Tear-up past tense

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Meaning of tear-up

to rip or shred into pieces.

Infinitive

Word: tear up: /tɛər ʌp/
Examples:
  • 1. Every time she reads that emotional letter, she starts to tear up.
  • 2. I always tear up my old notes at the end of the school year.
  • 3. When chopping onions, I inevitably tear up.

Past Simple

Word: tore up /tɔːr ʌp/
Examples:
  • 1. She tore up the letter after reading it, wanting to erase any trace of its existence.
  • 2. After realizing the photograph was from an unhappy time in his life, he tore it up and threw the pieces away.
  • 3. When the teacher discovered the note was about cheating on the exam, she tore it up in front of the entire class.

Past Participle

Word: torn up /tɔːrn ʌp/
Examples:
  • 1. 'The letter had been torn up by the time she arrived.'
  • 2. 'The contract was torn up after the disagreement.'
  • 3. 'His notes had been torn up by his younger brother.'

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Bare infinitive

  1. To describe a habitual action or a general truth.
    Example. I always tear up when I chop onions.
    Example. Not typically used in this manner.
  2. To describe a scheduled future event in a timetable or program (less common with 'tear up').
    Example. I always tear up when I chop onions.
    Example. Not typically used in this manner.

Past Simple

  1. To describe an action that was completed at a specific time in the past.
    Example. She tore up the letter after reading it.
    Example. He found the old photo, tore it up, and then threw it away.
  2. To narrate a sequence of past events.
    Example. She tore up the letter after reading it.
    Example. He found the old photo, tore it up, and then threw it away.

Past Participle

  1. To form the perfect aspects (present perfect, past perfect, future perfect), describing actions that have been completed at an unspecified time before now, were completed before another action, or will have been completed before a specific time in the future.
  2. Example (Present Perfect). I have torn up all the papers you left on the desk.
  3. Example (Past Perfect). She had torn up the notes before her friends arrived.
  4. Example (Future Perfect). By the time you ask for them, I will have torn up the documents.
  5. To be used as an adjective or part of passive voice constructions, describing the state of something or someone.
  6. Example (As adjective). The torn up papers were scattered all over the floor.
  7. Example (Passive Voice). The documents were torn up by the committee after the meeting.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

A common mistake is mixing up the past simple form 'tore up' with the past participle 'torn up'. The past simple form is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past, e.g., 'He tore up the letter yesterday.' In contrast, the past participle is usually used with auxiliary verbs to form the perfect tenses or the passive voice, e.g., 'The letter has been torn up.'

— 02

Incorrect use of 'teared up'

Another frequent error is using 'teared up' instead of the correct past forms. Some learners mistakenly believe that adding '-ed' to 'tear' forms its past tense and past participle, likely due to the regular pattern observed in many English verbs. However, 'tear' is an irregular verb, and its correct past simple form is 'tore,' while the past participle is 'torn.' For example, the correct expression is 'She tore up the photograph,' not 'She teared up the photograph.'

— 03

Confusing contexts

Lastly, the verb 'tear up' can also mean to become tearful, and some might confuse its usage with physically ripping something. This misunderstanding can lead to incorrect tense usage based on the context. For instance, saying 'He has tore up during the movie' instead of the correct 'He teared up during the movie' or 'He has torn up during the movie,' depending on whether a physical action or becoming emotional is being described.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'tear up'?

The past simple form of 'tear up' is 'tore up'. It is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'Yesterday, I tore up all the letters from my ex.'

What is the past participle form of 'tear up'?

The past participle form of 'tear up' is 'torn up'. It is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses. For example, 'By the time she arrived, I had already torn up the photographs.'

How do you use 'tore up' in a sentence?

'Tore up' is used to describe an action completed in the past. For instance, 'He tore up the contract after discovering a loophole.' This sentence indicates that the action of tearing up the contract is completed and happened at a definite time in the past.

Can you give an example of how to use 'torn up' in a sentence?

'Torn up' is typically used in more complex tense structures such as the present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect. An example sentence would be, 'She has been feeling emotionally torn up since the breakup.' This sentence uses 'torn up' to describe a state resulting from an action that has an impact on the present.