Swell past tense
Meaning of swell
to increase in size or volume as a result of internal pressure; to expand.
Infinitive
- 1. The wound on his arm starts to swell if he doesn't apply the cream.
- 2. Every spring, the river swells with the melting snow from the mountains.
- 3. My ankle swells whenever I walk for too long without taking breaks.
Past Simple
- 1. My ankle swelled up so much after the fall that I could hardly walk.
- 2. The river swelled rapidly after the heavy rain, causing concern for possible flooding.
- 3. Her eyes swelled with tears as she heard the sad news.
Past Participle
- 1. The river has swollen dramatically due to the recent rains.
- 2. His ankle had swollen to twice its normal size after the fall.
- 3. The ranks of the protestors were swollen by newcomers throughout the day.
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Bare infinitive
- To describe a regular or habitual action or fact in the present.Example. My fingers swell when it's too hot.Example. Balloons swell when filled with air.
- To discuss general truths or facts.Example. My fingers swell when it's too hot.Example. Balloons swell when filled with air.
Past Simple
- To talk about a specific action or event that started and finished in the past.Example. My ankle swelled up after I twisted it during the hike yesterday.Example. The river swelled rapidly overnight and flooded the plains.
- To describe a series of completed actions in the past.Example. My ankle swelled up after I twisted it during the hike yesterday.Example. The river swelled rapidly overnight and flooded the plains.
Past Participle
- Use case (swollen). Used in perfect tenses to talk about actions that have a relevance to the present moment, or were completed at some indefinite time in the past.Example. Present Perfect. My knee has swollen due to the fall.Example. Past Perfect. They found that the river had swollen considerably by the time they arrived.Example. The swollen riverbanks could barely contain the water.Example. The ranks of the audience swelled as the performance time neared.
- Use case (swollen). Used as an adjective to describe something that has become larger or rounder because of pressure from inside.Example. Present Perfect. My knee has swollen due to the fall.Example. Past Perfect. They found that the river had swollen considerably by the time they arrived.Example. The swollen riverbanks could barely contain the water.Example. The ranks of the audience swelled as the performance time neared.
- Use case (swelled). Sometimes, 'swelled' is used as the past participle in less formal contexts, though 'swollen' is generally preferred in standard English.Example. Present Perfect. My knee has swollen due to the fall.Example. Past Perfect. They found that the river had swollen considerably by the time they arrived.Example. The swollen riverbanks could barely contain the water.Example. The ranks of the audience swelled as the performance time neared.
Common mistakes
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Confusing forms
A common mistake is using 'swelled' when 'swollen' is needed, and vice versa. For example, incorrectly saying 'My ankle has swelled up after the fall' instead of the correct form 'My ankle has swollen up after the fall.' The confusion arises because 'swelled' can be used as both the past simple and a less common past participle form, but 'swollen' is the standard past participle used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses.
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Incorrectly regularizing
Another mistake is applying regular verb conjugation rules to 'swell' by using 'swelled' for both the past simple and past participle forms, ignoring the irregular past participle 'swollen.' For instance, saying 'I have swelled my knee' instead of the correct 'I have swollen my knee.' This error stems from the tendency to simplify irregular verb forms into regular patterns, especially in spoken English or among learners of English as a second language.
— 03
Omitting 'swollen'
Misunderstanding the use of 'swollen' as an adjective to describe something that has become larger or more inflated. A common mistake is using 'swelled' instead of 'swollen' when describing something in a state of being enlarged. For example, saying 'His face looked swelled after the bee sting' instead of the correct 'His face looked swollen after the bee sting.' This mistake occurs because of a lack of familiarity with 'swollen' as the correct adjective form following a state of swelling.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'swell'?
How do I use 'swelled' and 'swollen' in a sentence?
Can 'swelled' ever be used as a past participle?
How can I remember when to use 'swelled' vs. 'swollen'?