Refer past tense

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Meaning of refer

to mention or allude to.

Infinitive

Word: refer /ˈrɛf.ər/
Examples:
  • 1. He always refers to the manual before attempting to fix anything.
  • 2. This encyclopedia refers to many historical events accurately.
  • 3. The teacher refers to various sources to make her lectures interesting.

Past Simple

Word: referred /rɪˈfɜrd/
Examples:
  • 1. She referred me to a specialist when I mentioned my symptoms.
  • 2. We referred to the guidebook frequently during our trip.
  • 3. They referred the matter to the committee for further discussion.

Past Participle

Word: referred /rɪˈfɜːrd/
Examples:
  • 1. The book has been referred to as a classic by many critics.
  • 2. The documents were referred to the department for further review.
  • 3. All disputes will have been referred to arbitration by the end of the month.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual Actions/General Truths.
    Example. She refers to the manual before starting the machine.
    Example. The conference refers to these issues on Thursday.
    Example. Water refers to both liquid and solid states in scientific terms.
  2. When speaking about habits, routines, or general realities.
    Example. She refers to the manual before starting the machine.
    Example. The conference refers to these issues on Thursday.
    Example. Water refers to both liquid and solid states in scientific terms.
  3. Fixed Arrangements/Schedules/Timetables.
    Example. She refers to the manual before starting the machine.
    Example. The conference refers to these issues on Thursday.
    Example. Water refers to both liquid and solid states in scientific terms.
  4. When talking about scheduled events, often found in timetables or calendars.
    Example. She refers to the manual before starting the machine.
    Example. The conference refers to these issues on Thursday.
    Example. Water refers to both liquid and solid states in scientific terms.
  5. Facts/Universal Truths.
    Example. She refers to the manual before starting the machine.
    Example. The conference refers to these issues on Thursday.
    Example. Water refers to both liquid and solid states in scientific terms.
  6. When stating facts or universally accepted truths.
    Example. She refers to the manual before starting the machine.
    Example. The conference refers to these issues on Thursday.
    Example. Water refers to both liquid and solid states in scientific terms.

Past Simple

  1. Completed Actions in the Past.
    Example. She referred to the guidebook while visiting Rome last year.
    Example. He often referred to his notes before giving a presentation, but now he speaks from experience.
    Example. They referred to their map, found the location, and arrived right on time.
  2. When speaking about actions that started and finished at a specific time in the past.
    Example. She referred to the guidebook while visiting Rome last year.
    Example. He often referred to his notes before giving a presentation, but now he speaks from experience.
    Example. They referred to their map, found the location, and arrived right on time.
  3. Past Habits or States.
    Example. She referred to the guidebook while visiting Rome last year.
    Example. He often referred to his notes before giving a presentation, but now he speaks from experience.
    Example. They referred to their map, found the location, and arrived right on time.
  4. When talking about habits or states that were true in the past but are no longer true.
    Example. She referred to the guidebook while visiting Rome last year.
    Example. He often referred to his notes before giving a presentation, but now he speaks from experience.
    Example. They referred to their map, found the location, and arrived right on time.
  5. Sequential Actions in the Past.
    Example. She referred to the guidebook while visiting Rome last year.
    Example. He often referred to his notes before giving a presentation, but now he speaks from experience.
    Example. They referred to their map, found the location, and arrived right on time.
  6. When narrating events or actions that happened one after another in the past.
    Example. She referred to the guidebook while visiting Rome last year.
    Example. He often referred to his notes before giving a presentation, but now he speaks from experience.
    Example. They referred to their map, found the location, and arrived right on time.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect).
    Example. The new policy was referred to throughout the discussion.
  2. When forming perfect tenses to show actions that have a connection to the present or were completed before certain points in the past or future.
    Example. The new policy was referred to throughout the discussion.
  3. Example (Present Perfect). She has referred to that article several times this month.
    Example. The new policy was referred to throughout the discussion.
  4. Example (Past Perfect). By the time the meeting started, the team had already referred to all the relevant data.
    Example. The new policy was referred to throughout the discussion.
  5. Example (Future Perfect). By next year, they will have referred to numerous sources for their research.
    Example. The new policy was referred to throughout the discussion.
  6. Passive Voice.
    Example. The new policy was referred to throughout the discussion.
  7. When constructing sentences in the passive voice.
    Example. The new policy was referred to throughout the discussion.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

Incorrect. I have refered to the manual before fixing the machine. Correct. I have referred to the manual before fixing the machine. Explanation. The mistake here involves using an incorrect past participle form of 'refer'. The correct past participle form is 'referred'. This error is common when people forget the rule of doubling the final consonant in the base form of the verb (when it ends in a single vowel followed by a single consonant) before adding the -ed ending for its past simple and past participle forms.

— 02

Misusing Past Simple

Incorrect. I had refer to several sources for my research paper. Correct. I had referred to several sources for my research paper. Explanation. In this mistake, the past simple form 'refer' is incorrectly used in place of the past participle form 'referred' in a perfect tense construction (in this case, the past perfect tense). The correct construction of perfect tenses requires the use of the past participle form of the verb following the auxiliary verb 'have' or 'had'.

— 03

Incorrect Past Simple

Incorrect. He refered to the instructions carefully. Correct. He referred to the instructions carefully. Explanation. This mistake involves incorrectly forming the past simple (and past participle) form of 'refer' by adding only one 'r' before the -ed ending. The correct form doubles the final consonant 'r' before adding -ed, becoming 'referred'. This error is common among learners who may not remember the specific rule about doubling the final consonant for verbs ending in a consonant preceded by a single vowel when transitioning to their past forms.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'refer'?

The past simple form of 'refer' is 'referred'. The past participle form is also 'referred'. Both forms use a double 'r' in the middle, which is a common pattern in English when a verb ending in a vowel followed by 'r' is put into the past tense or past participle form.

How do you use 'referred' in the past simple tense?

In the past simple tense, 'referred' is used to talk about actions or events that happened at a specific time in the past. It can be used in affirmative, negative, and question forms. For example. Affirmative. 'She referred me to a specialist last year.' Negative. 'He didn't refer me to any books on the topic.' Question. 'Did your teacher refer you to this article?'

How is the past participle 'referred' used in sentences?

The past participle 'referred' is often used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. Here are some examples. Present Perfect. 'I have referred three friends to that job opening.' Past Perfect. 'By the time we spoke, he had already referred the case to the authorities.' Passive Voice. 'The matter was referred to the committee for further discussion.'

Can you give examples of sentences using 'referred' in both the past simple and past participle to clarify their usage?

Certainly! Here are examples to illustrate the difference. Past Simple. 'Last month, I referred my colleague to a networking event.' (This sentence indicates the action happened at a specific time in the past.) Past Participle in Present Perfect. 'I have referred several clients to her since we met.' (This sentence suggests that the action has relevance to the present moment or has happened at an unspecified time before now.) Past Participle in Passive Voice. 'The applicant was referred by a current employee.' (This sentence focuses on the action happening to the subject, rather than who performed the action.) Remember, the context of the sentence will help you determine whether to use the past simple or the past participle form of 'referred'.