Wind past tense
Meaning of wind
to twist or turn something around itself or something else.
Infinitive
- 1. The wind blows fiercely across the coastal town every evening.
- 2. Hot air balloons rely on how the wind moves at different altitudes.
- 3. Sometimes, the wind carries the seeds of plants to new locations, aiding in their dispersion.
Past Simple
- 1. The sailors wound the ropes tightly around the dock posts to secure the ship.
- 2. Yesterday, I wound my watch before going to bed, making sure it kept time overnight.
- 3. She wound the yarn into a neat ball after knitting for hours.
Past Participle
- 1. The clock had been wound by the caretaker every morning without fail.
- 2. The ribbon had been wound around the gift box beautifully, making it look very elegant.
- 3. The thread had been wound tightly around the spool by the end of the sewing session.
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Bare infinitive
- To describe a current, habitual action or universal truth.Example. I always wind my watch before going to bed.Example. To operate, wind the clock's key clockwise.Example. The ceremony winds down at eight o'clock sharp.
- To give instructions or directions.Example. I always wind my watch before going to bed.Example. To operate, wind the clock's key clockwise.Example. The ceremony winds down at eight o'clock sharp.
- To express a scheduled event in the near future (often used in a formal context).Example. I always wind my watch before going to bed.Example. To operate, wind the clock's key clockwise.Example. The ceremony winds down at eight o'clock sharp.
Past Simple
- To describe an action that was completed in the past at a specific time.Example. I wound the clock yesterday, but it stopped again.Example. After I wound the toy, it moved across the floor.Example. She wound the yarn into balls every evening while watching TV.
- To narrate a sequence of events in the past.Example. I wound the clock yesterday, but it stopped again.Example. After I wound the toy, it moved across the floor.Example. She wound the yarn into balls every evening while watching TV.
- To express a past habit or routine.Example. I wound the clock yesterday, but it stopped again.Example. After I wound the toy, it moved across the floor.Example. She wound the yarn into balls every evening while watching TV.
Past Participle
- Used with auxiliary verbs (have, has, had) to form the perfect tenses.Example. The thread has been wound around the spool neatly.Example. The wound wire was carefully placed on the table.
- Example (Present Perfect). I have wound the watch, but it still doesn't work.Example. The thread has been wound around the spool neatly.Example. The wound wire was carefully placed on the table.
- Example (Past Perfect). By the time we arrived, she had already wound the ribbon around the gift.Example. The thread has been wound around the spool neatly.Example. The wound wire was carefully placed on the table.
- Used in passive voice constructions.Example. The thread has been wound around the spool neatly.Example. The wound wire was carefully placed on the table.
- Used as an adjective to describe something.Example. The thread has been wound around the spool neatly.Example. The wound wire was carefully placed on the table.
- Each of these forms illustrates the different contexts and timeframes in which the verb 'wind' (and its various tense forms) can be correctly utilized, reflecting various actions and states associated with moving in a circular pattern or encircling something.Example. The thread has been wound around the spool neatly.Example. The wound wire was carefully placed on the table.
Common mistakes
— 01
Incorrect Verb Form Usage
One of the most common mistakes with the past simple and past participle forms of the word 'wind' is using the incorrect form for the intended tense. The past simple is 'wound,' as in 'She wound the clock yesterday.' The past participle is also 'wound,' such as 'He has wound the string into a ball.' A frequent error occurs when learners use the base form 'wind' or mistakenly create forms like 'winded' in places where 'wound' should be used, leading to sentences that confuse the timeline of actions.
— 02
Confusion with Homographs
Another mistake arises from the homograph 'wind' (pronounced like 'find'), which means moving air. This leads to confusion because its past simple and past participle forms are regular and do not change ('winded'). People often mix up the context, using 'winded' when referring to the action of coiling or turning (e.g., 'He winded the watch' instead of the correct 'He wound the watch'), not realizing that 'winded' pertains to becoming out of breath, not the action of tightening or coiling.
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Regular Verb Patterns
Learners sometimes overapply the rule of adding '-ed' for past simple and past participle forms to all verbs, leading to errors with irregular verbs like 'wind.' They might incorrectly form 'wind' into 'winded' for its past actions, not recognizing that 'wind' is an exception to the regular pattern and correctly forms into 'wound' for both its past simple and past participle forms. This overgeneralization overlooks the nuances and exceptions in English verb conjugation rules.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'wind'?
How do I use 'wound' in a sentence correctly?
Can 'wound' be confused with other words?