Put past tense

Meaning of put

to place or set in a specified position.

Infinitive

Word: put /pʊt/

Examples:

1. She always puts her keys on the kitchen counter as soon as she walks into the house.
2. He puts a lot of effort into his studies to ensure good grades.
3. The teacher puts a new vocabulary word on the board every day.

Past Simple

Word: put /pʊt/

Examples:

1. Can you please put the books back on the shelf after you finish using them?
2. She put her ideas into action and started her own business.
3. Despite the cold weather, he put on a brave face and went for a jog outside.

Past Participle

Word: put /pʊt/

Examples:

1. The book has been put on the shelf by him.
2. The documents were put into the folder for the meeting.
3. A note had been put under the door by someone unknown.

Learn more words on the go

Master verb forms with Promova!

Download the app

Bare infinitive

To describe a routine action.
Example. 'I always put my keys in the same place so I don't lose them.'
Example. 'She puts a lot of effort into her studies.'
Example. 'First, you put the key in the ignition to start the car.'
For universal truths or habitual actions.
Example. 'I always put my keys in the same place so I don't lose them.'
Example. 'She puts a lot of effort into her studies.'
Example. 'First, you put the key in the ignition to start the car.'
Giving instructions or directions.
Example. 'I always put my keys in the same place so I don't lose them.'
Example. 'She puts a lot of effort into her studies.'
Example. 'First, you put the key in the ignition to start the car.'

Past Simple

To describe completed actions in the past.
Example. 'Yesterday, I put all my old clothes in a donation bin.'
Example. 'He put the phone down and then walked out of the room.'
Example. 'Last week, they put their house on the market.'
When giving a sequence of past actions.
Example. 'Yesterday, I put all my old clothes in a donation bin.'
Example. 'He put the phone down and then walked out of the room.'
Example. 'Last week, they put their house on the market.'
Telling stories or recounting events that happened at a specific time in the past.
Example. 'Yesterday, I put all my old clothes in a donation bin.'
Example. 'He put the phone down and then walked out of the room.'
Example. 'Last week, they put their house on the market.'

Past Participle

In perfect tenses, to describe actions that have a relevance to the present or were completed at an unspecified time in the past.
Example. 'I have put away all the groceries.'
Example. 'She has put aside her differences with her colleague.'
Example. 'The books were put back on the shelf by the librarian.'
Example. 'If I had put more effort into my training, I could have won the race.'
In passive voice constructions, describing an action that was done to the subject usually by someone else.
Example. 'I have put away all the groceries.'
Example. 'She has put aside her differences with her colleague.'
Example. 'The books were put back on the shelf by the librarian.'
Example. 'If I had put more effort into my training, I could have won the race.'
To create conditional sentences or describe hypothetical or wishful situations.
Example. 'I have put away all the groceries.'
Example. 'She has put aside her differences with her colleague.'
Example. 'The books were put back on the shelf by the librarian.'
Example. 'If I had put more effort into my training, I could have won the race.'

Common mistakes

— 01

Regular verb structure for 'Put'

A common mistake is treating 'put' as if it has different forms for its past simple and past participle. Unlike many English verbs, 'put' is an irregular verb that does not change form. Some learners mistakenly add '-ed' for its past simple and past participle forms, making them 'putted' instead of correctly using 'put' for present, past simple, and past participle forms. This error stems from overgeneralizing the rule that applies to regular verbs, where adding '-ed' to the base form creates the past simple and past participle forms.

— 02

Misusing 'Put' in Perfect Tenses

Another common mistake involves misapplying the past participle form of 'put' in perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect, future perfect). Learners might incorrectly conjugate 'have,' 'had,' or 'will have' with an incorrect past participle form of 'put,' such as 'have putted' instead of the correct 'have put,' 'had put,' or 'will have put.' This mistake often occurs due to confusion with verbs that have distinct past and past participle forms, leading to incorrect verb tense constructions.

— 03

Similar sounding verbs

Some learners confuse 'put' with verbs that have similar sounds but follow regular Misusing Past Participle, like 'cut' or 'shut.' While 'cut' and 'shut' also remain the same in their past and past participle forms, learners might mistakenly apply patterns from entirely different verbs that do change form, leading to incorrect usage such as 'putted' by analogy. This mix-up is usually due to phonetic similarities and a misunderstanding of irregular verb patterns in English.

Past tense quiz

Check your skills and find areas for improvement

Take quiz

Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'put'?

The past simple form of 'put' remains 'put.' The word does not change form between the present simple and the past simple tense. For example, 'Yesterday, I put the book on the table.'

What is the past participle form of 'put'?

Similar to its past simple form, the past participle form of 'put' is also 'put.' This means it does not change when used in perfect tenses. For example, 'I have put the keys in the drawer.'

How can I use 'put' in a sentence to indicate a past action?

To indicate a past action with 'put,' you simply use 'put' in the past tense context without changing its form. Ensure the rest of your sentence reflects the past tense. For example, 'He put the dishes away after dinner.'

Can you give an example of a sentence using 'put' in the present perfect tense?

Certainly! In the present perfect tense, 'put' is used with 'have' or 'has' to indicate an action that has relevance to the present moment. For example, 'She has put all her efforts into completing the project.' Here, 'has put' indicates an action that started in the past and continues to have relevance or effect up to the present.