Overthrow past tense

Meaning of overthrow

to remove from power by force.

Infinitive

Word: overthrow /ˌoʊvərˈθroʊ/

Examples:

1. Activists vow to overthrow the oppressive regime and establish a democratic government.
2. If they are not careful with their policies, they might inadvertently overthrow the balance of the natural ecosystem.
3. Historically, many attempts to overthrow corrupt leaders have led to significant social change.

Past Simple

Word: overthrew /ˌoʊvərˈθruː/

Examples:

1. The rebels successfully overthrew the dictator after years of struggle.
2. In a shocking turn of events, the board of directors overthrew the company's CEO due to financial mismanagement.
3. A young prodigy overthrew a chess grandmaster in a match that stunned the audience.

Past Participle

Word: overthrown /ˌoʊvərˈθroʊn/

Examples:

1. The corrupt government was overthrown by the rebels last year.
2. The ancient regime had been overthrown by the time the revolutionaries declared themselves in power.
3. By nightfall, the fortress had been overthrown, and the flags of the victorious army were flying high.

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Bare infinitive

General statements about regular actions or events, and universal truths.
Example. Groups often seek to overthrow oppressive regimes.
Example. The dictator ensures his military is loyal to prevent anyone from attempting to overthrow him.
Habitual actions.
Example. Groups often seek to overthrow oppressive regimes.
Example. The dictator ensures his military is loyal to prevent anyone from attempting to overthrow him.

Past Simple

Actions completed at a definite time in the past.
Example. The rebels overthrew the dictator last year.
Example. They planned their strategy carefully and finally overthrew the government.
Example. Throughout history, many citizens overthrew tyrants to gain their freedom.
Succession of events in the past.
Example. The rebels overthrew the dictator last year.
Example. They planned their strategy carefully and finally overthrew the government.
Example. Throughout history, many citizens overthrew tyrants to gain their freedom.
Habits in the past.
Example. The rebels overthrew the dictator last year.
Example. They planned their strategy carefully and finally overthrew the government.
Example. Throughout history, many citizens overthrew tyrants to gain their freedom.

Past Participle

Perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect, future perfect) to talk about actions in relation to other time frames.
Example. The oppressive regime has been overthrown.
Example. They had overthrown the old king before the new year began.
Example. The corrupt leader was overthrown by his own people.
Example. The overthrown dictator lives in exile.
Passive voice to describe actions done to the subject by someone/something else.
Example. The oppressive regime has been overthrown.
Example. They had overthrown the old king before the new year began.
Example. The corrupt leader was overthrown by his own people.
Example. The overthrown dictator lives in exile.
As an adjective to describe a state resulting from an action.
Example. The oppressive regime has been overthrown.
Example. They had overthrown the old king before the new year began.
Example. The corrupt leader was overthrown by his own people.
Example. The overthrown dictator lives in exile.

Common mistakes

— 01

Incorrect Regular Verb Treatment

A common mistake with the word 'overthrow' is treating it as a regular verb, thus wrongly applying the -ed ending for its past simple and past participle forms. Some learners might incorrectly say or write 'overthrowed' instead of the correct forms. The correct past simple form is 'overthrew,' and the correct past participle form is 'overthrown.' This mistake stems from the general rule of adding -ed to regular verbs to form their past tenses, which doesn't apply to irregular verbs like 'overthrow.'

— 02

Confusing forms

Another frequent error is confusing the past simple form 'overthrew' with the past participle form 'overthrown.' This confusion can lead to incorrect sentence constructions, particularly in perfect tenses and passive voice. For example, some might incorrectly say 'I have overthrew the government' instead of the correct 'I have overthrown the government.' Understanding the distinct roles of past simple and past participle forms in different tenses is crucial to avoid this mistake.

— 03

Misuse in Passive Voice

Lastly, a common mistake is the misuse of 'overthrow' in passive voice constructions, especially concerning the past participle form. The error usually arises from not applying the past participle 'overthrown' in passive sentences, which is essential to convey actions done to the subject. For example, saying 'The regime was overthrew' instead of the correct 'The regime was overthrown.' Recognizing that 'overthrown' should be used to indicate the action received by the subject in passive structures is key to avoiding this error.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'overthrow'?

The past simple form of 'overthrow' is 'overthrew'. This form is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'The rebels overthrew the government last year.'

What is the past participle form of 'overthrow'?

The past participle form of 'overthrow' is 'overthrown'. This form is commonly used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. For example, in the sentence 'The dictator has been overthrown by the revolutionaries,' 'overthrown' is the past participle used in the passive voice.

How do you use 'overthrew' and 'overthrown' in a sentence?

Overthrew (Past Simple). 'The citizens overthrew the corrupt regime in a peaceful revolution.' Here, 'overthrew' indicates that the action happened at a specific time in the past. Overthrown (Past Participle). 'By the end of the war, the oppressive government had been overthrown.' In this sentence, 'overthrown' is used in the perfect tense to show that an action was completed at some point in the past before another action.

Can 'overthrown' be used without auxiliary verbs?

No, 'overthrown' as a past participle cannot stand alone without auxiliary verbs in a grammatically correct sentence. It is used with auxiliary verbs such as 'has', 'have', 'had', 'is', 'am', 'are', 'was', 'were', 'be', or 'been' to form perfect tenses or passive voice constructions. For example, 'The regime has been overthrown' or 'The king was overthrown by his subjects.' Without an auxiliary verb, the sentence would not convey the correct tense or voice. For any further questions or clarifications, feel free to ask.