Search past tense

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Learn past tenses to communicate in English accurately

Meaning of search

to look carefully for or to try to find something.

Infinitive

Word: search /sɜːtʃ/
Examples:
  • 1. Every morning, I search for my keys before heading out the door.
  • 2. He always searches for new recipes to try on the weekends.
  • 3. The system automatically searches for updates every night.

Past Simple

Word: searched /sɜːrtʃt/
Examples:
  • 1. Yesterday, I searched the entire house for my missing keys but couldn't find them anywhere.
  • 2. He searched his pockets for some change but came up empty.
  • 3. We searched through all the documents to find the specific report needed for the meeting.

Past Participle

Word: searched /sɜːtʃt/
Examples:
  • 1. The book has been thoroughly searched for any hidden notes.
  • 2. The lost dog was finally found after being searched for hours.
  • 3. Every room in the house had been systematically searched by the police.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual actions or routines.
    Example. She searches for her keys every morning before she leaves for work.
    Example. The detective searches for evidence to solve the case. Fixed arrangements or schedules (often with a future meaning).
    Example. The search for the missing artifact begins next week.
  2. General truths or facts.
    Example. She searches for her keys every morning before she leaves for work.
    Example. The detective searches for evidence to solve the case. Fixed arrangements or schedules (often with a future meaning).
    Example. The search for the missing artifact begins next week.

Past Simple

  1. Completed actions in the past at a specific time.
    Example. He searched the entire house for his phone last night.
    Example. They searched the forest, checked the caves, and investigated the old mansion yesterday.
    Example. When she was a child, she often searched the beach for shells.
    Example. In the 19th century, people searched for gold in California.
  2. A series of completed actions in the past.
    Example. He searched the entire house for his phone last night.
    Example. They searched the forest, checked the caves, and investigated the old mansion yesterday.
    Example. When she was a child, she often searched the beach for shells.
    Example. In the 19th century, people searched for gold in California.
  3. Habits or routines in the past (often used with 'always', 'often', 'never').
    Example. He searched the entire house for his phone last night.
    Example. They searched the forest, checked the caves, and investigated the old mansion yesterday.
    Example. When she was a child, she often searched the beach for shells.
    Example. In the 19th century, people searched for gold in California.
  4. Past facts or generalizations which are no longer true.
    Example. He searched the entire house for his phone last night.
    Example. They searched the forest, checked the caves, and investigated the old mansion yesterday.
    Example. When she was a child, she often searched the beach for shells.
    Example. In the 19th century, people searched for gold in California.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect, future perfect) to indicate completed actions at a specific time.
  2. Example (Present Perfect). I have searched every room but haven’t found it.
  3. Example (Past Perfect). By the time they arrived, we had already searched the entire neighborhood.
  4. Example (Future Perfect). By next year, scientists will have searched the entire coastal region.

Common mistakes

— 01

Incorrect Verb Form Usage

One of the most common mistakes is using the wrong form of the verb for the past simple or past participle. For 'search,' the past simple is 'searched,' and the past participle is also 'searched.' However, people often mistakenly treat it as an irregular verb and change the form incorrectly, such as saying 'searcht' for the past tense or 'searchen' for the past participle, which are incorrect.

— 02

Confusion in Perfect Tenses

Another mistake involves the misuse of the past participle in perfect tenses. The correct form for the present perfect tense is 'have searched' or 'has searched,' and for the past perfect tense, it's 'had searched.' A common error is using the past simple 'searched' instead of the past participle 'searched' with auxiliary verbs, leading to grammatically incorrect sentences like 'I have searched the keys yesterday' instead of the correct 'I searched for the keys yesterday' or 'I have searched for the keys.'

— 03

Misapplication in Passive Voice

The past participle form 'searched' is essential in forming passive voice sentences, such as 'The room was searched thoroughly.' A frequent mistake is using the past simple form instead of the past participle in passive constructions, resulting in incorrect sentences like 'The room was searched thoroughly' being mistakenly formulated as 'The room searched thoroughly.' This not only confuses the verb tense but also distorts the intended meaning, as it improperly suggests an active action performed by the room itself.

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Frequently asked questions

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

The past simple form of 'search' is 'searched,' and the past participle form is also 'searched.' Both forms are the same and used in different contexts to indicate actions that occurred in the past.

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

The past simple tense is used for actions that were completed at a specific time in the past. When using 'searched' in a past simple sentence, you are referring to a single, completed action. For example. 'I searched the entire house for my keys last night.' In this sentence, 'searched' indicates that the action of looking for the keys was completed in the past.

How is 'searched' used in a sentence with a past participle form?

The past participle form of a verb is often used in perfect tenses to indicate actions that have been completed at the time of speaking or at a certain point in the past. For example, in the present perfect tense. 'I have searched everywhere for my glasses.' This sentence suggests that the action of searching has been completed up to the current moment. The past participle 'searched' is used with the auxiliary verb 'have' to form the present perfect tense.

Can you provide examples of sentences using 'searched' in different contexts?

Certainly! Here are examples to demonstrate the use of 'searched' in various tenses and contexts. Past Simple. 'They searched the forest for hours but couldn't find the missing dog.' Present Perfect. 'We have searched all the databases but still have no match for the fingerprints.' Past Perfect. 'By the time the help arrived, I had already searched the entire neighborhood.' Future Perfect. 'By the end of the day, we will have searched all possible locations.'