Reminisce past tense
Meaning of reminisce
to indulge in enjoyable recollection of past events.
Infinitive
- 1. Every year during the family reunion, we reminisce about the good old days and share stories from our childhood.
- 2. She likes to reminisce about her travels whenever she looks through her photo albums.
- 3. They often reminisce about their college life whenever they meet up after several years.
Past Simple
- 1. Last night, we reminisced about our childhood adventures, laughing at the mischief we used to get into.
- 2. During the class reunion, everyone reminisced over their high school experiences, sharing stories that seemed almost too good to be true.
- 3. She reminisced fondly about the summer they spent in Paris, describing every memory as if it had happened just yesterday.
Past Participle
- 1. She had reminisced about her childhood all afternoon, laughing at the memories.
- 2. They have reminisced over their university days every time they meet.
- 3. We had reminisced on our vacation to Italy, wishing we could go back.
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Bare infinitive
- Habitual Actions. When describing actions that are usual, general truths, or habits.Example. 'Every Sunday, they reminisce about their childhood adventures.'Example. 'People often reminisce about their first love.'
- General Statements or Facts. When making statements that are generally true or when discussing the inherent nature of things.Example. 'People often reminisce about their first love.'
Past Simple
- Completed Actions in the Past. When talking about actions that were completed at some specific time in the past.Example. 'They reminisced about their college days during the reunion.'Example. 'He reminisced about the time he spent abroad every time he felt sad.'
- Past Habits or States. To discuss habits or states in the past that are not true anymore.Example. 'They reminisced about their college days during the reunion.'Example. 'He reminisced about the time he spent abroad every time he felt sad.'
Past Participle
- Perfect Tenses. When forming perfect tenses that require the auxiliary verb 'to have' and show actions that are completed.Example. 'They have reminisced about that trip numerous times.'Example. 'The glorious days of youth were often reminisced about at the club.'
- Passive Voice. When constructing sentences in the passive voice to focus on the action rather than who performed it.Example. 'They have reminisced about that trip numerous times.'Example. 'The glorious days of youth were often reminisced about at the club.'
Common mistakes
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Confusing Forms
A common mistake is using the past simple form of 'reminisce' (which is 'reminisced') interchangeably with its past participle form, also 'reminisced'. Although they appear identical, their usage differs. The past simple form is used to describe an action that occurred and was completed in the past, e.g., 'I reminisced about my childhood.' Conversely, the past participle is often used in perfect tenses, requiring an auxiliary verb, e.g., 'I have reminisced about my childhood.' Mistaking these forms can lead to incorrect tense usage, especially in complex tenses.
— 02
Incorrect Past Participle
Another mistake is attempting to modify 'reminisce' into an incorrect past participle form. Since 'reminisce' is a regular verb, its past simple and past participle forms are correctly made by simply adding '-d' or '-ed' to the base form. However, some might mistakenly believe it follows irregular verb patterns, creating non-existent forms like 'reminisceded' or 'reminiscen.' Sticking to the rule for regular verbs and remembering 'reminisced' as both the past simple and past participle form avoids this error.
— 03
Misapplication in Passive Voice
The past participle form is crucial in forming the passive voice, yet it's often misused with 'reminisce.' Since 'reminisce' inherently describes a personal action or reflection, using it in passive constructions can be awkward or incorrect. For instance, saying 'Childhood memories were reminisced by me' is not only clunky but also misapplies the verb since 'reminisce' doesn't naturally lend itself to passive voice. Understanding the verb's reflective and personal nature helps avoid forcing it into unsuitable grammatical structures.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple form of 'reminisce'?
How is the past participle form of 'reminisce' used?
Can you provide an example sentence using 'reminisce' in the past simple tense?