Scare past tense

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Meaning of scare

to frighten or cause fear in someone.

Infinitive

Word: scare /skɛər/
Examples:
  • 1. Scary movies don't scare me at all.
  • 2. Loud noises scare the cat every time.
  • 3. Sudden surprises scare her more than she admits.

Past Simple

Word: scared /skɛrd/
Examples:
  • 1. The loud noise scared the cat, making it leap high into the air.
  • 2. She scared her brother by jumping out from behind the door.
  • 3. The ghost story he told by the campfire scared everyone, and no one wanted to sleep alone that night.

Past Participle

Word: scared /skɛərd/
Examples:
  • 1. The children had been scared by the loud noises outside.
  • 2. The haunted house was designed to have scared hundreds of visitors.
  • 3. A sudden scream had scared everyone in the room.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual Actions
    Example. She scares easily whenever she watches horror movies.
    Example. This old mansion scares everyone who dares to enter.
    Example. The haunted house tour scares visitors every night at 8 PM.
  2. General Truths
    Example. She scares easily whenever she watches horror movies.
    Example. This old mansion scares everyone who dares to enter.
    Example. The haunted house tour scares visitors every night at 8 PM.
  3. Scheduled Events (in the near future, often with a time indicator)
    Example. She scares easily whenever she watches horror movies.
    Example. This old mansion scares everyone who dares to enter.
    Example. The haunted house tour scares visitors every night at 8 PM.

Past Simple

  1. Actions Completed in the Past
    Example. The thunderstorm last night scared the children.
    Example. He scared the birds away and then walked home quietly.
    Example. When she was young, spooky stories never scared her.
  2. Narration or Sequence of Events
    Example. The thunderstorm last night scared the children.
    Example. He scared the birds away and then walked home quietly.
    Example. When she was young, spooky stories never scared her.
  3. Past habits or states (often with adverbs of time)
    Example. The thunderstorm last night scared the children.
    Example. He scared the birds away and then walked home quietly.
    Example. When she was young, spooky stories never scared her.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses
    Example. The campers were scared by strange noises in the dark.
    Example. I am scared of heights.
  2. Past Perfect. They had already scared away the intruders by the time we arrived.
    Example. The campers were scared by strange noises in the dark.
    Example. I am scared of heights.
  3. Present Perfect. The urban legends have scared tourists for years.
    Example. The campers were scared by strange noises in the dark.
    Example. I am scared of heights.
  4. Future Perfect. By Halloween, we will have scared the whole neighborhood with our decorations.
    Example. The campers were scared by strange noises in the dark.
    Example. I am scared of heights.
  5. Passive Voice
    Example. The campers were scared by strange noises in the dark.
    Example. I am scared of heights.
  6. Used as an Adjective
    Example. The campers were scared by strange noises in the dark.
    Example. I am scared of heights.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

A common mistake is confusing the simple past form 'scared' with the past participle form 'scared' of the verb 'scare.' Although in this case, the forms are identical, the error often lies in their application within sentences. The simple past is used for actions completed at a specific time in the past, e.g., 'He scared me yesterday.' The past participle, however, is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses or the passive voice, e.g., 'I have been scared by that movie.'

— 02

Incorrect Perfect Tenses

Another frequent mistake involves misusing 'scared' in perfect tense constructions. Since 'scared' serves correctly as both the simple past and past participle form, the error here is not in the form itself but in neglecting to pair the past participle with the appropriate auxiliary verb 'have' in perfect tenses. For instance, saying 'I scared seen a ghost' instead of the correct 'I have scared' or 'I have been scared by a ghost' demonstrates a misunderstanding of how to construct the present perfect tense.

— 03

Omitting the Auxiliary Verb

A common error is omitting the auxiliary verb when using 'scared' in passive voice constructions. The correct structure for the passive voice requires the auxiliary verb 'be' in the appropriate tense, followed by the past participle 'scared.' For example, incorrectly saying 'The movie scared me' when intending a passive construction should be 'I was scared by the movie.' This mistake changes the focus of the sentence from the action's recipient to the action's doer, altering the sentence's intended meaning.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'scare'?

The past simple form of 'scare' is 'scared.' This form is used to talk about actions or situations that happened at a specific time in the past. For example. 'The loud noise scared the birds away yesterday.'

How do you use the past participle form of 'scare'?

The past participle form of 'scare' is also 'scared.' It is used in perfect tense constructions and passive voice sentences. For example, in the present perfect tense, you might say, 'I have never been scared of spiders.' In a passive voice sentence, you could say, 'The children were scared by the thunderstorm.'

Can you give an example of a sentence using 'scared' in the past simple tense?

Sure! An example of a sentence using 'scared' in the past simple tense is. 'She scared her brother by jumping out from behind the door.' Is there a difference in usage between the past simple 'scared' and the past participle 'scared'