Sting past tense

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Meaning of sting

to cause a sharp or painful sensation.

Infinitive

Word: sting /stɪŋ/
Examples:
  • 1. Bees sting when they feel threatened.
  • 2. Lemon juice can sting if it gets into a cut.
  • 3. Certain plants have leaves that sting when touched.

Past Simple

Word: stung /stʌŋ/
Examples:
  • 1. The bee stung me while I was walking through the park.
  • 2. He felt a sharp pain where the jellyfish stung him.
  • 3. She stung her hand on the thorny plant.

Past Participle

Word: stung /stʌŋ/
Examples:
  • 1. The bee had stung me before I even realized it was there.
  • 2. By the end of the day, my arm was swollen because I had been stung.
  • 3. The warnings about the jellyfish were ignored, and as a result, I was stung while swimming.

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Bare infinitive

  1. To describe a habit or a general truth.
    Example. A bee sting hurts immensely.
    Example. If a bee stings you, apply ice immediately.
    Example. The lecture on how to avoid insect stings starts at 3 PM tomorrow.
  2. To give instructions or directions.
    Example. A bee sting hurts immensely.
    Example. If a bee stings you, apply ice immediately.
    Example. The lecture on how to avoid insect stings starts at 3 PM tomorrow.
  3. To discuss scheduled events in the near future (often found in timetables or programs).
    Example. A bee sting hurts immensely.
    Example. If a bee stings you, apply ice immediately.
    Example. The lecture on how to avoid insect stings starts at 3 PM tomorrow.

Past Simple

  1. To talk about actions or situations that were completed in the past.
    Example. I accidentally stepped on a wasp and it stung me.
    Example. We went hiking, but unfortunately, my friend got stung by a bee.
    Example. When I was a child, I often played in the garden and never got stung.
  2. To describe a series of completed actions in the past.
    Example. I accidentally stepped on a wasp and it stung me.
    Example. We went hiking, but unfortunately, my friend got stung by a bee.
    Example. When I was a child, I often played in the garden and never got stung.
  3. To describe habits or states in the past which are no longer true.
    Example. I accidentally stepped on a wasp and it stung me.
    Example. We went hiking, but unfortunately, my friend got stung by a bee.
    Example. When I was a child, I often played in the garden and never got stung.

Past Participle

  1. To form perfect tenses that describe actions or states related to the present or past.
  2. Example (Present Perfect). I have never been stung by a bee before.
  3. Example (Past Perfect). By the time we realized it, he had already been stung.
  4. To form the passive voice indicating that the subject of the sentence was acted upon.
  5. Example (Passive Voice). The camper was stung by a swarm of bees.
  6. As an adjective to describe a feeling or condition resulting from the action.
  7. Example (Adjective Use). My arm is swollen and stung from the wasp yesterday.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

One of the most common mistakes involves mixing up the past simple and past participle forms of 'sting', which are 'stung' for both. In English, the past simple is used for actions completed at a specific time in the past. The past participle is used in perfect tenses and passive voice, e.g., 'I have been stung by a bee.' Confusion arises when learners use 'stung' incorrectly in place of 'sting' for past simple narratives or vice versa, not recognizing that 'stung' serves both as the past simple and past participle form.

— 02

Incorrectly Creating Regular Forms

Another mistake is attempting to apply regular verb endings to 'sting'. Some learners might incorrectly add '-ed' to form the past simple and past participle, resulting in 'stinged' instead of the correct 'stung'. This mistake stems from the misunderstanding that all English verbs follow the regular pattern of adding '-ed' for their past forms, not recognizing that 'sting' is an irregular verb.

— 03

Misuse in passive

A further error involves the misuse of 'stung' in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. For instance, incorrectly saying 'I have stung by a bee' instead of the correct 'I have been stung by a bee' shows a misunderstanding of how to form the passive voice and perfect tenses with irregular verbs. This mistake diminishes the clarity and grammatical accuracy of the statement, impacting the overall communication effectiveness.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'sting'?

The past simple form of 'sting' is 'stung.' It is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'Yesterday, a bee stung me while I was in the garden.'

What is the past participle form of 'sting'?

The past participle form of 'sting' is also 'stung.' It is used in perfect tenses and passive voice sentences. For instance, in the sentence 'I have been stung by a bee,' 'stung' is used as the past participle.

How do I use 'stung' in a sentence?

'Stung' can be used in various tenses. Here are a few examples. Past Simple. 'He stung his hand on a nettle last summer.' Present Perfect. 'She has never been stung by a bee.' Past Perfect. 'They had already stung him before he could apologize.' Passive Voice. 'The audience was stung by her sharp comments.' Remember, the context in which 'stung' is used will determine its tense (past simple or past participle) and meaning.

Can 'stung' be used metaphorically, and how?

Yes, 'stung' can be used metaphorically to describe feeling hurt or insulted, not just physically by an insect. For example, 'I was stung by his harsh criticism.' In this sentence, 'stung' is used to convey the emotional pain experienced, similar to the physical pain of an actual sting.