Study past tense

Meaning of study

to apply oneself to acquiring knowledge or understanding of (a subject).

Infinitive

Word: study /ˈstʌd.i/

Examples:

1. I study English every evening to improve my language skills.
2. She studies hard because she wants to get into a good university.
3. They study together on weekends to prepare for their exams.

Past Simple

Word: studied /ˈstʌd.id/

Examples:

1. Yesterday, I studied for six hours to prepare for my final exams.
2. Last week, he studied the entire chapter on cellular biology in one sitting.
3. They studied the map carefully before embarking on their hiking journey.

Past Participle

Word: studied /ˈstʌd.id/

Examples:

1. The book has been studied by the entire class.
2. All the material had been thoroughly studied before the exam.
3. The ancient texts were studied by the scholars for many years.

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Bare infinitive

Habitual actions or routines.
Example. I study English every day.
Example. She studies hard because she loves learning new things.
To express likes, dislikes, and preferences.
Example. I study English every day.
Example. She studies hard because she loves learning new things.

Past Simple

Completed actions in the past.
Example. I studied for my exams last week.
Example. When I was a child, I studied French.
Example. Yesterday, I got up, studied for an hour, and then had breakfast.
Example. She arrived at the library where she studied every day.
Past habits or states.
Example. I studied for my exams last week.
Example. When I was a child, I studied French.
Example. Yesterday, I got up, studied for an hour, and then had breakfast.
Example. She arrived at the library where she studied every day.
Sequential actions in the past.
Example. I studied for my exams last week.
Example. When I was a child, I studied French.
Example. Yesterday, I got up, studied for an hour, and then had breakfast.
Example. She arrived at the library where she studied every day.
To provide background information in a story.
Example. I studied for my exams last week.
Example. When I was a child, I studied French.
Example. Yesterday, I got up, studied for an hour, and then had breakfast.
Example. She arrived at the library where she studied every day.

Past Participle

Perfect Aspect (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect).
Example. The lesson was studied by the entire class.
Example. He gave her a studied look, full of hidden meaning.
Present Perfect. To describe experiences up to now without specifying when.
Example. I have studied three foreign languages.
Example. The lesson was studied by the entire class.
Example. He gave her a studied look, full of hidden meaning.
Past Perfect. To talk about an action that happened before another action in the past.
Example. I had already studied the topic before the class started.
Example. The lesson was studied by the entire class.
Example. He gave her a studied look, full of hidden meaning.
Future Perfect. To say that something will have happened by a certain time in the future.
Example. By next month, I will have studied all the required books.
Example. The lesson was studied by the entire class.
Example. He gave her a studied look, full of hidden meaning.
Passive Voice.
Example. The lesson was studied by the entire class.
Example. He gave her a studied look, full of hidden meaning.
As an adjective in certain expressions.
Example. The lesson was studied by the entire class.
Example. He gave her a studied look, full of hidden meaning.

Common mistakes

— 01

Incorrectly doubling

A common mistake with the verb 'study' is to incorrectly double the final 'y' before converting it into 'ied' for the past simple and past participle forms. Learners might write 'studdied' instead of the correct 'studied.' This error arises from misunderstanding the rule that applies to verbs ending in a consonant + 'y'; the correct approach is to change the 'y' to 'i' before adding '-ed,' without doubling the consonant before the 'y.'

— 02

Maintaining the 'y'

Another error is retaining the letter 'y' when forming the past tense and past participle, resulting in an incorrect form like 'studied' instead of correctly changing the 'y' to 'i' and adding '-ed' to make 'studied.' This mistake may stem from an overgeneralization of rules for regular verbs that end in letters other than 'y,' or simply from not knowing the specific rule for verbs ending in 'y.'

— 03

Mispronouncing

Pronunciation errors can occur with the past simple and past participle forms of 'study.' Some learners might pronounce 'studied' as /ˈstʌdiːd/ (with a long 'ee' sound) rather than the correct /ˈstʌd.id/ with a short 'i' sound and a distinct second syllable. This mistake highlights the challenge of English pronunciation rules, where the change from 'y' to 'i' in the written form does not always lead to intuitive changes in pronunciation, especially for those learning English as an additional language.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'study'?

The past simple form of 'study' is 'studied.' This form is used to describe actions that were completed at a specific time in the past. For example. 'Yesterday, I studied for three hours.'

How do you form the past participle of 'study'?

The past participle form of 'study' is also 'studied.' This form is used in perfect tenses to talk about actions that have been completed at the time of speaking or by a specific point in the past or future. For example, in the present perfect tense. 'I have studied French for five years.'

Can you provide an example of 'studied' used in a sentence as a past participle?

Certainly! Here's an example using the past participle in a sentence. 'She has studied the material thoroughly, so she's ready for the exam.' In this sentence, 'studied' is used with 'has' to form the present perfect tense, indicating the action of studying was completed before now. Is there a difference in usage between the past simple and past participle forms of 'study' in sentences