Succumb past tense

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Meaning of succumb

to yield or give in to a superior force or to an overwhelming desire or emotion.

Infinitive

Word: succumb /səˈkʌm/
Examples:
  • 1. When faced with overwhelming pressure, some people succumb to bad habits as a form of escape.
  • 2. Despite their best efforts, many small businesses eventually succumb to the competitive pressures of the market.
  • 3. Plants often succumb to disease if not properly cared for in their growing environment.

Past Simple

Word: succumbed /səˈkʌmd/
Examples:
  • 1. Despite her strong will, she finally succumbed to the temptation of the decadent chocolate cake.
  • 2. The small town succumbed to the powerful hurricane, leaving many homes in ruins.
  • 3. After resisting for hours, the exhausted hiker succumbed to fatigue and had to be rescued from the mountain trail.

Past Participle

Word: succumbed /səˈkʌmd/
Examples:
  • 1. The village had finally succumbed to the powerful forces of the invading army.
  • 2. By the time help arrived, he had already succumbed to his injuries.
  • 3. The ancient structure has succumbed to the ravages of time and weather.

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Bare infinitive

  1. General truths or habitual actions
    Example. She never succumbs to pressure in challenging situations.
    Example. He succumbs to the new policy starting next Monday.
  2. Scheduled events in the near future (mainly in formal use)
    Example. He succumbs to the new policy starting next Monday.

Past Simple

  1. Actions or situations that were completed in the past
    Example. The city finally succumbed to the invader's forces last year.
  2. Habitual action or general truth in the past
    Example. He often succumbed to his cravings when he was stressed.

Past Participle

  1. (Used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect aspects and passive voice) Present perfect aspect, indicating an action at an unspecified time before now
    Example. She has already succumbed to the charms of the new city.
  2. Past perfect aspect, indicating an action that occurred before another action in the past
    Example. They had already succumbed to fatigue before the rescue team arrived.
  3. Future perfect aspect, indicating an action that will have been completed before a specified future time
    Example. By the end of the month, I will have succumbed to the temptation of eating sweets.
  4. Passive voice, indicating the subject is acted upon
    Example. The fortress was finally succumbed by the rebels after a long siege.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

A common mistake is mixing up the past simple form 'succumbed' with the past participle 'succumbed.' Although in the case of 'succumb,' both forms look the same, the confusion usually lies in their application within sentences. The past simple is used for actions completed in the past (He succumbed to his injuries last night), while the past participle is often used in perfect tenses and passive voice (He has succumbed to his injuries).

— 02

Adding -ed

Some learners mistakenly believe that by simply adding -ed to the end of any verb, they can form the past tense. This leads to errors such as succumbeded, which is incorrect. The correct past simple and past participle form of 'succumb' is 'succumbed,' following the rule for regular verbs even though 'succumb' sounds like it could be irregular to those learning English.

— 03

Omitting auxiliaries

A frequent error is omitting auxiliary verbs such as 'to be' or 'have' when using the past participle 'succumbed' in sentences. For example, saying He succumbed to his injuries when meaning to use the present perfect tense (He has succumbed to his injuries) or in passive constructions (He was succumbed by his injuries), which is also a misuse because 'succumb' doesn't appropriately fit passive voice structures due to its intransitive nature.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'succumb'?

The past simple form of 'succumb' is 'succumbed.' It is used to describe an action or a situation that happened at a specific time in the past. For example. 'Despite his efforts, he eventually succumbed to the illness.'

What is the past participle form of 'succumb'?

The past participle form of 'succumb' is also 'succumbed.' It is used in perfect tense constructions to describe actions that have been completed at the time of speaking or at a specified time in the past. For example, in the sentence 'He has finally succumbed to sleep after the long journey,' 'succumbed' is the past participle form, showing a completed action.

How do I use 'succumbed' in a sentence?

'Succumbed' can be used in various sentences to indicate giving in or yielding to something. Here are a few examples. Past Simple. 'She succumbed to her injuries two days after the accident.' Present Perfect. 'They have succumbed to peer pressure and started behaving differently.' Past Perfect. 'By the time help arrived, he had already succumbed to the cold.'

Can 'succumbed' be used in passive voice constructions?

Yes, 'succumbed' can be used in passive voice constructions. In passive voice, the focus is on the action or the state rather than who or what is performing the action. For example. 'The city succumbed to the invaders without much resistance.' In a more passive construction, it might be phrased as 'The invaders were not resisted much before the city succumbed.' However, note that the use of 'succumbed' in passive voice can be less direct and might require more context to make clear who or what is yielding.