Take past tense

Meaning of take

to get into one's possession or control by force or artifice.

Infinitive

Word: take /teɪk/

Examples:

1. She takes her coffee black every morning without fail.
2. He often takes the bus to work to save on parking fees.
3. The museum takes donations to help fund its educational programs.

Past Simple

Word: took /tʊk/

Examples:

1. She took her time selecting the perfect dress for her friend's wedding.
2. He took the book from the shelf, eager to start reading it.
3. They took a shortcut through the park to avoid the heavy traffic on the main roads.

Past Participle

Word: taken /ˈteɪ.kən/

Examples:

1. The cake has been taken from the oven.
2. The photographs were taken at sunset.
3. The test will have been taken by the students next week.

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Bare infinitive

When describing habitual actions or routines.
Example. I take the bus to work every day.
Example. Robots take over repetitive tasks in manufacturing.
Example. Do you take sugar in your coffee?
Example. He does not take kindly to criticism.
To state facts or general truths.
Example. I take the bus to work every day.
Example. Robots take over repetitive tasks in manufacturing.
Example. Do you take sugar in your coffee?
Example. He does not take kindly to criticism.
In present simple questions and negatives.
Example. I take the bus to work every day.
Example. Robots take over repetitive tasks in manufacturing.
Example. Do you take sugar in your coffee?
Example. He does not take kindly to criticism.

Past Simple

When discussing actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.
Example. She took the last train home last night.
Example. He took his dog out for a walk, then took a long bath.
Example. The medicine took effect within an hour yesterday.
To narrate a sequence of past events.
Example. She took the last train home last night.
Example. He took his dog out for a walk, then took a long bath.
Example. The medicine took effect within an hour yesterday.
When indicating a change in state or situation in the past.
Example. She took the last train home last night.
Example. He took his dog out for a walk, then took a long bath.
Example. The medicine took effect within an hour yesterday.

Past Participle

In perfect tenses to describe actions that have an impact on the present moment or were recently completed.
Example. I have taken up yoga to improve my health.
Example. He has taken three exams this week.
Example. The documents were taken for review by the committee.
Example. If she had taken the offer, she would be working abroad now.
Example. The taken seats are marked with a ribbon.
In passive voice constructions to express actions done to the subject of the sentence.
Example. I have taken up yoga to improve my health.
Example. He has taken three exams this week.
Example. The documents were taken for review by the committee.
Example. If she had taken the offer, she would be working abroad now.
Example. The taken seats are marked with a ribbon.
To form conditionals or wishes.
Example. I have taken up yoga to improve my health.
Example. He has taken three exams this week.
Example. The documents were taken for review by the committee.
Example. If she had taken the offer, she would be working abroad now.
Example. The taken seats are marked with a ribbon.
In phrases acting as adjectives.
Example. I have taken up yoga to improve my health.
Example. He has taken three exams this week.
Example. The documents were taken for review by the committee.
Example. If she had taken the offer, she would be working abroad now.
Example. The taken seats are marked with a ribbon.
Each usage case outlines a scenario for choosing the correct form of 'take' based on tense and structure requirements in English grammar.
Example. I have taken up yoga to improve my health.
Example. He has taken three exams this week.
Example. The documents were taken for review by the committee.
Example. If she had taken the offer, she would be working abroad now.
Example. The taken seats are marked with a ribbon.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

One common mistake is mixing up the past simple form 'took' with the past participle 'taken'. The confusion usually arises because these forms are used in different grammatical structures. The past simple is used for completed actions in the past, e.g., 'Yesterday, I took the wrong train.' In contrast, the past participle is typically used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses or the passive voice, e.g., 'I have taken the wrong train before,' or 'The wrong train was taken by me.' Mistaking these forms can lead to incorrect verb tenses and misunderstandings.

— 02

Incorrect Past Participle

Another mistake is Incorrect Past Participle of 'take'. Instead of the correct form 'taken', learners sometimes mistakenly add a regular -ed ending, producing “taked”, which is incorrect. This mistake stems from overgeneralizing the rule that forms the past simple and past participle of regular verbs by adding -ed. Since 'take' is an irregular verb, it does not follow this pattern, and its correct past participle is 'taken'.

— 03

Omitting the auxiliaries

A frequent error is omitting the auxiliary verb when using the past participle in perfect tenses. For instance, saying “I taken the test yesterday” instead of the correct “I have taken the test.” This mistake disrupts the structure of the perfect tenses, which require an auxiliary verb ('have' or 'has' for the present perfect, 'had' for the past perfect) to accompany the past participle. Recognizing the necessity of the auxiliary verb is crucial for accurate tense formation and clarity in communication.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'take'?

The past simple form of 'take' is 'took.' This form is used to talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'Yesterday, I took the wrong train.'

What is the past participle form of 'take'?

The past participle form of 'take' is 'taken.' This form is used in perfect tense constructions and passive voice sentences. For example, in the present perfect tense, you might say, 'I have taken my medicine today.' In a passive voice sentence, you could say, 'The documents were taken by the manager.' When should I use 'took' instead of 'taken'

Can you give an example of a sentence using both 'took' and 'taken'?

Yes, here's an example that uses both forms to illustrate the difference in context. 'I took a beautiful photo of the sunset yesterday, and it has already been taken as the cover image for our community newsletter.' In this sentence, 'took' refers to the specific action of capturing a photo in the past, while 'taken' is used to indicate that the photo has been chosen (at an unspecified time) for a current purpose, showing the past participle's role in a passive construction.