Swallow past tense

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Meaning of swallow

to take through the mouth and esophagus into the stomach.

Infinitive

Word: swallow /ˈswɒl.oʊ/
Examples:
  • 1. Every morning, I swallow a vitamin with my breakfast.
  • 2. She often swallows her pride and asks for help when necessary.
  • 3. Birds swallow small insects whole without chewing.

Past Simple

Word: swallowed /ˈswɒləʊd/
Examples:
  • 1. She swallowed her medicine quickly, not liking the taste.
  • 2. He swallowed his pride and apologized for the mistake.
  • 3. They swallowed hard when they saw the steep drop ahead on the hiking trail.

Past Participle

Word: swallowed /ˈswɒləʊd/
Examples:
  • 1. The medicine has been swallowed by the patient as advised by the doctor.
  • 2. The words were swallowed back by her, realizing the impact they might have.
  • 3. By evening, the secret had been swallowed up by the shadows, never to be revealed.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual actions. To describe actions that happen regularly or habits.
    Example. She swallows her vitamins every morning.
    Example. A snake swallows its prey whole.
    Example. The train swallows the distance between cities quickly.
    Example. First, swallow the tablet, then drink some water.
    Example. If she swallows this, she'll believe anything.
  2. General truths or facts. When stating facts that are generally true or descriptions that are permanently true.
    Example. She swallows her vitamins every morning.
    Example. A snake swallows its prey whole.
    Example. The train swallows the distance between cities quickly.
    Example. First, swallow the tablet, then drink some water.
    Example. If she swallows this, she'll believe anything.
  3. Scheduled events in the near future (especially for transportation, timetables). To describe a scheduled or planned event, particularly in formal contexts such as timetables.
    Example. She swallows her vitamins every morning.
    Example. A snake swallows its prey whole.
    Example. The train swallows the distance between cities quickly.
    Example. First, swallow the tablet, then drink some water.
    Example. If she swallows this, she'll believe anything.
  4. Instructions or directions. Giving instructions or directions.
    Example. She swallows her vitamins every morning.
    Example. A snake swallows its prey whole.
    Example. The train swallows the distance between cities quickly.
    Example. First, swallow the tablet, then drink some water.
    Example. If she swallows this, she'll believe anything.
  5. Conditional sentences. In the condition clause of the first conditional structure.
    Example. She swallows her vitamins every morning.
    Example. A snake swallows its prey whole.
    Example. The train swallows the distance between cities quickly.
    Example. First, swallow the tablet, then drink some water.
    Example. If she swallows this, she'll believe anything.

Past Simple

  1. Completed actions in the past. To talk about actions or events that were completed at a specific time in the past.
    Example. He swallowed the pill an hour ago.
    Example. She swallowed the evidence, wiped her mouth, and left the room.
    Example. He always swallowed his pride and apologized first.
    Example. Sharks once swallowed their prey more frequently near these shores.
  2. A series of completed actions. To list a series of actions that occurred in the past, often in chronological order.
    Example. He swallowed the pill an hour ago.
    Example. She swallowed the evidence, wiped her mouth, and left the room.
    Example. He always swallowed his pride and apologized first.
    Example. Sharks once swallowed their prey more frequently near these shores.
  3. Habitual actions in the past. When talking about habits or routines that were true in the past but no longer.
    Example. He swallowed the pill an hour ago.
    Example. She swallowed the evidence, wiped her mouth, and left the room.
    Example. He always swallowed his pride and apologized first.
    Example. Sharks once swallowed their prey more frequently near these shores.
  4. Past facts or generalizations. To state facts or generalizations that were true in the past but not anymore.
    Example. He swallowed the pill an hour ago.
    Example. She swallowed the evidence, wiped her mouth, and left the room.
    Example. He always swallowed his pride and apologized first.
    Example. Sharks once swallowed their prey more frequently near these shores.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect tenses.
    Example. She has swallowed her fears and is ready to present.
    Example. She had already swallowed the pill when the doctor told her it was the wrong medication.
    Example. By the end of the day, he will have swallowed his pride and made the call.
    Example. The bait was swallowed by the fish.
    Example. She looked swallowed by the oversized chair.
  2. Present Perfect. To describe actions that occurred at an unspecified time in the past and have relevance to the present moment.
    Example. She has swallowed her fears and is ready to present.
    Example. She had already swallowed the pill when the doctor told her it was the wrong medication.
    Example. By the end of the day, he will have swallowed his pride and made the call.
    Example. The bait was swallowed by the fish.
    Example. She looked swallowed by the oversized chair.
  3. Past Perfect. To talk about actions that were completed before another action or time in the past.
    Example. She has swallowed her fears and is ready to present.
    Example. She had already swallowed the pill when the doctor told her it was the wrong medication.
    Example. By the end of the day, he will have swallowed his pride and made the call.
    Example. The bait was swallowed by the fish.
    Example. She looked swallowed by the oversized chair.
  4. Future Perfect. To describe actions that will have been completed by a certain point in the future.
    Example. She has swallowed her fears and is ready to present.
    Example. She had already swallowed the pill when the doctor told her it was the wrong medication.
    Example. By the end of the day, he will have swallowed his pride and made the call.
    Example. The bait was swallowed by the fish.
    Example. She looked swallowed by the oversized chair.
  5. Passive voice. For actions where the subject of the sentence is acted upon. the Past Participle is used with a form of 'to be' to form passive constructions.
    Example. She has swallowed her fears and is ready to present.
    Example. She had already swallowed the pill when the doctor told her it was the wrong medication.
    Example. By the end of the day, he will have swallowed his pride and made the call.
    Example. The bait was swallowed by the fish.
    Example. She looked swallowed by the oversized chair.
  6. Adjectival use. Sometimes, Past Participles are used like adjectives to describe a state resulting from an action.
    Example. She has swallowed her fears and is ready to present.
    Example. She had already swallowed the pill when the doctor told her it was the wrong medication.
    Example. By the end of the day, he will have swallowed his pride and made the call.
    Example. The bait was swallowed by the fish.
    Example. She looked swallowed by the oversized chair.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

