Step past tense

Meaning of step

to move by lifting your foot and putting it down in a different place, or to walk a short distance.

Infinitive

Word: step /stɛp/

Examples:

1. She always steps carefully on the icy sidewalk to avoid slipping.
2. He steps outside every morning to breathe in the fresh air.
3. The cat steps quietly through the house, trying not to wake anyone.

Past Simple

Word: stepped /stɛpt/

Examples:

1. Yesterday, I stepped onto the stage for the first time in years and felt a rush of excitement.
2. She stepped out of the room quietly, so as not to disturb the meeting in progress.
3. We stepped into the old library, intrigued by its ancient books and the smell of history that hung in the air.

Past Participle

Word: stepped /stɛpt/

Examples:

1. The recipe has been stepped up by adding exotic spices.
2. The dance steps were messily executed by the beginners.
3. The project steps had been outlined thoroughly before the meeting commenced.

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Bare infinitive

To describe habitual actions or routines involving moving one's foot and putting it down in a different place, or walking.
Example. She steps carefully on the rocky path to avoid slipping.
Example. He always steps lightly to not make noise.
Example. To activate the device, step firmly on the pedal.
To state facts or general truths about the process or action of stepping or walking.
Example. She steps carefully on the rocky path to avoid slipping.
Example. He always steps lightly to not make noise.
Example. To activate the device, step firmly on the pedal.
To give instructions or directions involving movement by stepping.
Example. She steps carefully on the rocky path to avoid slipping.
Example. He always steps lightly to not make noise.
Example. To activate the device, step firmly on the pedal.

Past Simple

To talk about a specific instance in the past when someone moved by lifting their foot and putting it down in a different place, or walked a short distance.
Example. She stepped onto the stage with confidence.
Example. We stepped out of the car and walked into the fresh night air.
Example. When he lived in the city, he often stepped out for a walk late at night.
To describe a series of actions in the past involving stepping or walking.
Example. She stepped onto the stage with confidence.
Example. We stepped out of the car and walked into the fresh night air.
Example. When he lived in the city, he often stepped out for a walk late at night.
To express a past habit or state of stepping or walking that is no longer current.
Example. She stepped onto the stage with confidence.
Example. We stepped out of the car and walked into the fresh night air.
Example. When he lived in the city, he often stepped out for a walk late at night.

Past Participle

Perfect tenses - To talk about actions of stepping or walking that have happened, with relevance to the present moment or completed at an unspecified time in the past.
Example. The famous footprints were stepped into by millions of visitors each year.
Example (Present Perfect). She has stepped into a new role at work with ease.
Example. The famous footprints were stepped into by millions of visitors each year.
Example (Past Perfect). By the time they arrived, he had already stepped outside to greet them.
Example. The famous footprints were stepped into by millions of visitors each year.
Passive voice - While 'stepped' in passive voice might be less common due to its active nature, it can be used creatively or in specific contexts.
Example. The famous footprints were stepped into by millions of visitors each year.

Common mistakes

— 01

Doubling Consonants

One common mistake is not knowing when to double the final consonant in a verb before adding the -ed ending for both past simple and past participle forms. For verbs ending in a single vowel followed by a single consonant, the consonant is doubled if the stress is on the final syllable, as in 'step' to 'stepped.' Learners often apply this rule inconsistently, either forgetting to double the consonant in words like 'step' or incorrectly doubling consonants in verbs where it's not needed, based on the pronunciation and stress rules.

— 02

Spelling Rules

Another frequent error involves misapplying the spelling rules for the past simple and past participle forms of verbs. For 'step,' the correct form is 'stepped' for both past simple and past participle, following the rule of doubling the final consonant before adding -ed because the base form ends in consonant + vowel + consonant, and the stress is on the only syllable. However, learners might fail to apply this rule to similar verbs or incorrectly apply it to verbs that do not fit this pattern, leading to spelling errors.

— 03

Incorrect Stress

Pronouncing the past simple and past participle forms of verbs can also present challenges, particularly with the stress of the added -ed ending. For 'stepped,' the correct pronunciation is /stɛpt/, with a single, sharp sound indicating the past tense without adding an extra syllable. A common mistake is adding an extra syllable, pronouncing it as /ˈstɛp.ɪd/ instead of the correct /stɛpt/, which can lead to confusion and incorrect stress patterns in spoken English. This mistake arises from misunderstanding the pronunciation rules that depend on the final sounds of the verb's base form.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'step'?

The past simple form of 'step' is 'stepped.' This form is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'Yesterday, I stepped on a piece of glass.' Is the past participle of 'step' different from its past simple form

How do I use 'stepped' in a sentence to indicate a completed action?

To indicate a completed action, you will typically use 'stepped' in the past simple tense. For instance, 'He stepped outside for a moment.' This sentence suggests that the action of stepping outside has already been completed. For perfect tenses indicating actions affecting the present, you might say, 'She has already stepped into the room,' where 'has stepped' is the present perfect form showing the action's relevance to the present moment.

Can 'stepped' be used in a sentence to show repeated or habitual actions in the past?

Yes, 'stepped' can be used to show repeated or habitual actions in the past by adding frequency adverbs or time phrases. For example, 'When I was a child, I stepped into puddles every time it rained.' This sentence uses the past simple form 'stepped' to describe a habitual action during a specific time in the past.