Outdo past tense

Meaning of outdo

to surpass in performance or quality.

Infinitive

Word: outdo /aʊtˈduː/

Examples:

1. I always aim to outdo my personal best in each race.
2. They regularly outdo their competitors with innovative designs.
3. In quality and performance, our product outdoes all the others on the market.

Past Simple

Word: outdid /ˈaʊtˌdɪd/

Examples:

1. She outdid herself with the elaborate dinner she prepared for the guests.
2. In the competition, he outdid his rivals with an impressive score.
3. The sequel outdid the original movie in both storytelling and special effects.

Past Participle

Word: outdone /aʊtˈdʌn/

Examples:

1. The performance last night was outdone by the surprising finale that left everyone in awe.
2. By the end of the competition, all previous records had been outdone by the new champion.
3. The elegance of the old architecture has been outdone by the innovative design of the new building.

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Bare infinitive

To describe a habitual or regular action.
Example. She always tries to outdo everyone else at the party with her fancy dresses.
Example. No one can outdo John in chess; he is unbeatable.
Example. To win the competition, you must outdo the previous records.
To state a fact or general truth.
Example. She always tries to outdo everyone else at the party with her fancy dresses.
Example. No one can outdo John in chess; he is unbeatable.
Example. To win the competition, you must outdo the previous records.
To give instructions or directions.
Example. She always tries to outdo everyone else at the party with her fancy dresses.
Example. No one can outdo John in chess; he is unbeatable.
Example. To win the competition, you must outdo the previous records.

Past Simple

To describe an action that was completed at a specific time in the past.
Example. At last year's marathon, Jane outdid all her competitors and won the race.
Example. In the 1990s, our company outdid its rivals in sales and innovation.
Example. He always outdid his classmates in mathematics, even back in high school.
To narrate a series of completed actions in the past.
Example. At last year's marathon, Jane outdid all her competitors and won the race.
Example. In the 1990s, our company outdid its rivals in sales and innovation.
Example. He always outdid his classmates in mathematics, even back in high school.
To express a past habit.
Example. At last year's marathon, Jane outdid all her competitors and won the race.
Example. In the 1990s, our company outdid its rivals in sales and innovation.
Example. He always outdid his classmates in mathematics, even back in high school.

Past Participle

To form the present perfect tense, describing actions that happened at an unspecified time in the past or that started in the past and continue to the present.
Example. She has outdone herself with the preparation for this event.
Example. By the time the others started to improve, he had already outdone them in many aspects.
Example. Their latest model is outdone by the competition in terms of speed and efficiency.
To form the past perfect tense, indicating that an action was completed before another action or time in the past.
Example. She has outdone herself with the preparation for this event.
Example. By the time the others started to improve, he had already outdone them in many aspects.
Example. Their latest model is outdone by the competition in terms of speed and efficiency.
As adjectives, to describe something or someone being surpassed or exceeded in performance.
Example. She has outdone herself with the preparation for this event.
Example. By the time the others started to improve, he had already outdone them in many aspects.
Example. Their latest model is outdone by the competition in terms of speed and efficiency.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

One of the most common mistakes involves mixing up the past simple form of a word with its past participle form. For example, the verb 'to outdo' has 'outdid' as its past simple form and 'outdone' as its past participle. A frequent error is using the past participle where the past simple is needed, or vice versa. For instance, incorrectly saying 'I have outdid myself' instead of the correct 'I have outdone myself,' or mistakenly using 'I outdone my previous record' instead of 'I outdid my previous record.'

— 02

Forming the Past Participle

Another common error is forming the past participle of 'to outdo' incorrectly. The correct past participle is 'outdone,' but due to misunderstanding of irregular verb forms or overgeneralization from regular verbs, some might incorrectly try to add an -ed ending, resulting in a non-existent form like “outdoed.” This mistake shows a lack of familiarity with irregular verb forms in English, where the past participle does not follow the regular -ed ending pattern.

— 03

Misusing the Past Participle

The past participle form 'outdone' is often used incorrectly without auxiliary verbs in constructions that require them. For example, saying 'I outdone myself yesterday' is incorrect because the past participle should be used with an auxiliary verb to form the perfect aspect, as in 'I have outdone myself.' This mistake reflects a misunderstanding of how to correctly form compound verb tenses in English, leading to sentences that sound awkward or are grammatically incorrect.

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Frequently asked questions

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

The past simple form of 'outdo' is 'outdid'. The past participle form is 'outdone'. These forms are used to describe actions that have been completed in the past.

How do I use 'outdid' in a sentence?

'Outdid' is used to talk about an action in the past where someone performed better than someone else. For example. 'In last year's sales competition, Maria outdid all her colleagues by a significant margin.' This sentence implies that Maria performed better than her colleagues in the past.

Can you give an example of how to use 'outdone' in a sentence?

Yes, 'outdone' is commonly used in passive constructions or to talk about past achievements. For instance. 'The team's performance this season has outdone any of their past achievements.' This indicates that the team's current performance surpasses any of their previous efforts. Is it correct to use 'had outdone' in a sentence, and how