Quit past tense
Meaning of quit
to leave or stop doing something.
Infinitive
- 1. She never quits, even when the going gets tough.
- 2. He quits his job every time he faces a minor inconvenience.
- 3. She promises to quit smoking this New Year as part of her resolution.
Past Simple
- 1. She quit her job last month because she wanted a change.
- 2. They quit the game early because it started to rain.
- 3. I quit smoking a year ago for health reasons.
Past Participle
- 1. The job had been quit by him after just a month.
- 2. After much deliberation, the decision was finally quit by the committee.
- 3. The habit was quit by her as she pursued a healthier lifestyle.
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Bare infinitive
- To express a habit or a general truth. When stating facts or habits.Example. She always quits her job when she feels undervalued.Example. He quits the committee next month.
- To express scheduled or planned future events. Often in a context where a timetable or a schedule is involved.Example. She always quits her job when she feels undervalued.Example. He quits the committee next month.
Past Simple
- To describe an action that started and finished in the past. This action is usually completed and has no direct link to the present.Example. He quit his job last year.Example. She quit her dance class, sold her car, and moved to Berlin in 2020.
- To express a series of completed actions in the past. Narratives or lists of completed past actions.Example. He quit his job last year.Example. She quit her dance class, sold her car, and moved to Berlin in 2020.
Past Participle
- In perfect tenses to describe actions that have occurred at an unspecified time in the past. These actions often have relevance or implications for the present moment.Example. Present Perfect. He has quit smoking recently.Example. Passive Voice. The toxic work environment was quit by many employees.Example. Past Perfect. By the time I joined the company, many people had quit because of the management.
- In passive voice constructions to indicate an action performed on the subject. When the focus is on the action being done to the subject rather than who did the action.Example. Present Perfect. He has quit smoking recently.Example. Passive Voice. The toxic work environment was quit by many employees.Example. Past Perfect. By the time I joined the company, many people had quit because of the management.
- To describe conditions or experiences. Used in perfect constructions to express experiences up to a point in time.Example. Present Perfect. He has quit smoking recently.Example. Passive Voice. The toxic work environment was quit by many employees.Example. Past Perfect. By the time I joined the company, many people had quit because of the management.
Common mistakes
— 01
Confusing Forms
A common mistake is treating irregular verbs as if they follow the regular verb pattern of simply adding '-ed' to form their past simple and past participle. For the verb 'quit,' which is an irregular verb, both its past simple and past participle forms remain 'quit,' without any additions or changes. However, learners often mistakenly transform it into 'quited' or 'quitted,' applying the rule for regular verbs.
— 02
Inconsistent Verb Forms
Another frequent error involves using the wrong form of the verb in perfect tenses, which require the past participle. The correct form for both the past simple and past participle of 'quit' is 'quit.' However, learners sometimes mistakenly use the base form or the past simple form where the past participle is needed, as in 'I have quit' (correct) versus 'I have quit' (incorrect if trying to use a wrong form).
— 03
Misapplication in Passive Voice
When forming sentences in the passive voice, the past participle is used. A common mistake is using the past simple form instead of the past participle, not recognizing that some verbs have identical forms for both. For 'quit,' the correct form in passive constructions remains 'quit.' An example of correct usage is 'The job was quit by him,' although stylistically awkward, it illustrates the point.
Past tense quiz
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