Withhold past tense
Meaning of withhold
refuse to give; hold back.
Infinitive
- 1. They always withhold a portion of their earnings for emergency savings.
- 2. The company decides to withhold certain information from the public to avoid panic.
- 3. She tends to withhold judgment until she has all the facts.
Past Simple
- 1. She withheld the crucial information during the meeting, causing confusion later.
- 2. They withheld their approval until they saw the final draft of the proposal.
- 3. He withheld his emotions, making it difficult for others to understand his true feelings.
Past Participle
- 1. The crucial information had been withheld by the company, leading to widespread confusion.
- 2. The documents are usually withheld until all parties have signed the agreement.
- 3. Information regarding the incident was withheld from the public for security reasons.
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Bare infinitive
- General Facts or TruthsExample. 'The organization always withholds 10% of the profit for charity.'Example. 'He regularly withholds information from his team.'Example. 'She withholds judgment until she has all the facts.'
- Habitual ActionsExample. 'The organization always withholds 10% of the profit for charity.'Example. 'He regularly withholds information from his team.'Example. 'She withholds judgment until she has all the facts.'
- States or Situations Presently ExistingExample. 'The organization always withholds 10% of the profit for charity.'Example. 'He regularly withholds information from his team.'Example. 'She withholds judgment until she has all the facts.'
Past Simple
- Completed Actions in the PastExample. 'The company withheld the employee's final paycheck until all equipment was returned.'Example. 'In the past, she withheld her opinion to keep the peace in meetings.'Example. 'The court withheld its decision until all evidence was reviewed.'
- Past Habitual Actions (when referring to past habits not in existence now)Example. 'The company withheld the employee's final paycheck until all equipment was returned.'Example. 'In the past, she withheld her opinion to keep the peace in meetings.'Example. 'The court withheld its decision until all evidence was reviewed.'
- Past States or SituationsExample. 'The company withheld the employee's final paycheck until all equipment was returned.'Example. 'In the past, she withheld her opinion to keep the peace in meetings.'Example. 'The court withheld its decision until all evidence was reviewed.'
Past Participle
- Perfect Tenses (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect)Example. Present Perfect. 'They have withheld information from us for too long.'Example. Past Perfect. 'By the time the news came out, the agent had already withheld the documents for days.'Example. Future Perfect. 'By next year, they will have withheld the trophy from the defending champions if they lose.'Example. 'The judgment was withheld by the judge until more evidence was presented.'Example. 'The withheld evidence could have changed the course of the trial.'
- Passive VoiceExample. Present Perfect. 'They have withheld information from us for too long.'Example. Past Perfect. 'By the time the news came out, the agent had already withheld the documents for days.'Example. Future Perfect. 'By next year, they will have withheld the trophy from the defending champions if they lose.'Example. 'The judgment was withheld by the judge until more evidence was presented.'Example. 'The withheld evidence could have changed the course of the trial.'
- As an Adjective (participial adjectives)Example. Present Perfect. 'They have withheld information from us for too long.'Example. Past Perfect. 'By the time the news came out, the agent had already withheld the documents for days.'Example. Future Perfect. 'By next year, they will have withheld the trophy from the defending champions if they lose.'Example. 'The judgment was withheld by the judge until more evidence was presented.'Example. 'The withheld evidence could have changed the course of the trial.'
Common mistakes
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Confusing forms
One of the most common mistakes is mixing up the past simple form of a verb with its past participle form. For example, with the verb 'withhold,' the past simple form is 'withheld,' and the past participle form is also 'withheld.' However, learners might incorrectly use 'withholded' as the past participle or past simple form due to a misunderstanding of regular and irregular verb patterns in English. Regular verbs typically add -ed for both past simple and past participle forms, but irregular verbs, like 'withhold,' do not follow this pattern.
— 02
Incorrect Use in Perfect Tenses
Another mistake involves the Incorrect Past Participle. The past participle form 'withheld' should be used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect aspects (e.g., 'has withheld,' 'had withheld'). A common error is using the past simple form instead of the past participle with auxiliary verbs, resulting in sentences like 'He has withheld the information correctly,' being mistakenly formed as 'He has withheld the information correctly.'
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Misapplication in Passive
The past participle form is essential for constructing sentences in the passive voice, yet it's often misused. For the verb 'withhold,' the correct passive construction might be 'The information was withheld by the company.' A frequent mistake is using the past simple form instead of the past participle, leading to incorrect sentences like 'The information was withheld by the company.'
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