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Meaning of remember

to bring back to one's mind an awareness of someone or something that one has seen, known, or experienced in the past.

Infinitive

Word: remember /rɪˈmɛmbər/
Examples:
  • 1. I remember your name from the last meeting we had.
  • 2. She always remembers to bring her lunch to work.
  • 3. They remember to call their grandparents every weekend.

Past Simple

Word: remembered /rɪˈmɛmbərd/
Examples:
  • 1. She remembered her friend's phone number after thinking hard for a few minutes.
  • 2. We remembered to bring snacks for the road trip just in time.
  • 3. He remembered the first time he had ever seen the ocean, feeling a rush of joy.

Past Participle

Word: remembered /rɪˈmɛmbərd/
Examples:
  • 1. The song was remembered fondly by everyone who attended the concert.
  • 2. The message has been remembered by him, despite the passage of many years.
  • 3. She is remembered as a great leader by her followers.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual Actions. When describing actions that happen regularly or habits.
    Example. She remembers to lock the door every night.
    Example. He remembers everyone's birthday.
  2. Permanent Situations. Describes actions or situations that are permanent or have a certain degree of permanence.
    Example. She remembers to lock the door every night.
    Example. He remembers everyone's birthday.

Past Simple

  1. Completed Actions in the Past. Used to describe actions or events that were completed at a specific time in the past.
    Example. He remembered to call his mom on her birthday last year.
    Example. She always remembered her friends’ birthdays when she was in school.
    Example. He woke up, remembered it was his anniversary, and rushed to buy flowers.
  2. Past Habit or State. Describes a habit or state in the past that is no longer true in the present.
    Example. He remembered to call his mom on her birthday last year.
    Example. She always remembered her friends’ birthdays when she was in school.
    Example. He woke up, remembered it was his anniversary, and rushed to buy flowers.
  3. Sequential Actions in the Past. When narrating a series of actions or events that happened in the past, one after another.
    Example. He remembered to call his mom on her birthday last year.
    Example. She always remembered her friends’ birthdays when she was in school.
    Example. He woke up, remembered it was his anniversary, and rushed to buy flowers.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses.
    Example. She has already remembered to send out all the invitations.
    Example. By the time the meeting started, he had remembered to review all the documents.
    Example. By tomorrow, they will have remembered to complete all their pending tasks.
  2. Present Perfect. Used for actions that occurred at an unspecified time before now or actions that have an effect on the present moment.
    Example. She has already remembered to send out all the invitations.
    Example. By the time the meeting started, he had remembered to review all the documents.
    Example. By tomorrow, they will have remembered to complete all their pending tasks.
  3. Past Perfect. For actions that were completed before another action or time in the past.
    Example. She has already remembered to send out all the invitations.
    Example. By the time the meeting started, he had remembered to review all the documents.
    Example. By tomorrow, they will have remembered to complete all their pending tasks.
  4. Future Perfect. To indicate actions that will be completed before a specified time in the future.
    Example. She has already remembered to send out all the invitations.
    Example. By the time the meeting started, he had remembered to review all the documents.
    Example. By tomorrow, they will have remembered to complete all their pending tasks.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing the base form

A frequent mistake is using the base form 'remember' instead of the past simple or past participle form 'remembered' when the context requires a reference to the past. This error usually arises from a misunderstanding of tense usage. An incorrect sentence might be, 'I remember sending the email yesterday,' when it should be 'I remembered sending the email yesterday' if the speaker is referring to a past realization.

— 02

Incorrect past participle

In perfect tenses, the past participle form should be used with the appropriate auxiliary verb 'have.' A common mistake is omitting the auxiliary verb or using the wrong form of the verb, leading to grammatically incorrect sentences. For example, saying 'I have remember to lock the door' instead of the correct 'I have remembered to lock the door.'

— 03

Neglecting past participle

Another error occurs when learners forget to use the past participle form in passive voice constructions or mix up the past simple and past participle forms. While 'remembered' serves as both the past simple and past participle form, the mistake here is more about sentence structure. An example of an error in a passive construction might be 'The day was remember clearly by everyone,' which should correctly be 'The day was remembered clearly by everyone.'

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Frequently asked questions

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

The past simple form of 'remember' is 'remembered', and the past participle form is also 'remembered'. Both forms use the same spelling.

How do I use 'remembered' in a sentence in the past simple tense?

To use 'remembered' in the past simple tense, you would typically be referring to an action of recalling or keeping in mind something that happened at a specific time in the past. An example sentence is. 'I remembered to lock the door before I left the house yesterday.' This sentence indicates that the action of remembering to lock the door happened at a specific time in the past, which is why the past simple tense is used.

How is the past participle form 'remembered' used in a sentence?

The past participle form 'remembered' is often used in perfect tenses or passive voice constructions. For example. Present Perfect. 'I have always remembered your kindness.' This sentence uses the present perfect tense to indicate an action that happened at an unspecified time in the past and has relevance to the present. Passive Voice. 'The fallen heroes are remembered every year.' Here, 'remembered' is used in a passive voice construction to indicate that the action of remembering is performed by someone towards the fallen heroes annually.

Can 'remembered' be used to indicate a continuous action in the past?

While 'remembered' itself does not directly indicate a continuous action because it is not in the past continuous tense, you can construct sentences that imply an ongoing action or state of remembering in the past. However, you would typically use different phrasing to emphasize continuity, such as 'used to remember' or 'was remembering'. For example. 'During the reunion, I was remembering all the fun times we had as kids.' This sentence suggests an ongoing action of remembering during the time of the reunion, but it's important to note that the continuous aspect is conveyed by 'was remembering' rather than just 'remembered'.