Introduction: Understanding the Difference Between Past and Past Participle
All English learners and exam candidates must grasp the difference between past and past participle. These two forms are the foundation of expressing actions, building tenses, and writing accurately. While the past form tells what happened, the past participle helps create perfect tenses, passive voice, and sometimes acts as an adjective. This article reveals the difference with 100+ verbs, practical rules, exam tips, and examples showing their usage and meaning.
What’s the Difference Between Past and Past Participle?
Past Form (Simple Past)
- Is a true tense: Used alone to show that an action happened in the past.
- Structure: Subject + Past simple verb (V2)
- Example: She went home. (“went” = simple past)
Past Participle Form
- Is not a tense itself: It’s the third verb form (V3), used to build perfect tenses and passive voice.
- Needs an auxiliary verb: “have,” “has,” “had,” “was,” “were,” etc.
- Structure: Subject + “have/has/had/was/were” + Past participle
- Examples: She has gone home. (“gone” = past participle)
Usage:
- Past: Describes a finished action in the past.
- I ate breakfast. (Simple past)
- Past Participle: Used in
- Perfect tenses (She has eaten breakfast.)
- Passive voice (The breakfast was eaten.)
- As an adjective (The broken window was dangerous.)
(Regular verbs: past and past participle are usually the same—played/played; irregular verbs differ—eat/ate/eaten.)
100+ Examples of Past vs Past Participle with Verb Meanings
Below is a list of common verbs with their forms and sample sentences showing the difference and meanings:
| Base | Past | Past Participle | Past Usage (Meaning) | Past Participle Usage (Meaning) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| go | went | gone | She went home. (action completed in past) | She has gone home. (perfect tense) |
| eat | ate | eaten | He ate dinner. (action finished) | He has eaten dinner. (perfect) |
| write | wrote | written | I wrote a letter. (wrote=action) | I have written a letter. (written=perfect) |
| see | saw | seen | We saw the movie yesterday. | We have seen that movie. |
| break | broke | broken | He broke the cup. | The cup was broken. |
| choose | chose | chosen | They chose pizza. | Pizza was chosen by us. |
| begin | began | begun | The play began at 8. | The play has begun. |
| sing | sang | sung | She sang well. | She has sung on stage. |
| drive | drove | driven | He drove to Delhi. | He has driven many times. |
| give | gave | given | I gave him your number. | He was given your number. |
| take | took | taken | She took her bag. | She has taken her bag. |
| speak | spoke | spoken | He spoke to the class. | He has spoken to the class. |
| swim | swam | swum | She swam yesterday. | She has swum across the pool. |
| ring | rang | rung | The phone rang. | The bell has rung. |
| drink | drank | drunk | He drank water. | He has drunk water. |
| drive | drove | driven | I drove home. | I have driven home. |
| bite | bit | bitten | The dog bit me. | I was bitten by a dog. |
| fall | fell | fallen | The apple fell. | The apple has fallen. |
| forget | forgot | forgotten | She forgot the answer. | The answer was forgotten. |
| freeze | froze | frozen | The pond froze. | The pond is frozen now. |
| get | got | gotten/got | She got a gift. | She has gotten a gift. |
| know | knew | known | I knew the truth. | I have known the truth. |
| ride | rode | ridden | He rode a horse. | He has ridden a horse. |
| show | showed | shown | She showed her skill. | The skill was shown. |
| steal | stole | stolen | Someone stole my pen. | My pen has been stolen. |
| wake | woke | woken | I woke up early. | I have woken up early. |
| write | wrote | written | She wrote an email. | The email was written. |
| throw | threw | thrown | He threw the ball. | The ball was thrown. |
| tear | tore | torn | She tore the paper. | The paper is torn. |
| think | thought | thought | I thought about it. | I have thought about it. |
| teach | taught | taught | She taught us English. | We have been taught English. |
| win | won | won | I won the race. | The race was won by me. |
