Treat past tense

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Meaning of treat

to deal with or regard in a certain manner.

Infinitive

Word: treat /triːt/
Examples:
  • 1. He treats his pets with a lot of love and care.
  • 2. She always treats her friends to coffee when they meet up.
  • 3. The company treats every complaint seriously to improve their services.

Past Simple

Word: treated /ˈtriːtɪd/
Examples:
  • 1. They treated us to a lovely dinner last night.
  • 2. The doctor treated my injury with great care.
  • 3. He treated the car as if it were his own, even though it was just a rental.

Past Participle

Word: treated /ˈtriː.tɪd/
Examples:
  • 1. The patients were treated with the utmost care by the hospital staff.
  • 2. All complaints have been treated seriously by the customer service team.
  • 3. The historical artifacts had been treated with a special solution to preserve them.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual actions or routines
    Example. I treat myself to a coffee every morning.
    Example. This clinic treats all kinds of mental health issues.
    Example. The nurse treats her patients at 9 a.m. sharp every day.
    Example. You treat a burn with cool running water.
  2. Facts or generalizations
    Example. I treat myself to a coffee every morning.
    Example. This clinic treats all kinds of mental health issues.
    Example. The nurse treats her patients at 9 a.m. sharp every day.
    Example. You treat a burn with cool running water.
  3. Scheduled events in the near future (especially for public transportation, movies, etc.)
    Example. I treat myself to a coffee every morning.
    Example. This clinic treats all kinds of mental health issues.
    Example. The nurse treats her patients at 9 a.m. sharp every day.
    Example. You treat a burn with cool running water.
  4. Giving instructions or directions
    Example. I treat myself to a coffee every morning.
    Example. This clinic treats all kinds of mental health issues.
    Example. The nurse treats her patients at 9 a.m. sharp every day.
    Example. You treat a burn with cool running water.

Past Simple

  1. Actions completed at a definite time in the past
    Example. She treated us to dinner last night.
    Example. He treated the wood, painted it, and then left it to dry.
    Example. We always treated Sundays as family days when I was growing up.
    Example. They treated the spring water as sacred in ancient times.
  2. A series of completed actions in the past
    Example. She treated us to dinner last night.
    Example. He treated the wood, painted it, and then left it to dry.
    Example. We always treated Sundays as family days when I was growing up.
    Example. They treated the spring water as sacred in ancient times.
  3. Past habits or states
    Example. She treated us to dinner last night.
    Example. He treated the wood, painted it, and then left it to dry.
    Example. We always treated Sundays as family days when I was growing up.
    Example. They treated the spring water as sacred in ancient times.
  4. Past facts or generalizations which are no longer true
    Example. She treated us to dinner last night.
    Example. He treated the wood, painted it, and then left it to dry.
    Example. We always treated Sundays as family days when I was growing up.
    Example. They treated the spring water as sacred in ancient times.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect aspects (Present perfect, past perfect, future perfect) to show actions that have a connection with the present, past or future
    Example. Present Perfect. We have treated all patients with care and respect.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time the specialist arrived, the local doctor had already treated the injury.
    Example. Future Perfect. By next week, we will have treated over a hundred cases of the disease.
    Example. The injured were treated promptly by the paramedics.
  2. Passive voice to show that an action is done to the subject
    Example. Present Perfect. We have treated all patients with care and respect.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time the specialist arrived, the local doctor had already treated the injury.
    Example. Future Perfect. By next week, we will have treated over a hundred cases of the disease.
    Example. The injured were treated promptly by the paramedics.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

One common mistake is confusing the past simple form of 'treat' (treated) with its past participle form (also treated). While they look the same for regular verbs like 'treat,' the mistake becomes evident when applying the concept to irregular verbs. For example, saying 'I have treat my friend yesterday' instead of 'I treated my friend yesterday' (past simple) or 'I have treated my friend' (correct use of the past participle in a present perfect tense). Understanding the distinction and correct application in different tenses is crucial.

— 02

Incorrect Use in Perfect Tenses

Another mistake involves the misuse of the past participle form in perfect tenses. Some learners might incorrectly conjugate the verb by saying 'I have treat' instead of 'I have treated' when attempting to use the present perfect tense. This mistake arises from not knowing that the past participle form is necessary to construct perfect tenses, leading to sentences that sound incorrect and can confuse the intended meaning.

— 03

Omitting Auxiliary Verb

Lastly, a common error is omitting the auxiliary verb (have/has) when using the past participle in perfect tenses. For instance, saying 'I treated' intending to express an action that has relevance to the present, instead of correctly saying 'I have treated.' This mistake changes the tense from present perfect to simple past, altering the timeframe and potentially the meaning of the sentence. Understanding the role of auxiliary verbs in forming perfect tenses is essential to avoid this error.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'treat'?

The past simple form of 'treat' is 'treated.' It is used to describe actions that happened at a specific time in the past and are now completed. For example, 'Yesterday, the doctor treated my injury.'

What is the past participle form of 'treat'?

The past participle form of 'treat' is also 'treated.' This form is used in perfect tense constructions to describe actions that have an impact on the present or actions that were completed at some unspecified time in the past. For example, 'I have treated many patients with similar symptoms.'

How do you use 'treated' in a sentence to indicate a past action?

To indicate a past action using 'treated,' you would typically use the past simple tense. For example, 'She treated me to dinner last night.' This sentence shows that the action of treating to dinner happened at a specific time in the past (last night) and is now complete.

Can 'treated' be used in passive voice constructions? If so, how?

Yes, 'treated' can be used in passive voice constructions, both in the past simple and past participle forms. When using the past simple in passive voice, you describe an action that was done to the subject by someone else in the past. For the past participle, it is used in perfect tenses. Here are examples for both. Past simple passive. 'I was treated kindly by the nurses during my stay at the hospital.' Past participle in a perfect tense passive construction. 'The patient has been treated for the flu.'