Spill past tense
Meaning of spill
to accidentally allow (a substance) to flow or fall out of a container.
Infinitive
- 1. She always spills her coffee in the morning rush.
- 2. He spills the beans about the surprise party every time.
- 3. The bucket spills water if you fill it too high.
Past Simple
- 1. She accidentally spilled coffee on the table during breakfast.
- 2. He spilled the beans about the surprise party, ruining the secret.
- 3. We cleaned up the mess after we spilt water on the floor.
Past Participle
- 1. The milk has been spilled on the floor by the cat.
- 2. The secrets had been spilled before the meeting ended.
- 3. By the time I arrived, the beans had already been spilled about the surprise party.
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Bare infinitive
- Actions that are habitual or generally true.Example. He spills his coffee nearly every morning.Example. Water spills when it's over the brim.
- Universal truths.Example. He spills his coffee nearly every morning.Example. Water spills when it's over the brim.
Past Simple
- Completed actions or situations that took place at a specific time in the past.Example. She spilled the beans about the surprise party yesterday.Example. They always spilled their secrets to each other when they were kids.Example. He grabbed a mop after he spilled the milk.
- Past habits or states.Example. She spilled the beans about the surprise party yesterday.Example. They always spilled their secrets to each other when they were kids.Example. He grabbed a mop after he spilled the milk.
- Sequential actions in the past.Example. She spilled the beans about the surprise party yesterday.Example. They always spilled their secrets to each other when they were kids.Example. He grabbed a mop after he spilled the milk.
Past Participle
- Perfect aspects (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect) to talk about actions in relation to other time frames.Example. Present Perfect. She has spilled coffee on her shirt again.Example. Past Perfect. By the time we arrived, he had already spilled the news.Example. Future Perfect. By the end of the day, they will have spilled all their secrets.Example. The secrets were spilled by an anonymous source.Example. The spilled milk had soaked into the carpet.
- Passive voice to indicate an action performed on the subject.Example. Present Perfect. She has spilled coffee on her shirt again.Example. Past Perfect. By the time we arrived, he had already spilled the news.Example. Future Perfect. By the end of the day, they will have spilled all their secrets.Example. The secrets were spilled by an anonymous source.Example. The spilled milk had soaked into the carpet.
- As adjectives to describe the state resulting from the action.Example. Present Perfect. She has spilled coffee on her shirt again.Example. Past Perfect. By the time we arrived, he had already spilled the news.Example. Future Perfect. By the end of the day, they will have spilled all their secrets.Example. The secrets were spilled by an anonymous source.Example. The spilled milk had soaked into the carpet.
- Remember, while 'spilled' is commonly used in both US and UK English as the past and past participle form, 'spilt' is an alternative past and past participle form favored in British English, but its usage is the same within these outlined cases.Example. Present Perfect. She has spilled coffee on her shirt again.Example. Past Perfect. By the time we arrived, he had already spilled the news.Example. Future Perfect. By the end of the day, they will have spilled all their secrets.Example. The secrets were spilled by an anonymous source.Example. The spilled milk had soaked into the carpet.
Common mistakes
— 01
Confusing forms
Some learners might mistakenly believe that 'spilt' is exclusively British English and 'spilled' is only American English. While there's a tendency for this distinction, both forms are actually correct and interchangeable in both dialects. The mistake lies in assuming that one is incorrect in a given context when, in reality, 'I spilled the milk' and 'I spilt the milk' are both acceptable.
— 02
Incorrect Use in Perfect Tenses
Another mistake involves misusing the past participle form in perfect tenses. Some may incorrectly use the base form or the past simple form instead of the past participle. Correct usage should involve the past participle form 'spilled' or 'spilt' with auxiliary verbs to form perfect aspects, e.g., 'I have spilled the juice' (present perfect) or 'They had spilled the water before we arrived' (past perfect).
— 03
Omitting the Auxiliary Verb
When forming the passive voice, the past participle form 'spilled' or 'spilt' must be accompanied by an appropriate form of the verb 'to be.' A frequent error is omitting the auxiliary verb, leading to grammatically incorrect sentences. The correct construction for passive voice is 'The juice was spilled by Tom,' not 'The juice spilled by Tom,' which confuses the meaning and grammatical structure.
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