Rend past tense
Meaning of rend
to tear or split apart or into pieces violently.
Infinitive
- 1. She rends the fabric easily with her skilled hands.
- 2. The machine rends the materials into smaller pieces for recycling.
- 3. The chef rends the meat meticulously before cooking.
Past Simple
- 1. They rent the fabric into two pieces to share.
- 2. After the discussion, she rent her resignation letter angrily.
- 3. When he realized what he had done, he rent the photograph of them together.
Past Participle
- 1. The costumes for the play were rent by the actors' intense performances.
- 2. By the end of the discussion, all doubts had been rent from their minds.
- 3. The sails had been rent by the fierce storm.
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Bare infinitive
- To express a general fact or a habitual action.Example. Every time she reads that story, it rends her heart.Example. If the material does not fit, rend it along the seam.Example. Lightning rends the sky asunder.
- To give instructions or directions.Example. If the material does not fit, rend it along the seam.Example. Lightning rends the sky asunder.
- In a literary or elevated style to describe a sudden or violent action.Example. If the material does not fit, rend it along the seam.Example. Lightning rends the sky asunder.
Past Simple
- To express an action that happened at a specific time in the past.Example. The news rent the community, causing widespread disbelief.Example. In his youth, he rent his clothes in grief far too often.Example. The beast rent the air with its ferocious roar.
- To describe a past habit or situation that no longer exists.Example. The news rent the community, causing widespread disbelief.Example. In his youth, he rent his clothes in grief far too often.Example. The beast rent the air with its ferocious roar.
- In storytelling, to describe sudden or dramatic actions that occurred.Example. The news rent the community, causing widespread disbelief.Example. In his youth, he rent his clothes in grief far too often.Example. The beast rent the air with its ferocious roar.
Past Participle
- In perfect tense constructions to indicate a completed action.Example. The rent veil symbolized a new era of understanding.Example. The fabric was rent by the powerful storm.
- Example (Present Perfect). She has rent her garments in mourning.Example. The rent veil symbolized a new era of understanding.Example. The fabric was rent by the powerful storm.
- Example (Past Perfect). By then, he had already rent his ties with the group.Example. The rent veil symbolized a new era of understanding.Example. The fabric was rent by the powerful storm.
- Example (Future Perfect). They will have rent the contract by this time next week.Example. The rent veil symbolized a new era of understanding.Example. The fabric was rent by the powerful storm.
- As an adjective to describe something that has been torn or violently separated.Example. The rent veil symbolized a new era of understanding.Example. The fabric was rent by the powerful storm.
- To highlight the result of a previous action in a passive voice sentence.Example. The rent veil symbolized a new era of understanding.Example. The fabric was rent by the powerful storm.
Common mistakes
— 01
Confusing Forms
One common mistake with the verb 'rend' is confusing its past simple form 'rent' with its past participle form, which is also 'rent'. Users often mistakenly believe they should add '-ed' for the past participle, creating a non-existent form like 'rended'. Correct usage. 'He rent his garments' (past simple) and 'His garments have been rent' (past participle).
— 02
Incorrectly Regularizing the Verb
Another mistake is trying to regularize the verb 'rend' by applying the standard '-ed' ending for both past simple and past participle forms, leading to 'rended'. This error stems from the assumption that most English verbs follow this pattern, ignoring that 'rend' is an irregular verb. Correct usage remains 'rent' for both the past simple and past participle forms.
— 03
Misusing Past Participle
Some users incorrectly use the past participle 'rent' without auxiliary verbs, treating it as if it were the past simple form. This mistake alters the meaning or grammatical correctness of a sentence. For instance, saying 'He rent by the news' instead of correctly using the past participle with an auxiliary verb, as in 'He was rent by the news'. The correct application involves recognizing when to incorporate auxiliary verbs with the past participle to convey the perfect aspect or passive voice accurately.
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