Receive past tense

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Meaning of receive

to be given or presented with something.

Infinitive

Word: receive /rɪˈsiːv/
Examples:
  • 1. She always receives high marks on her exams.
  • 2. Our office receives new clients every week.
  • 3. The organization receives donations from people all over the world.

Past Simple

Word: received /rɪˈsiːvd/
Examples:
  • 1. Yesterday, I received a lovely letter from my pen pal in France.
  • 2. They received high praise for their project during last week's presentation.
  • 3. We received an unexpected gift from our neighbors during the holiday season.

Past Participle

Word: received /rɪˈsiːvd/
Examples:
  • 1. The awards have been received by the team for their outstanding performance.
  • 2. All invitations had been received before the deadline.
  • 3. The documents have been received and are now being processed.

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Bare infinitive

  1. To describe habits, repeated actions, or unchanging situations.
    Example. I receive emails from him regularly.
    Example. She receives a lot of attention for her work.
  2. To state general truths or facts.
    Example. I receive emails from him regularly.
    Example. She receives a lot of attention for her work.

Past Simple

  1. To talk about a specific action or situation that was completed in the past.
    Example. He received an award for his work last year.
    Example. We received your letter yesterday.
  2. To describe a series of completed actions in the past.
    Example. He received an award for his work last year.
    Example. We received your letter yesterday.

Past Participle

  1. In perfect tenses to talk about actions that are completed at the time of speaking or before, in relation to another time.
    Example. She has received many compliments today.
    Example. They had already received the news by the time we called.
    Example. By next year, he will have received his degree.
    Example. The award was received by the team with great excitement.
  2. Present Perfect. For actions completed at an unspecified time before now; the exact time is not important.
    Example. She has received many compliments today.
    Example. They had already received the news by the time we called.
    Example. By next year, he will have received his degree.
    Example. The award was received by the team with great excitement.
  3. Past Perfect. For actions that were completed before another action in the past.
    Example. She has received many compliments today.
    Example. They had already received the news by the time we called.
    Example. By next year, he will have received his degree.
    Example. The award was received by the team with great excitement.
  4. Future Perfect. For actions that will have been completed by a certain future time.
    Example. She has received many compliments today.
    Example. They had already received the news by the time we called.
    Example. By next year, he will have received his degree.
    Example. The award was received by the team with great excitement.
  5. As part of passive voice constructions, where the focus is on the action or the object of the action rather than who or what is performing the action.
    Example. She has received many compliments today.
    Example. They had already received the news by the time we called.
    Example. By next year, he will have received his degree.
    Example. The award was received by the team with great excitement.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

A common mistake with the verb 'receive' is confusing its past simple form 'received' with its past participle form, which is also 'received'. While both forms are spelled the same, their usage differs significantly. The past simple form is used to describe actions that were completed in the past, e.g., 'I received your letter yesterday.' On the other hand, the past participle form is often used in perfect tenses and passive voice, requiring auxiliary verbs, e.g., 'I have received your package,' or 'The letter was received by me.'

— 02

Incorrect Past Forms

Another mistake is trying to add the common past tense ending '-ed' to 'receive' incorrectly, leading to forms like 'receieved' or 'receved.' The correct past simple and past participle form is 'received,' adhering to the rule of changing the 'eive' to 'eived.' This mistake stems from misunderstanding regular verb conjugation rules and applying them incorrectly to 'receive,' which actually follows the rule correctly but might confuse those not familiar with irregular verb patterns or the specific spelling rule that applies after a 'c'.

— 03

Omitting the Past Participle

A subtle yet frequent error is omitting the past participle 'received' altogether in constructions that require it, such as perfect tenses or the passive voice. For instance, saying 'I have receive your message' instead of the correct 'I have received your message.' This mistake drastically affects the grammaticality of the sentence, as it fails to convey the completed aspect of the action, which is crucial for the intended meaning in perfect tense structures or passive voice constructions.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'receive'?

The past simple form of 'receive' is 'received.' It is used to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'I received your letter yesterday.'

What is the past participle form of 'receive'?

The past participle form of 'receive' is also 'received.' It is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. For instance, in the sentence 'She has received many awards for her work,' 'received' is the past participle used with the present perfect tense.

How do I use 'received' in a sentence correctly?

To use 'received' correctly, you need to determine the tense required by the context of your sentence. For past simple, you would say something like, 'They received the package last week.' For a sentence requiring the past participle, you could say, 'The package has been received,' which uses the present perfect passive voice.

Can 'received' ever change form based on number or tense?

No, 'received' does not change form based on number (singular or plural) or tense. Whether you are talking about one item or multiple items, the past simple and past participle forms remain 'received.' For example, 'He received a gift,' and 'They received gifts,' both use 'received' in the past simple. Similarly, 'The gift has been received,' and 'The gifts have been received,' both use 'received' as the past participle in the present perfect passive voice. The change to accommodate number or tense is made in the auxiliary verb (e.g., has/have) or the main verb in the sentence structure, not in the form of 'received' itself.