| lose | lost | lost | They lost their keys. | The keys are lost. |
| make | made | made | He made a cake. | The cake was made well. |
| sell | sold | sold | She sold flowers. | Flowers were sold today. |
| build | built | built | They built a house. | A house has been built. |
| catch | caught | caught | He caught the ball. | The ball was caught. |
| fight | fought | fought | She fought bravely. | She has fought bravely. |
| buy | bought | bought | He bought a car. | A car has been bought. |
| come | came | come | Maria came yesterday. | Maria has come. |
| cut | cut | cut | He cut the paper. | The paper has been cut. |
| lay | laid | laid | She laid the mat. | The mat was laid out. |
| lend | lent | lent | He lent money. | Money has been lent. |
| light | lit | lit | She lit the lamp. | The lamp is lit. |
| pay | paid | paid | She paid the bill. | The bill was paid. |
| put | put | put | He put the book. | The book has been put away. |
| read | read | read | He read the story. | The story is read often. |
| run | ran | run | She ran quickly. | She has run quickly. |
| say | said | said | They said it clearly. | It was said clearly. |
| send | sent | sent | I sent the letter. | The letter was sent. |
| sit | sat | sat | She sat down. | She has sat there. |
| sleep | slept | slept | He slept well. | He has slept well lately. |
| stand | stood | stood | She stood up. | She has stood up. |
| tell | told | told | You told the truth. | The truth was told. |
| understand | understood | understood | I understood the lesson. | The lesson was understood. |
| wear | wore | worn | He wore a new shirt. | The shirt was worn yesterday. |
| hear | heard | heard | I heard the news. | The news was heard. |
| hold | held | held | She held the baby. | The baby has been held. |
| keep | kept | kept | I kept the promise. | The promise was kept. |
| let | let | let | He let me go. | I was let go. |
| mean | meant | meant | She meant to help. | Help was meant. |
| meet | met | met | I met my teacher. | The teacher has met us. |
| send | sent | sent | He sent his reply. | His reply was sent yesterday. |
| set | set | set | She set the table. | The table was set. |
| shake | shook | shaken | He shook the bottle. | The bottle has been shaken. |
| shoot | shot | shot | She shot the arrow. | The arrow was shot. |
| shut | shut | shut | They shut the door. | The door has been shut. |
| spend | spent | spent | He spent all time. | All time was spent studying. |
| split | split | split | Sara split the bill. | The bill was split. |
| spread | spread | spread | The news spread quickly. | The news has spread. |
| stand | stood | stood | The statue stood tall. | It has stood tall for years. |
Here are 30 more unique examples of verbs showing the past tense (V2) vs. past participle (V3) forms, with sentence examples and meanings, avoiding previously used verbs:
- arise – arose – arisen
Past: A problem arose during the meeting. (occurred)
Past Participle: Several issues have arisen recently. (perfect tense) - awake – awoke – awoken
Past: She awoke early in the morning. (woke up)
Past Participle: He has awoken from a deep sleep. (perfect) - bear – bore – borne/born
Past: She bore the pain silently. (endured)
Past Participle: He has borne many hardships. (perfect) - beat – beat – beaten
Past: The team beat their rivals. (defeated)
Past Participle: They have been beaten several times. (passive) - become – became – become
Past: He became a doctor last year. (turned into)
Past Participle: She has become very confident. (perfect) - bend – bent – bent
Past: He bent down to pick the coin. (stooped)
Past Participle: The metal has bent under pressure. (perfect/passive) - bind – bound – bound
Past: They bound the packages tightly. (tied)
Past Participle: The books were bound with leather. (passive) - bite – bit – bitten
Past: The dog bit the mailman. (grasped, pierced)
Past Participle: She has been bitten by mosquitoes. (passive) - bleed – bled – bled
Past: He bled after the injury. (lost blood)
Past Participle: The wound has bled a lot. (perfect) - blow – blew – blown
Past: A strong wind blew all night. (moved air)
Past Participle: The candles have been blown out. (passive) - cling – clung – clung
