Sneak-out past tense
Meaning of sneak-out
to leave a place quietly and secretly so as not to be noticed.
Infinitive
- 1. Every Friday night, he tries to sneak out of the house to meet his friends.
- 2. They always sneak out of class when the teacher isn't looking.
- 3. She manages to sneak out of the office early whenever her work is done.
Past Simple
- 1. Last night, she sneaked out of the house without anyone noticing.
- 2. We sneak out from the back door during the party to avoid the crowd.
- 3. They successfully sneaked out of the office early to catch the movie premiere.
Past Participle
- 1. The teenagers had sneaked out of the house by the time their parents woke up.
- 2. A note was left by someone who had sneaked out during the night.
- 3. The secret had been sneaked out to the public before the official announcement.
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Bare infinitive
- General facts or truthsExample. They always sneak out to the garden to play.Example. She sneak out of the house every Friday night.Example. The movie sneak out at 9 PM tonight.
- Habitual actionsExample. They always sneak out to the garden to play.Example. She sneak out of the house every Friday night.Example. The movie sneak out at 9 PM tonight.
- Scheduled events in the near future (usually related to public transportation, movies, etc.)Example. They always sneak out to the garden to play.Example. She sneak out of the house every Friday night.Example. The movie sneak out at 9 PM tonight.
Past Simple
- Completed actions at a specific time in the pastExample. They sneaked out of the house last night.Example. First, they sneaked out through the back door, then they went to the concert.Example. They were so daring when they sneaked out during the party.
- Sequences of actions in the pastExample. They sneaked out of the house last night.Example. First, they sneaked out through the back door, then they went to the concert.Example. They were so daring when they sneaked out during the party.
- When talking about a past state or situationExample. They sneaked out of the house last night.Example. First, they sneaked out through the back door, then they went to the concert.Example. They were so daring when they sneaked out during the party.
Past Participle
- Perfect tenses (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect)Example. Present Perfect. They have already sneaked out of the school twice this month.Example. Past Perfect. She had just sneaked out when her friends arrived.Example. Future Perfect. By the time you realize, they will have sneaked out.Example. The secret was sneaked out by one of the insiders.Example. Feeling a bit sneaked out after the night's adventure, they decided to call it a day.
- Passive voice (when the subject of the sentence is acted upon by the verb)Example. Present Perfect. They have already sneaked out of the school twice this month.Example. Past Perfect. She had just sneaked out when her friends arrived.Example. Future Perfect. By the time you realize, they will have sneaked out.Example. The secret was sneaked out by one of the insiders.Example. Feeling a bit sneaked out after the night's adventure, they decided to call it a day.
- As adjectives in some contextsExample. Present Perfect. They have already sneaked out of the school twice this month.Example. Past Perfect. She had just sneaked out when her friends arrived.Example. Future Perfect. By the time you realize, they will have sneaked out.Example. The secret was sneaked out by one of the insiders.Example. Feeling a bit sneaked out after the night's adventure, they decided to call it a day.
Common mistakes
— 01
Confusing Forms
One of the most common mistakes involves the choice between 'sneaked' and 'snuck' as the past simple and past participle forms of 'sneak out.' 'Snuck' is widely accepted, especially in informal North American English, as an alternative to the more traditional 'sneaked.' However, some users mistakenly believe 'snuck' is incorrect or too colloquial, leading to its avoidance in formal writing. The mistake lies not in the choice per se but in failing to match the formality of the context with the appropriate variant.
— 02
Incorrect Verb Conjugation
Another mistake is the incorrect conjugation of 'sneak out' in the past simple and past participle forms. Some learners of English might erroneously create forms like 'sneaked outed' or 'snucked out' due to overgeneralization of regular verb Misusing Past Participle or misunderstanding of how phrasal verbs operate in past tense forms. The correct past simple form is 'sneaked out' or 'snuck out,' and the past participle form is 'sneaked out' or 'snuck out,' depending on the chosen variant.
— 03
Overusing 'have'
A frequent mistake is using 'have' redundantly with the simple past tense of 'sneak out,' as in 'I have sneaked out yesterday.' This error stems from confusing the simple past tense, which does not require 'have,' with the present perfect tense, which does. The correct form for expressing an action that occurred at a specific time in the past is simply 'I sneaked out yesterday' or 'I snuck out yesterday.'
Past tense quiz
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