

A common mistake is using 'looked' correctly as the past simple form of 'look' but then also mistakenly using it as the past participle. The correct usage is 'looked' for both past simple and past participle forms. However, learners sometimes incorrectly believe a different form should be used for the past participle, similar to irregular verbs. For example, they might say, 'I have look' instead of the correct 'I have looked' when forming present perfect sentences.

— 02

Misapplying irregular verb

Some learners might mistakenly treat 'look' as an irregular verb due to overgeneralization from irregular verbs they have learned. For instance, they might try to change the verb form in a way that aligns with irregular patterns, such as 'look' to 'looked' to 'looken' (mistakenly analogizing from patterns like 'take,' 'took,' 'taken'), not realizing that 'look' follows a regular verb pattern where the past simple and past participle are the same. 'looked.'

— 03

Incorrect Tense

When forming the past simple or past participle of 'look,' some learners might create sentences that confuse the time frame of the action due to incorrect auxiliary verb usage or omission. For example, saying 'I have looked yesterday' combines the present perfect ('have looked') with a specific time in the past ('yesterday'), which is incorrect because the present perfect tense should not be used with specific time expressions that refer to the past. The correct sentence would be 'I looked yesterday' to indicate a specific past action. This mistake disrupts the clarity of when the action took place, leading to potential misunderstandings.

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Frequently asked questions

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

The past simple form of 'look' is 'looked.' The past participle form of 'look' is also 'looked.'

How do you use 'looked' in a past simple sentence?

In a past simple sentence, 'looked' is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. The action is completed and has no direct connection to the present. For example. 'I looked out the window yesterday and saw a beautiful bird.'

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

As a past participle, 'looked' can be used in perfect tense forms or passive voice constructions. In perfect tenses, it helps to express actions that have been completed at some point in the past or that have relevance to the present or future. In passive voice, it describes an action done to the subject. For example. Perfect tense. 'She has looked everywhere for her lost keys.' Passive voice. 'The mystery was looked into by the detective.'

Can you provide examples of sentences using 'looked' in both the past simple and past participle forms?

Certainly! Here are two sentences that illustrate the use of 'looked' in both grammatical forms. Past Simple. 'Yesterday, I looked through my old photo albums and found some lovely pictures.' Past Participle in Perfect Tense. 'By the time the party started, we had already looked at all the decorations and were impressed.' Past Participle in Passive Voice. 'The documents were looked over by the manager before the meeting.' Remember, the context of the sentence will help you determine whether 'looked' is being used in its past simple form or as a past participle.