Rebuild past tense
Meaning of rebuild
to build (something) again after it has been damaged or destroyed.
Infinitive
- 1. Every spring, the community volunteers rebuild the old neighborhood park to ensure it's safe and fun for kids.
- 2. The city council plans to rebuild the ancient bridge to improve traffic flow.
- 3. They rebuild their garden from scratch every year to try new landscaping ideas.
Past Simple
- 1. After the storm destroyed their house, they rebuilt it with stronger materials.
- 2. The community came together and rebuilt the old playground to provide a safe place for children to play.
- 3. Following the devastating fire, the family slowly rebuilt their lives and found hope again.
Past Participle
- 1. The ancient castle has been rebuilt by the community to preserve its heritage.
- 2. After the storm, all the damaged homes were quickly rebuilt by the locals.
- 3. The bridges that were destroyed during the war have now been rebuilt.
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Bare infinitive
- Routine or Habitual Action.Example. 'The community rebuilds the playground every summer.'Example. 'Beavers rebuild their dams regularly.'Example. 'First, you rebuild the structure by securing the base.'
- When discussing a routine or habitual action that involves rebuilding.Example. 'The community rebuilds the playground every summer.'Example. 'Beavers rebuild their dams regularly.'Example. 'First, you rebuild the structure by securing the base.'
- General Truth or Fact.Example. 'The community rebuilds the playground every summer.'Example. 'Beavers rebuild their dams regularly.'Example. 'First, you rebuild the structure by securing the base.'
- When stating a general truth or fact about the act of rebuilding.Example. 'The community rebuilds the playground every summer.'Example. 'Beavers rebuild their dams regularly.'Example. 'First, you rebuild the structure by securing the base.'
- Instruction or Direction.Example. 'The community rebuilds the playground every summer.'Example. 'Beavers rebuild their dams regularly.'Example. 'First, you rebuild the structure by securing the base.'
- When giving instructions or directions related to rebuilding.Example. 'The community rebuilds the playground every summer.'Example. 'Beavers rebuild their dams regularly.'Example. 'First, you rebuild the structure by securing the base.'
Past Simple
- Completed Action in the Past.Example. 'The townspeople rebuilt the bridge last year.'Example. 'They demolished the old theater, cleared the site, and then rebuilt it as a community center.'Example. 'In medieval times, villagers rebuilt their homes with whatever materials they could find.'
- When talking about an action of rebuilding that was completed at a specific time in the past.Example. 'The townspeople rebuilt the bridge last year.'Example. 'They demolished the old theater, cleared the site, and then rebuilt it as a community center.'Example. 'In medieval times, villagers rebuilt their homes with whatever materials they could find.'
- Series of Completed Actions.Example. 'The townspeople rebuilt the bridge last year.'Example. 'They demolished the old theater, cleared the site, and then rebuilt it as a community center.'Example. 'In medieval times, villagers rebuilt their homes with whatever materials they could find.'
- When narrating a series of completed rebuilding actions in the past.Example. 'The townspeople rebuilt the bridge last year.'Example. 'They demolished the old theater, cleared the site, and then rebuilt it as a community center.'Example. 'In medieval times, villagers rebuilt their homes with whatever materials they could find.'
- Past Habit.Example. 'The townspeople rebuilt the bridge last year.'Example. 'They demolished the old theater, cleared the site, and then rebuilt it as a community center.'Example. 'In medieval times, villagers rebuilt their homes with whatever materials they could find.'
- When describing a past habit of rebuilding.Example. 'The townspeople rebuilt the bridge last year.'Example. 'They demolished the old theater, cleared the site, and then rebuilt it as a community center.'Example. 'In medieval times, villagers rebuilt their homes with whatever materials they could find.'
Past Participle
- Perfect Tenses.Example. 'They have rebuilt the monument multiple times due to vandalism.'Example. 'By the time the mayor visited, the community had already rebuilt the park.'Example. 'By next year, they will have rebuilt the entire neighborhood.'Example. 'The ancient temple was rebuilt by an unknown civilization.'Example. 'The rebuilt sections of the castle are open to tourists.'
- Present Perfect.Example. 'They have rebuilt the monument multiple times due to vandalism.'Example. 'By the time the mayor visited, the community had already rebuilt the park.'Example. 'By next year, they will have rebuilt the entire neighborhood.'Example. 'The ancient temple was rebuilt by an unknown civilization.'Example. 'The rebuilt sections of the castle are open to tourists.'