Past: The child clung to his mother. (held tightly)
Past Participle: She has clung to her beliefs. (perfect) - creep – crept – crept
Past: The cat crept silently. (moved quietly)
Past Participle: The ivy has crept over the wall. (perfect) - deal – dealt – dealt
Past: He dealt the cards. (distributed)
Past Participle: The cards have been dealt. (passive) - dig – dug – dug
Past: We dug a hole for the tree. (made a hole)
Past Participle: The hole has been dug. (passive) - fight – fought – fought
Past: They fought bravely. (engaged in battle)
Past Participle: The battle has been fought. (passive) - fit – fit/fitted – fit/fitted
Past: The jacket fit perfectly. (had the right size)
Past Participle: The pieces have been fitted together. (perfect/passive) - flee – fled – fled
Past: The criminals fled the scene. (ran away)
Past Participle: They have fled from danger. (perfect) - forbid – forbade – forbidden
Past: The teacher forbade talking in class. (prohibited)
Past Participle: Smoking is forbidden here. (passive) - forecast – forecast – forecast
Past: They forecast rain yesterday. (predicted)
Past Participle: The weather has been forecast. (passive) - foresee – foresaw – foreseen
Past: She foresaw the outcome clearly. (predicted)
Past Participle: The problems have been foreseen. (passive) - forsake – forsook – forsaken
Past: He forsook his old habits. (abandoned)
Past Participle: She has forsaken her friends. (perfect) - freeze – froze – frozen
Past: The lake froze overnight. (became ice)
Past Participle: The pond is frozen solid. (adjective) - get – got – gotten/got
Past: He got a promotion. (received)
Past Participle: He has gotten many gifts. (perfect) - grind – ground – ground
Past: They ground the coffee beans. (crushed)
Past Participle: The pepper has been ground. (passive) - hang – hung – hung
Past: She hung the picture on the wall. (placed)
Past Participle: The pictures have been hung. (passive) - hide – hid – hidden
Past: He hid the treasure in the cave. (concealed)
Past Participle: The treasure is hidden well. (passive) - kneel – knelt – knelt
Past: She knelt by the bedside. (got down on knees)
Past Participle: He has knelt before the king. (perfect) - lade – laded/lade – laded/laden
Past: They laded the ship with cargo. (loaded)
Past Participle: The ship is laden with goods. (loaded) - lead – led – led
Past: He led the team to victory. (guided)
Past Participle: The team has been led well. (passive) - lean – leant/leaned – leant/leaned
Past: She leant against the wall. (rested on)
Past Participle: The ladder has been leaned carefully. (perfect)
These examples provide further clarity on how past and past participle forms differ in action, tense usage, and grammatical context. They are especially useful for students preparing for grammar exams and for gaining fluency in English verbs.
Tips & Information: Difference Between Past and Past Participle for Exams
- Spot the form: Past = shows completed action or state in the past. Past participle = used with auxiliaries for perfect tenses or passive voice.
- Regular verbs: Both forms look the same (played/played).
- Irregular verbs: Forms differ (go/went/gone).
- Perfect tense tip: Use “have/has/had” + past participle. (I have eaten lunch.)
- Passive tip: Use “was/were/be/been” + past participle. (Food was cooked.)
- In lists/tables: V2 = past, V3 = past participle.
- Exam errors: Check tense vs. verb form; avoid using past participle alone for past actions.
- Adjective use: Past participle can describe nouns: “broken glass,” “fallen leaves.”
- Memorize irregular verbs: Essential for competitive exams.
- Practice converting: Change “He wrote a letter.” (Past) → “The letter was written.” (Past participle in passive).
Conclusion: Why the Difference Between Past and Past Participle Matters
Mastering the difference between past and past participle lets you write accurately, score higher in English grammar exams, and speak like a pro. Use past for simple completed actions and past participle to create perfect tenses, passive voice, and descriptive phrases. Practice with the examples above to boost your grammar power and exam confidence!
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