Sell past tense

Meaning of sell

give or hand over (something) in exchange for money.

Infinitive

Word: sell /sɛl/

Examples:

1. They sell fresh produce at the local market every Saturday.
2. She sells handmade jewelry online and at craft fairs.
3. This store sells clothing and accessories for teenagers.

Past Simple

Word: sold /soʊld/

Examples:

1. They sold their old car last month because they needed more space for their growing family.
2. She sold all her paintings at the art exhibit, which was a huge success.
3. The company sold its subsidiary to focus more on its core business areas.

Past Participle

Word: sold /soʊld/

Examples:

1. The house has been sold to a young couple from out of town.
2. All the concert tickets were sold within the first hour of release.
3. The old painting that had been sold at the auction fetched a surprisingly high price.

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Bare infinitive

Habits or routines. When describing actions that occur on a regular basis.
Example. She sells flowers at the local market every Sunday.

Past Simple

Completed actions in the past. For actions that started and finished at a specific time in the past.
Example. He sold his car last week.
Example. They woke up early, sold their furniture, and moved out in a day.
Example. She sold handmade crafts when she was a student.
Example. People sold goods in open markets before the advent of supermarkets.
A series of completed actions. When listing actions that happened one after another in the past.
Example. He sold his car last week.
Example. They woke up early, sold their furniture, and moved out in a day.
Example. She sold handmade crafts when she was a student.
Example. People sold goods in open markets before the advent of supermarkets.
Habits in the past. When talking about past habits or states which are no longer true.
Example. He sold his car last week.
Example. They woke up early, sold their furniture, and moved out in a day.
Example. She sold handmade crafts when she was a student.
Example. People sold goods in open markets before the advent of supermarkets.
Past facts or generalizations. When making a statement about the past that is generally true but not limited to a specific occasion.
Example. He sold his car last week.
Example. They woke up early, sold their furniture, and moved out in a day.
Example. She sold handmade crafts when she was a student.
Example. People sold goods in open markets before the advent of supermarkets.

Past Participle

Present Perfect. For actions that happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important.
Example. She has sold all the paintings she displayed at the gallery.
Example. By the time the market opened, he had already sold out of his stock.
Example. By next year, they will have sold their house.
Example. The tickets were sold out within minutes.
Example. If he had sold his shares earlier, he would have made a profit.
Past Perfect. For actions that were completed before another action or time in the past.
Example. She has sold all the paintings she displayed at the gallery.
Example. By the time the market opened, he had already sold out of his stock.
Example. By next year, they will have sold their house.
Example. The tickets were sold out within minutes.
Example. If he had sold his shares earlier, he would have made a profit.
Future Perfect. For actions that will be completed before a specified future time.
Example. She has sold all the paintings she displayed at the gallery.
Example. By the time the market opened, he had already sold out of his stock.
Example. By next year, they will have sold their house.
Example. The tickets were sold out within minutes.
Example. If he had sold his shares earlier, he would have made a profit.
Passive voice. To indicate an action was done to the subject by someone else.
Example. She has sold all the paintings she displayed at the gallery.
Example. By the time the market opened, he had already sold out of his stock.
Example. By next year, they will have sold their house.
Example. The tickets were sold out within minutes.
Example. If he had sold his shares earlier, he would have made a profit.
Conditional Sentences. In some conditional structures, particularly the third conditional.
Example. She has sold all the paintings she displayed at the gallery.
Example. By the time the market opened, he had already sold out of his stock.
Example. By next year, they will have sold their house.
Example. The tickets were sold out within minutes.
Example. If he had sold his shares earlier, he would have made a profit.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

One common mistake is confusing the past simple form 'sold' with the past participle 'sold' of the verb 'sell.' While it may seem tricky since both forms are identical for this verb, the error becomes apparent in their application within sentences. The past simple is used to describe actions that happened at a specific time in the past, e.g., 'I sold my car yesterday.' In contrast, the past participle is often used in perfect tenses or passive voice, requiring a helper verb, e.g., 'I have sold my car,' or 'My car was sold.'

— 02

Creating the Past Forms

A mistake beginners might make is trying to apply regular verb rules to 'sell' by adding -ed to make its past forms, resulting in incorrect forms like 'selled' instead of using the correct irregular forms 'sold' for both the past simple and past participle. This mistake stems from not knowing that 'sell' is an irregular verb, which does not follow the standard pattern of forming past tenses.

— 03

Misuse in Compound Verbs

Another mistake involves using the wrong form of 'sell' in compound verbs or phrasal verbs. For instance, saying 'I sell out my tickets' instead of the correct past simple 'I sold out my tickets' or using 'sell' incorrectly in a perfect tense construction, such as 'I have sell my bike' instead of 'I have sold my bike.' Understanding the correct form to use in these constructions is crucial for conveying the intended meaning and maintaining grammatical accuracy.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'sell'?

The past simple form of 'sell' is 'sold'. It is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'Yesterday, I sold my old bike.'

What is the past participle form of 'sell'?

The past participle form of 'sell' is also 'sold'. It is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. For example, in the sentence 'I have sold my car,' 'sold' is used as the past participle in the present perfect tense. In the passive voice, you might say, 'The tickets were sold out quickly.'

How do I use 'sold' in a sentence correctly when referring to past actions?

To use 'sold' correctly, you need to determine whether your sentence requires the past simple or a form of the perfect aspect (which uses the past participle). For past simple, you directly follow the subject with 'sold' to indicate a completed action in the past, e.g., 'She sold her paintings at the fair.' For perfect tenses, you'll use 'have' or 'had' plus 'sold', e.g., 'He has sold his shares of the company.'

Can you give examples of sentences using 'sold' in different tenses?

Certainly! Here are examples in various tenses. Past Simple. 'They sold their house last year.' Present Perfect. 'I have sold all my textbooks.' Past Perfect. 'By the time she arrived, we had already sold the car.' Future Perfect. 'By next month, I will have sold my old laptop.' Passive Voice. 'The masterpiece was sold for a million dollars.' These examples illustrate how 'sold' functions as both the past simple and past participle form of 'sell', adapting to different tenses and voices to convey actions related to selling in the past.