Make past tense

Meaning of make

to create, produce, or prepare something.

Infinitive

Word: make /meɪk/

Examples:

1. She always makes the best chocolate cake for birthdays.
2. He makes a point to call his parents every weekend.
3. This bookstore makes it easy to find rare books.

Past Simple

Word: made /meɪd/

Examples:

1. She made a delicious cake for the birthday celebration, receiving compliments from all the guests.
2. The company made significant profits last year, thanks to their successful marketing strategy.
3. After many attempts, he finally made a breakthrough in his research, which could potentially change the field of renewable energy.

Past Participle

Word: made /meɪd/

Examples:

1. The cake was made by my grandmother for my birthday.
2. A decision has been made regarding the new office location.
3. All the arrangements for the event have been made by the committee.

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Bare infinitive

To describe a habitual or regular action.
Example. 'I make breakfast every morning.'
To state a fact or generalization.
Example. 'This manufacturer makes high-quality products.'
In the first-person ('I' or 'we') to express a future action when accompanied by a future time expression.
Example. 'I make my presentation next Monday.'

Past Simple

To talk about a completed action in the past with no connection to the present.
Example. 'I made a cake for your birthday last year.'
Example. 'We made a trip to Italy last summer.'
Example. 'She made a call and then went out to meet her friend.'
To mention a specific time or period in the past when the action occurred.
Example. 'We made a trip to Italy last summer.'
Example. 'She made a call and then went out to meet her friend.'
To indicate a sequential action in the past.
Example. 'We made a trip to Italy last summer.'
Example. 'She made a call and then went out to meet her friend.'

Past Participle

In perfect tenses to describe actions that have some relevance to the present, were completed at some unspecified time in the past, or occurred before another past action.
Example. Present perfect. 'I have made several attempts to contact you.'
Example. Past perfect. 'By the time the concert started, the band had already made it to the venue.'
Example. 'The final decision was made by the committee.'
Example. 'If I had made a reservation, we wouldn't need to wait now.'
As part of the passive voice to emphasize the action over the subject.
Example. Present perfect. 'I have made several attempts to contact you.'
Example. Past perfect. 'By the time the concert started, the band had already made it to the venue.'
Example. 'The final decision was made by the committee.'
Example. 'If I had made a reservation, we wouldn't need to wait now.'
In conditional sentences to express hypothetical situations or regrets.
Example. Present perfect. 'I have made several attempts to contact you.'
Example. Past perfect. 'By the time the concert started, the band had already made it to the venue.'
Example. 'The final decision was made by the committee.'
Example. 'If I had made a reservation, we wouldn't need to wait now.'

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

A common mistake is confusing the past simple form of 'make' (made) with its past participle form (also made). While both forms are spelled the same, their use in sentences differs significantly. The past simple is used for actions that happened at a specific time in the past, e.g., 'I made breakfast at 7 AM.' The past participle, however, is used in perfect tenses and passive voice, e.g., 'I have made breakfast' (present perfect) or 'Breakfast was made by me' (passive voice). Mistaking these uses can lead to misunderstanding of the sentence's time frame or the action's nature.

— 02

Incorrect Past Participle

Since 'make' is an irregular verb, its past participle form does not follow the regular -ed ending that many verbs do. A frequent mistake is applying this rule to irregular verbs, leading to incorrect forms like 'maked' instead of the correct 'made.' This mistake disrupts the grammatical correctness of sentences in perfect tenses or passive voice constructions, making them sound awkward and incorrect.

— 03

Omitting Auxiliary Verbs

Another mistake is omitting auxiliary verbs when using the past participle form of 'make.' In perfect tenses, auxiliary verbs like 'have'/'has' are essential, e.g., 'I have made dinner.' Similarly, in passive voice constructions, forms of 'be' are necessary, e.g., 'The cake was made by her.' Forgetting these auxiliary verbs can lead to sentences that are grammatically incomplete and confusing.

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Frequently asked questions

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

The past simple form of 'make' is 'made.' This form is used to describe actions that were completed in the past. The past participle form is also 'made.' It is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions.

How do I use 'made' in the past simple tense?

To use 'made' in the past simple tense, you simply replace 'make' with 'made' in the sentence. For example, 'Yesterday, I made a cake.' Here, 'made' indicates that the action of making a cake was completed in the past.

Can you give an example of 'made' used as a past participle in a sentence?

Yes, when used as a past participle in the present perfect tense, you might say, 'I have made dinner already.' In this sentence, 'have made' indicates an action that was completed at some point in the past but has relevance to the present. In the passive voice, an example would be, 'The cake was made by my grandmother,' where 'was made' indicates that the action of making the cake was completed in the past by someone else (my grandmother). Is there a difference in meaning or usage between the past simple and past participle forms of 'make'