- When discussing an action of rebuilding that occurred at an unspecified time in the past or an action that started in the past and continues into the present.Example. 'They have rebuilt the monument multiple times due to vandalism.'Example. 'By the time the mayor visited, the community had already rebuilt the park.'Example. 'By next year, they will have rebuilt the entire neighborhood.'Example. 'The ancient temple was rebuilt by an unknown civilization.'Example. 'The rebuilt sections of the castle are open to tourists.'
- Past Perfect.Example. 'They have rebuilt the monument multiple times due to vandalism.'Example. 'By the time the mayor visited, the community had already rebuilt the park.'Example. 'By next year, they will have rebuilt the entire neighborhood.'Example. 'The ancient temple was rebuilt by an unknown civilization.'Example. 'The rebuilt sections of the castle are open to tourists.'
- When talking about an action of rebuilding that was completed before another past action.Example. 'They have rebuilt the monument multiple times due to vandalism.'Example. 'By the time the mayor visited, the community had already rebuilt the park.'Example. 'By next year, they will have rebuilt the entire neighborhood.'Example. 'The ancient temple was rebuilt by an unknown civilization.'Example. 'The rebuilt sections of the castle are open to tourists.'
- Future Perfect.Example. 'They have rebuilt the monument multiple times due to vandalism.'Example. 'By the time the mayor visited, the community had already rebuilt the park.'Example. 'By next year, they will have rebuilt the entire neighborhood.'Example. 'The ancient temple was rebuilt by an unknown civilization.'Example. 'The rebuilt sections of the castle are open to tourists.'
- When discussing an action of rebuilding that will be completed before a certain point in the future.Example. 'They have rebuilt the monument multiple times due to vandalism.'Example. 'By the time the mayor visited, the community had already rebuilt the park.'Example. 'By next year, they will have rebuilt the entire neighborhood.'Example. 'The ancient temple was rebuilt by an unknown civilization.'Example. 'The rebuilt sections of the castle are open to tourists.'
- Passive Voice.Example. 'They have rebuilt the monument multiple times due to vandalism.'Example. 'By the time the mayor visited, the community had already rebuilt the park.'Example. 'By next year, they will have rebuilt the entire neighborhood.'Example. 'The ancient temple was rebuilt by an unknown civilization.'Example. 'The rebuilt sections of the castle are open to tourists.'
- When indicating that something was rebuilt by someone or something (the focus is on the action, not who performed it).Example. 'They have rebuilt the monument multiple times due to vandalism.'Example. 'By the time the mayor visited, the community had already rebuilt the park.'Example. 'By next year, they will have rebuilt the entire neighborhood.'Example. 'The ancient temple was rebuilt by an unknown civilization.'Example. 'The rebuilt sections of the castle are open to tourists.'
- Adjective.Example. 'They have rebuilt the monument multiple times due to vandalism.'Example. 'By the time the mayor visited, the community had already rebuilt the park.'Example. 'By next year, they will have rebuilt the entire neighborhood.'Example. 'The ancient temple was rebuilt by an unknown civilization.'Example. 'The rebuilt sections of the castle are open to tourists.'
- When using 'rebuilt' as an adjective to describe something.Example. 'They have rebuilt the monument multiple times due to vandalism.'Example. 'By the time the mayor visited, the community had already rebuilt the park.'Example. 'By next year, they will have rebuilt the entire neighborhood.'Example. 'The ancient temple was rebuilt by an unknown civilization.'Example. 'The rebuilt sections of the castle are open to tourists.'
Common mistakes
— 01
Confusing Forms
One of the most common mistakes is mixing up the past simple form of 'rebuild' with its past participle. The past simple form is 'rebuilt,' used to describe an action completed in the past, e.g., 'They rebuilt the bridge last year.' The past participle is also 'rebuilt' but is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses or the passive voice, e.g., 'The bridge has been rebuilt.' Mistaking these forms can lead to incorrect tense usage, such as saying 'They have rebuild the bridge' instead of the correct 'They have rebuilt the bridge.'
— 02
Incorrect Past Participle
Another common error is forming the past participle incorrectly by adding an -ed ending as is typical for regular verbs, leading to the incorrect 'rebuilded' instead of the correct 'rebuilt.' This mistake stems from not recognizing 'rebuild' as an irregular verb. The correct past participle form 'rebuilt' should be used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions, so saying 'The bridge was rebuilded' is incorrect.
— 03
Misuse in Passive Constructions
A frequent mistake involves using the incorrect form of 'rebuild' in passive voice sentences. The correct past participle 'rebuilt' must be used with an appropriate auxiliary verb. An error would be saying 'The bridge was rebuild last year' instead of the correct 'The bridge was rebuilt last year.' This mistake can change the meaning of a sentence or make it grammatically incorrect, leading to confusion.
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