Spread past tense

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Meaning of spread

to open or extend over a larger area; to distribute or disperse widely.

Infinitive

Word: spread /sprɛd/
Examples:
  • 1. The news tends to spread quickly on social media.
  • 2. Butter spread on warm toast tastes delicious.
  • 3. Fake rumors spread easily if people don't fact-check the information.

Past Simple

Word: spread /sprɛd/
Examples:
  • 1. The news about the event spread quickly through the small town.
  • 2. She spread the blanket on the ground and sat down to enjoy the picnic.
  • 3. The rumor spread throughout the entire school.

Past Participle

Word: spread /spred/
Examples:
  • 1. The news had been spread by the time we arrived.
  • 2. The table was spread with a variety of delicacies.
  • 3. The disease has been spread across multiple continents.

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Bare infinitive

  1. General Facts or Truths.
    Example. Disease spreads quickly in overcrowded conditions.
    Example. She always spreads butter on her toast in the morning.
  2. To state something that is generally true or a wellknown fact.
    Example. Disease spreads quickly in overcrowded conditions.
    Example. She always spreads butter on her toast in the morning.
  3. Habitual Actions.
    Example. Disease spreads quickly in overcrowded conditions.
    Example. She always spreads butter on her toast in the morning.
  4. To describe actions that are habitual or usually happen.
    Example. Disease spreads quickly in overcrowded conditions.
    Example. She always spreads butter on her toast in the morning.

Past Simple

  1. Completed Actions in the Past.
    Example. The news spread fast yesterday.
    Example. When we were kids, we spread rumors about haunted houses.
  2. To describe actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.
    Example. The news spread fast yesterday.
    Example. When we were kids, we spread rumors about haunted houses.
  3. Past Habits.
    Example. The news spread fast yesterday.
    Example. When we were kids, we spread rumors about haunted houses.
  4. To talk about habits or situations that were true in the past but not anymore.
    Example. The news spread fast yesterday.
    Example. When we were kids, we spread rumors about haunted houses.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses.
    Example. The rumor has spread throughout the entire school.
    Example. By the time they realized it was a hoax, the story had already spread.
    Example. By next year, we will have spread awareness about the issue across the country.
    Example. The message was spread by anonymous sources.
    Example. The spread knowledge about the subject was evident in their detailed discussion.
  2. Present Perfect. To describe actions or events that happened at an unspecified time in the past or have relevance to the present moment.
    Example. The rumor has spread throughout the entire school.
    Example. By the time they realized it was a hoax, the story had already spread.
    Example. By next year, we will have spread awareness about the issue across the country.
    Example. The message was spread by anonymous sources.
    Example. The spread knowledge about the subject was evident in their detailed discussion.
  3. Past Perfect. To talk about an action that happened before another action or time in the past.
    Example. The rumor has spread throughout the entire school.
    Example. By the time they realized it was a hoax, the story had already spread.
    Example. By next year, we will have spread awareness about the issue across the country.
    Example. The message was spread by anonymous sources.
    Example. The spread knowledge about the subject was evident in their detailed discussion.
  4. Future Perfect. To indicate that something will have happened by a specific future time.
    Example. The rumor has spread throughout the entire school.
    Example. By the time they realized it was a hoax, the story had already spread.
    Example. By next year, we will have spread awareness about the issue across the country.
    Example. The message was spread by anonymous sources.
    Example. The spread knowledge about the subject was evident in their detailed discussion.
  5. Passive Voice.
    Example. The rumor has spread throughout the entire school.
    Example. By the time they realized it was a hoax, the story had already spread.
    Example. By next year, we will have spread awareness about the issue across the country.
    Example. The message was spread by anonymous sources.
    Example. The spread knowledge about the subject was evident in their detailed discussion.
  6. To describe an action done to the subject rather than by the subject.
    Example. The rumor has spread throughout the entire school.
    Example. By the time they realized it was a hoax, the story had already spread.
    Example. By next year, we will have spread awareness about the issue across the country.
    Example. The message was spread by anonymous sources.
    Example. The spread knowledge about the subject was evident in their detailed discussion.
  7. Adjectives.
    Example. The rumor has spread throughout the entire school.
    Example. By the time they realized it was a hoax, the story had already spread.
    Example. By next year, we will have spread awareness about the issue across the country.
    Example. The message was spread by anonymous sources.
    Example. The spread knowledge about the subject was evident in their detailed discussion.
  8. When describing the state of something being widespread or extensively covered.
    Example. The rumor has spread throughout the entire school.
    Example. By the time they realized it was a hoax, the story had already spread.
    Example. By next year, we will have spread awareness about the issue across the country.
    Example. The message was spread by anonymous sources.
    Example. The spread knowledge about the subject was evident in their detailed discussion.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

A common mistake is using the past participle form of 'spread' incorrectly as if it were different from its past simple form. The correct form for both past simple and past participle of 'spread' is 'spread,' not 'spreaded.' For example, it is incorrect to say, 'He spreaded the news yesterday.' The correct form is, 'He spread the news yesterday.'

— 02

Incorrect Use in Perfect Tenses

Another mistake involves misusing 'spread' in perfect tenses by altering its form, thinking it should change when it doesn't. In perfect tenses, 'spread' remains the same. An incorrect example would be, 'She has spreaded the blankets on the bed.' The correct usage should be, 'She has spread the blankets on the bed.'

— 03

Mistaking It for Regular Verbs in Past Forms

Some may wrongly categorize 'spread' as a regular verb, expecting it to follow the rule of adding '-ed' for its past forms. This mistake leads to incorrect formation of sentences. For instance, saying, 'Yesterday, I spreaded butter on my toast,' is incorrect. The proper way to articulate this action in the past is, 'Yesterday, I spread butter on my toast.'

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'spread'?

The past simple form of 'spread' is 'spread.' It does not change; the word remains the same as in the base form. This is because 'spread' is an irregular verb, and its past simple and base forms are identical. For example, 'Yesterday, I spread the news about the town festival.'

What is the past participle form of 'spread'?

The past participle form of 'spread' is also 'spread.' Just like the past simple form, the past participle does not change from its base form, making 'spread' an irregular verb that is easy to remember because all its forms are the same. An example sentence would be, 'By the end of the week, the news had spread throughout the entire city.'

How do you use 'spread' in a sentence to indicate a past action?

To indicate a past action using 'spread,' you simply use the word 'spread' in the appropriate tense. Since 'spread' remains the same in both past simple and past participle forms, context will dictate its tense. For past simple, an example is. 'He spread the blankets on the bed before going to sleep.' For a sentence that requires the past participle, you might say, 'The seeds have spread across the garden over the summer.'

Can you provide an example of a sentence using 'spread' in both the past simple and past participle forms?

Certainly! Here's a sentence that uses 'spread' in both the past simple and past participle forms to demonstrate the difference in context. Past Simple. 'Last night, the chef spread the icing on the cake smoothly.' Past Participle. 'By the morning, the word about the chef's incredible cake had spread throughout the town.' In the first sentence, 'spread' is used in the past simple form to describe a direct action that happened at a specific time in the past. In the second sentence, 'spread' is used in the past participle form within a perfect tense construction to describe an action that has been completed by a specific time.