String past tense

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Meaning of string

to thread (objects) on or as on a string.

Infinitive

Word: string /strɪŋ/
Examples:
  • 1. He always strings the lights carefully around the Christmas tree every year.
  • 2. The musician strings her guitar before every performance to ensure the best sound.
  • 3. In craft class, the teacher demonstrates how to string beads to make beautiful necklaces.

Past Simple

Word: strung /strʌŋ/
Examples:
  • 1. She strung the lights across the backyard for the evening party.
  • 2. He strung the pearls carefully, making sure each one was perfectly aligned.
  • 3. We strung up the banners before the guests arrived for the celebration.

Past Participle

Word: strung /strʌŋ/
Examples:
  • 1. By the end of the day, they had strung all the lights around the patio for the party.
  • 2. She had strung the pearls carefully to recreate her grandmother's necklace.
  • 3. The children had strung popcorn and cranberries to make decorations for the Christmas tree.

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Bare infinitive

  1. To describe habitual actions or routines involving threading objects.
    Example. She strings beads together to make necklaces.
    Example. This machine strings pearls faster than any human can.
    Example. To assemble the necklace, first string the pearls onto the wire.
  2. To state facts or general truths about the method or process of threading objects.
    Example. She strings beads together to make necklaces.
    Example. This machine strings pearls faster than any human can.
    Example. To assemble the necklace, first string the pearls onto the wire.
  3. To give instructions or directions on how to thread objects.
    Example. She strings beads together to make necklaces.
    Example. This machine strings pearls faster than any human can.
    Example. To assemble the necklace, first string the pearls onto the wire.

Past Simple

  1. To talk about a specific instance in the past when objects were threaded.
    Example. He strung the lights around the patio for the party last night.
    Example. After selecting the stones, she strung them together to create a beautiful piece of jewelry.
    Example. We used to string popcorn to decorate the Christmas tree every year.
  2. To describe a series of actions in the past involving threading objects.
    Example. He strung the lights around the patio for the party last night.
    Example. After selecting the stones, she strung them together to create a beautiful piece of jewelry.
    Example. We used to string popcorn to decorate the Christmas tree every year.
  3. To express past habits or states involving threading that are no longer true.
    Example. He strung the lights around the patio for the party last night.
    Example. After selecting the stones, she strung them together to create a beautiful piece of jewelry.
    Example. We used to string popcorn to decorate the Christmas tree every year.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses - To talk about actions of threading that have happened, with relevance to the present moment or completed at an unspecified time in the past.
    Example. The pearls were strung carefully to ensure the necklace was perfect.
  2. Example (Present Perfect). They have strung together several victories to reach the finals.
    Example. The pearls were strung carefully to ensure the necklace was perfect.
  3. Example (Past Perfect). By the time the exhibition opened, the artist had already strung all the pieces into an impressive installation.
    Example. The pearls were strung carefully to ensure the necklace was perfect.
  4. Passive voice - To describe situations where the focus is on the objects that were threaded, rather than who did the threading.
    Example. The pearls were strung carefully to ensure the necklace was perfect.

Common mistakes

— 01

Applying wrong ending

A common mistake with the verb 'string' is attempting to add a regular past tense '-ed' ending, resulting in 'stringed' instead of the correct irregular past simple and past participle form 'strung.' This error arises from the inclination to apply the regular verb conjugation rule (adding '-ed') to all verbs to form their past tenses, not recognizing that 'string' is an irregular verb that follows a different pattern.

— 02

Confusing the forms

Some learners might mistakenly use the base form 'string' in contexts that require the past simple or past participle form, due to confusion over the irregular verb conjugation or not remembering that 'strung' is the correct form for both the past simple and past participle. This mistake can lead to sentences like 'Yesterday, I string the guitar,' instead of the correct 'Yesterday, I strung the guitar.'

— 03

Mispronunciation

Given the change from 'string' to 'strung' in the past forms, learners might struggle with correctly pronouncing 'strung' /strʌŋ/. They might mispronounce it by maintaining the vowel sound of the base form (/strɪŋ/), instead of adjusting to the correct vowel sound. This pronunciation error highlights the challenge of English pronunciation rules, where vowel sounds can change significantly in the past tense forms of irregular verbs, and remembering these changes can be particularly tricky for learners.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'string'?

The past simple form of 'string' is 'strung'. Similarly, the past participle form is also 'strung'. So, both the past simple and past participle forms are the same in this case.

How do I use the past simple form of 'string' in a sentence?

The past simple form is used to describe actions that happened at a specific time in the past. For example. Yesterday, I strung the pearls into a beautiful necklace.This sentence indicates that the action of stringing the pearls occurred at a specific time in the past, which is yesterday.

How is the past participle form of 'string' used in sentences?

The past participle form is often used in perfect tenses or passive voice constructions. For example. The guitar has been strung with new strings. All the documents were strung together neatly. In the first sentence, the past participle 'strung' is used with 'has been' to form the present perfect tense, indicating an action completed at some point in the past but relevant to the present. In the second sentence, it's used in a passive construction to describe the state of the documents.

Can you give me an example of a sentence that incorrectly uses the past simple or past participle form of 'string'?

Incorrect use often occurs when the forms are mixed up with other verbs or when the incorrect tense is applied. An incorrect example might be. Incorrect. I have string the guitar yesterday. Correct. I strung the guitar yesterday. (Past Simple) Correct. I have strung the guitar. (Present Perfect) The incorrect sentence tries to use 'string' as the past participle form in a present perfect construction but fails to use the correct form 'strung'. It also incorrectly mixes the time reference 'yesterday' with the present perfect tense, which does not specify the time of the action.