Marry past tense

Meaning of marry

to join in marriage; to take as husband or wife.

Infinitive

Word: marry /ˈmæri/

Examples:

1. They always say they will never marry, but their friends think otherwise.
2. In many cultures, people marry at a young age.
3. She believes that when people marry for love, the bond is stronger.

Past Simple

Word: married /ˈmærid/

Examples:

1. They married in a beautiful ceremony by the beach last summer.
2. My grandparents married young and shared sixty years of happiness together.
3. He married his high school sweetheart after they both graduated from college.

Past Participle

Word: married /ˈmær.id/

Examples:

1. They have been happily married for over twenty-five years.
2. By the end of the year, all of my cousins had married into different families around the country.
3. She realized she had always wanted to be married on a beach at sunset.

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Bare infinitive

Routine or habitual actions. When talking about actions that regularly or usually happen.
Example. They marry people in a grand ceremony in that culture.
Example. Priests often marry couples in many religions.
Example. The priest is set to marry them next Saturday at the local church.
General truths or facts. For stating something that is universally true or accepted.
Example. They marry people in a grand ceremony in that culture.
Example. Priests often marry couples in many religions.
Example. The priest is set to marry them next Saturday at the local church.
Scheduled events in the near future (in a timetable or calendar). Sometimes used for planned future events, especially in a program or timetable.
Example. They marry people in a grand ceremony in that culture.
Example. Priests often marry couples in many religions.
Example. The priest is set to marry them next Saturday at the local church.

Past Simple

Completed actions in the past. When talking about actions that were finished at a specific time in the past.
Example. They married in a quiet ceremony last year.
Example. We married young and moved to the countryside.
Example. They met in college, married after graduation, and moved to New York.
Past habits or states. Describing actions that were habitual or states that existed at a specific time in the past.
Example. They married in a quiet ceremony last year.
Example. We married young and moved to the countryside.
Example. They met in college, married after graduation, and moved to New York.
Sequential actions in the past. For listing actions in the order they happened.
Example. They married in a quiet ceremony last year.
Example. We married young and moved to the countryside.
Example. They met in college, married after graduation, and moved to New York.

Past Participle

Perfect aspects (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect). When forming perfect tenses that link the past with the present, or to talk about actions completed at a certain time in the past or future.
Example. Present Perfect. They have married in a secret location.
Example. Past Perfect. By the time we arrived, they had already married.
Example. Future Perfect. By next month, they will have married.
Example. Hundreds of couples were married by the same priest at that church.
Passive voice. To form passive sentences where the action is more important than the subject or when the subject is unknown.
Example. Present Perfect. They have married in a secret location.
Example. Past Perfect. By the time we arrived, they had already married.
Example. Future Perfect. By next month, they will have married.
Example. Hundreds of couples were married by the same priest at that church.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

One of the most common mistakes with the verb 'marry' is confusing its past simple form, 'married,' with its past participle form, which is also 'married.' This confusion often arises because both forms look identical. However, their usage is different. The past simple form is used for actions that were completed in the past ('They married in 2010'), whereas the past participle is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions ('They have been married for ten years' or 'They were married by the local priest').

— 02

Incorrect Formation of Past Forms

Some learners mistakenly create the past forms of 'marry' by adding an incorrect ending, such as 'marryed' for the past simple and past participle forms. This error stems from a misunderstanding of regular verb conjugation rules, where many verbs do indeed receive an '-ed' suffix in their past forms. However, 'marry' already ends in a 'y,' and according to the rule, when a verb ends in 'y' preceded by a consonant, the 'y' changes to 'i' before adding 'ed,' resulting in 'married' for both the past simple and past participle forms.

— 03

Misuse in Compound Tenses

Another frequent mistake involves incorrectly using 'marry' in compound tense constructions, such as the present perfect tense. Learners might say 'I have marry' instead of the correct form 'I have married.' This error is due to not recognizing that the past participle form 'married' should be used with auxiliary verbs (like 'have' or 'had') to construct these tenses correctly. Understanding the distinction between basic past form usage and its role in compound tenses is crucial for accurate communication.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'marry'?

The past simple form of 'marry' is 'married.' This form is used to talk about actions or events that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'They got married in a beautiful ceremony last year.'

How do you use the past participle form of 'marry'?

The past participle form of 'marry' is also 'married.' It is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. In perfect tenses, it might appear in sentences like 'They have been married for twenty years.' For passive voice, an example would be 'They were married by a local priest.'

Can you give an example of a sentence using 'marry' in the past simple tense?

Certainly! Here's an example. 'Last summer, my best friend married her high school sweetheart.' In this sentence, 'married' is used in the past simple tense to indicate that the action took place at a specific time in the past, which is last summer.

How do you form a sentence in the past perfect tense using 'marry'?

To form a sentence in the past perfect tense using 'marry,' you need to use 'had' followed by the past participle form 'married.' For example, 'By the time I arrived, my sister had already married her fiancé.' This sentence indicates that the action of getting married was completed before another action in the past (arriving).