A common mistake is not realizing that 'swallowed' serves as both the past simple and the past participle form of 'swallow.' Learners often search for an alternative or modified version for the past participle, expecting a different structure as seen in irregular verbs like 'write' (wrote/written). However, 'swallow' is a regular verb, meaning its past simple and past participle forms are identical, created by adding -ed to the base form. Thus, the correct usage is 'Yesterday, he swallowed the pill' (past simple) and 'He has already swallowed the pill' (past participle in a present perfect construction).

— 02

Incorrect '-ed'

Some learners mistakenly add an extra 'ed' to the end of 'swallow' when forming the past simple, resulting in 'swalloweded.' This error stems from a misunderstanding of how to conjugate regular verbs in the past tense. The correct formation involves adding just '-ed' to the base verb, making 'swallowed' the right form for both the past simple and past participle.

— 03

Misusing Past Participle

Another mistake involves using 'swallowed' as a past participle without the appropriate auxiliary verb. In perfect tenses, 'swallowed' needs to be accompanied by forms of 'have' to construct the tense correctly (e.g., 'has swallowed,' 'had swallowed'). Some learners might incorrectly say 'He swallowed the pill' intending to express a present perfect action, when they should say 'He has swallowed the pill.'

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Frequently asked questions

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

The past simple form of 'swallow' is 'swallowed.' The past participle form is also 'swallowed.' Both forms are used to describe actions that happened in the past, but they are used in different grammatical structures.

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

The past simple form 'swallowed' is used to describe an action that was completed at a specific time in the past. It does not matter how long the action took, but it must be finished. For example. 'She swallowed the medicine quickly because it tasted bitter.' This sentence indicates that the action of swallowing the medicine happened at a specific moment in the past and is now complete.

How is the past participle 'swallowed' used in sentences?

The past participle 'swallowed' is often used in perfect tenses or the passive voice. In perfect tenses, it helps to indicate an action that has been completed at the time of speaking or by a specific time in the past or future. For example. 'He has already swallowed his pride and apologized.' This sentence uses the present perfect tense, suggesting the action of swallowing pride is completed by the current moment. In the passive voice, 'swallowed' is used to show that the subject of the sentence was acted upon. For example. 'The pill was swallowed with a glass of water.' This passive voice sentence indicates that the pill is the recipient of the swallowing action.

Can you provide an example of 'swallowed' used in a past perfect sentence?

Certainly. The past perfect tense is used to talk about an action that was completed before another action or time in the past. Here’s an example. 'By the time she realized it was a mistake, she had already swallowed the pill.' This sentence suggests that the action of swallowing the pill happened before another past action or realization. The use of 'had swallowed' (past perfect) emphasizes the sequence of events in the past.