Seek past tense

Meaning of seek

attempt to find (something).

Infinitive

Word: seek /siːk/

Examples:

1. She always seeks approval from her mentor before making any major decisions.
2. He seeks a quiet place to read and relax during his breaks.
3. The organization seeks volunteers for the upcoming environmental clean-up campaign.

Past Simple

Word: sought /sɔːt/

Examples:

1. She sought advice from her mentor before making the final decision on her career path.
2. After years of research, the scientist finally found the evidence he had long sought.
3. The detective sought clues at the crime scene to solve the mysterious case.

Past Participle

Word: sought /sɔːt/

Examples:

1. The lost treasure had been sought for decades before it was finally discovered.
2. Advice on the matter was eagerly sought by newcomers to the field.
3. Letters of recommendation are commonly sought by students applying to universities.

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Bare infinitive

General Truths and Habitual Actions. Use 'seek' when describing actions that are general truths or habits.
Example. She seeks advice from her mentor every month.
Example. He seeks solace in music after work daily.
Example. The committee seeks to finalize the decision by next Wednesday.
Scheduled Events in the Near Future (less common with 'seek'). Use in the context of a planned action, though this is less common with the verb 'seek.'
Example. She seeks advice from her mentor every month.
Example. He seeks solace in music after work daily.
Example. The committee seeks to finalize the decision by next Wednesday.

Past Simple

Completed Actions in the Past. Use 'sought' for actions that were completed at some specific time in the past.
Example. They sought refuge during the storm last night.
Example. She sought his opinion on the matter yesterday.
Example. In his youth, he sought adventure in many foreign lands.
Example. The council sought a solution to the problem in their meeting last week.
Narrative Form. Use when telling stories or recounting past events where 'seek' actions have been concluded.
Example. They sought refuge during the storm last night.
Example. She sought his opinion on the matter yesterday.
Example. In his youth, he sought adventure in many foreign lands.
Example. The council sought a solution to the problem in their meeting last week.

Past Participle

Present Perfect Tense. Use 'sought' (as past participle) when the action was done in the past but has relevance to the present moment.
Example. They have sought a new manager for months now.
Example. She has sought approval for her project proposal.
Example. By the time negotiations began, the company had already sought legal advice.
Example. He had sought many remedies before finding the correct diagnosis.
Example. Financial aid has been sought by the organization to sustain its operations.
Example. Recommendations had been sought before the implementation was started.
Past Perfect Tense. Use when referring to an action in a time before another action in the past.
Example. They have sought a new manager for months now.
Example. She has sought approval for her project proposal.
Example. By the time negotiations began, the company had already sought legal advice.
Example. He had sought many remedies before finding the correct diagnosis.
Example. Financial aid has been sought by the organization to sustain its operations.
Example. Recommendations had been sought before the implementation was started.
Passive Voice Constructions. Use for actions done to the subject rather than by the subject.
Example. They have sought a new manager for months now.
Example. She has sought approval for her project proposal.
Example. By the time negotiations began, the company had already sought legal advice.
Example. He had sought many remedies before finding the correct diagnosis.
Example. Financial aid has been sought by the organization to sustain its operations.
Example. Recommendations had been sought before the implementation was started.
In each of these cases, the form of 'seek' helps indicate the timing of the action and its relevance to the present, past, or a sequence of events, which is crucial for clear communication.
Example. They have sought a new manager for months now.
Example. She has sought approval for her project proposal.
Example. By the time negotiations began, the company had already sought legal advice.
Example. He had sought many remedies before finding the correct diagnosis.
Example. Financial aid has been sought by the organization to sustain its operations.
Example. Recommendations had been sought before the implementation was started.

Common mistakes

— 01

Incorrect Form Usage

A common mistake with the verb 'seek' is confusing its past simple form 'sought' with its past participle form, which is also 'sought.' Unlike regular verbs that add -ed for both past simple and past participle forms, 'seek' is an irregular verb, so it does not follow this pattern. A frequent error occurs when learners mistakenly use 'seeked' instead of the correct 'sought' for both the past simple and past participle forms. For example, they might incorrectly say, 'I seeked help from a friend,' instead of the correct 'I sought help from a friend.'

— 02

Misuse in Perfect Tenses

Another common mistake involves the misuse of 'sought' in perfect tenses, due to misunderstanding its role as both the past simple and past participle form. In perfect tenses, 'sought' should be used with an auxiliary verb to indicate actions that have been completed at a certain point in the past, present, or future. For instance, incorrectly saying, 'I have seek help yesterday,' instead of the correct 'I have sought help,' demonstrates confusion around how to correctly employ the past participle form in perfect tenses.

— 03

Incorrect verb conjugation

The third mistake is the incorrect conjugation of 'seek' in passive voice constructions. Since 'sought' is the form used for both past simple and past participle, it's essential to use it correctly in passive sentences. A common error is using 'was seeked' instead of the correct 'was sought' for past passive constructions. For example, saying, 'The approval was seeked by the team,' instead of the correct 'The approval was sought by the team,' showcases this misunderstanding.

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Frequently asked questions

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

The past simple form of 'seek' is 'sought'. The past participle form is also 'sought'. Unlike regular verbs, which typically add '-ed' to form their past and past participle forms, 'seek' is an irregular verb and changes form entirely.

How do I use 'sought' in a past simple sentence?

When using 'sought' in the past simple tense, you are referring to a single, completed action in the past. For example. 'Last year, I sought a new job in the tech industry.' In this sentence, 'sought' indicates that the action of looking for a job happened at a specific time in the past and is now completed.

How is 'sought' used as a past participle?

The past participle form, 'sought', is used in perfect tenses, which refer to actions that were completed at some point in the past or that were completed before another action. For instance. 'I have sought advice from several experts before making my decision.' In this example, 'have sought' is in the present perfect tense, indicating that the action of seeking advice was completed at an unspecified time before now.

Can you provide an example of 'sought' in a sentence using the past perfect tense?

Certainly! The past perfect tense is used to talk about an action that was completed before another action in the past. Here's an example. 'By the time the meeting started, I had already sought feedback from my team.' In this sentence, 'had sought' indicates that the action of seeking feedback was completed before the meeting began. Remember, 'sought' remains the same in both the past simple and past participle forms, which makes it a bit easier once you remember the base form.