Unfreeze past tense
Meaning of unfreeze
to make or become liquid or soft after being frozen.
Infinitive
- 1. If the temperature rises above zero, the ice naturally unfreezes.
- 2. My job at the lab involves substances that unfreeze at different temperatures.
- 3. To make the meal, you need to let the chicken unfreeze before you start cooking.
Past Simple
- 1. Last winter was so cold that when it finally warmed up, the pipes near my house unfroze within a week.
- 2. I forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer, so I unfroze it with hot water to cook it in time for dinner.
- 3. After a long, tense silence, her kind words slowly unfroze the awkward atmosphere in the room.
Past Participle
- 1. The pipes were unfrozen by the plumber earlier today.
- 2. The ice cream has been unfrozen after leaving it out for an hour.
- 3. The funds were unfrozen by the bank following the investigation.
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Bare infinitive
- Habitual Actions or RoutinesExample. I usually unfreeze bread for breakfast.Example. Water unfreezes at 0 degrees Celsius.Example. The system automatically unfreezes accounts at midnight.
- Indicating actions or states that happen regularly or are generally true over time.Example. I usually unfreeze bread for breakfast.Example. Water unfreezes at 0 degrees Celsius.Example. The system automatically unfreezes accounts at midnight.
- General Statements or FactsExample. I usually unfreeze bread for breakfast.Example. Water unfreezes at 0 degrees Celsius.Example. The system automatically unfreezes accounts at midnight.
- Stating a fact or something that is generally true.Example. I usually unfreeze bread for breakfast.Example. Water unfreezes at 0 degrees Celsius.Example. The system automatically unfreezes accounts at midnight.
- Scheduled Events in the Near FutureExample. I usually unfreeze bread for breakfast.Example. Water unfreezes at 0 degrees Celsius.Example. The system automatically unfreezes accounts at midnight.
- Referring to a scheduled or planned event, often found in timetables or itineraries.Example. I usually unfreeze bread for breakfast.Example. Water unfreezes at 0 degrees Celsius.Example. The system automatically unfreezes accounts at midnight.
Past Simple
- Completed Actions in the PastExample. I unfroze the chicken for dinner last night.Example. In winters past, we often unfroze our pipes with a hairdryer.Example. I came home, unfroze the meal, and started cooking.
- Describing actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.Example. I unfroze the chicken for dinner last night.Example. In winters past, we often unfroze our pipes with a hairdryer.Example. I came home, unfroze the meal, and started cooking.
- Habitual Actions or Situations in the PastExample. I unfroze the chicken for dinner last night.Example. In winters past, we often unfroze our pipes with a hairdryer.Example. I came home, unfroze the meal, and started cooking.
- Talking about habits or routines that were true in the past but are no longer the case.Example. I unfroze the chicken for dinner last night.Example. In winters past, we often unfroze our pipes with a hairdryer.Example. I came home, unfroze the meal, and started cooking.
- Sequential Actions in the PastExample. I unfroze the chicken for dinner last night.Example. In winters past, we often unfroze our pipes with a hairdryer.Example. I came home, unfroze the meal, and started cooking.
- Narrating a series of completed actions or events that happened one after another.Example. I unfroze the chicken for dinner last night.Example. In winters past, we often unfroze our pipes with a hairdryer.Example. I came home, unfroze the meal, and started cooking.
Past Participle
- Perfect TensesExample. I have already unfrozen the cake for the party.Example. She had unfrozen the assets before the audit began.Example. By next year, the company will have unfrozen all withheld bonuses.Example. The lake was unfrozen by the warm weather in early spring.Example. Make sure the chicken is completely unfrozen before cooking.
- Use case a. Present Perfect. Discussing actions that occurred at an unspecified time in the past and have relevance to the present.Example. I have already unfrozen the cake for the party.Example. She had unfrozen the assets before the audit began.Example. By next year, the company will have unfrozen all withheld bonuses.Example. The lake was unfrozen by the warm weather in early spring.Example. Make sure the chicken is completely unfrozen before cooking.
- Use case b. Past Perfect. Talking about actions that were completed before some other past action or event.Example. I have already unfrozen the cake for the party.Example. She had unfrozen the assets before the audit began.Example. By next year, the company will have unfrozen all withheld bonuses.Example. The lake was unfrozen by the warm weather in early spring.Example. Make sure the chicken is completely unfrozen before cooking.
- Use case c. Future Perfect. Indicating actions that will be completed before a specified future time or event.Example. I have already unfrozen the cake for the party.Example. She had unfrozen the assets before the audit began.Example. By next year, the company will have unfrozen all withheld bonuses.Example. The lake was unfrozen by the warm weather in early spring.Example. Make sure the chicken is completely unfrozen before cooking.
- Passive VoiceExample. I have already unfrozen the cake for the party.Example. She had unfrozen the assets before the audit began.Example. By next year, the company will have unfrozen all withheld bonuses.Example. The lake was unfrozen by the warm weather in early spring.Example. Make sure the chicken is completely unfrozen before cooking.
- Focusing on the action or condition of being unfrozen, where the doer is not the subject or is unspecified.Example. I have already unfrozen the cake for the party.Example. She had unfrozen the assets before the audit began.Example. By next year, the company will have unfrozen all withheld bonuses.Example. The lake was unfrozen by the warm weather in early spring.Example. Make sure the chicken is completely unfrozen before cooking.
- Adjectival UseExample. I have already unfrozen the cake for the party.Example. She had unfrozen the assets before the audit began.Example. By next year, the company will have unfrozen all withheld bonuses.Example. The lake was unfrozen by the warm weather in early spring.Example. Make sure the chicken is completely unfrozen before cooking.
- Describing the state of something that has been returned to its original state from being frozen.Example. I have already unfrozen the cake for the party.Example. She had unfrozen the assets before the audit began.Example. By next year, the company will have unfrozen all withheld bonuses.Example. The lake was unfrozen by the warm weather in early spring.Example. Make sure the chicken is completely unfrozen before cooking.
Common mistakes
— 01
Confusing forms
One of the most common mistakes involves confusing the past simple form of a verb with its past participle form. For verbs like 'unfreeze,' the past simple is 'unfroze,' and the past participle is 'unfrozen.' A typical error occurs when learners use 'unfrozen' (the past participle) instead of 'unfroze' (the past simple) in simple past tense sentences. For instance, they might incorrectly say, 'Yesterday, the water unfrozen,' when it should be, 'Yesterday, the water unfroze.'
— 02
Incorrect Use in Perfect Tenses
Another mistake is using the wrong form in perfect tenses, which require the past participle. Learners often mistakenly use the past simple form instead of the past participle with auxiliary verbs to form present perfect, past perfect, or future perfect tenses. An example of this error would be saying, 'I have unfroze the meat already,' instead of the correct form, 'I have unfrozen the meat already.' This mistake disrupts the grammatical structure required for perfect tenses, leading to confusion and incorrect sentence construction.
— 03
Misapplication in Passive Voice
The past participle is also essential in constructing sentences in the passive voice, but a common mistake is using the past simple form instead. For instance, one might incorrectly say, 'The lake was unfroze early in the spring,' instead of the correct passive form, 'The lake was unfrozen early in the spring.' This error compromises the sentence's passive structure, where the correct past participle form is necessary to indicate the action performed on the subject.
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