Hem past tense

Type your word here
Try:

Learn past tenses to communicate in English accurately

Meaning of hem

to enclose or confine (something or someone) closely; to surround in a restrictive manner.

Infinitive

Word: hem /hɛm/
Examples:
  • 1. She always hems her pants to ensure they fit perfectly.
  • 2. He learns how to hem a skirt in his sewing class.
  • 3. Every tailor should know how to hem garments neatly and efficiently.

Past Simple

Word: hemmed /hɛmd/
Examples:
  • 1. She hemmed her skirt to make it shorter for the summer party.
  • 2. He quickly hemmed the edges of the tablecloth to prevent it from fraying.
  • 3. They hemmed the new curtains to fit the shorter windows in their renovated living room.

Past Participle

Word: hemmed /hɛmd/
Examples:
  • 1. The clothes have been hemmed to fit you perfectly.
  • 2. By tomorrow, the curtains will have been hemmed by our skilled tailor.
  • 3. The gown was hemmed by hand, showing impeccable craftsmanship.

Learn more words on the go

Master verb forms with Promova!

Download the app
cta-section-decorative-line-left
cta-section-decorative-line-left

Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual Actions.
    Example. She hems her dresses by hand every Sunday.
    Example. He always hems and haws before making a decision.
    Example. This example is slightly harder to apply directly to 'hem' in its typical usage, but if 'hemming classes' were an event, you might say, 'The hemming class starts at 8 pm.'
  2. When referring to routines or actions that happen regularly.
    Example. She hems her dresses by hand every Sunday.
    Example. He always hems and haws before making a decision.
    Example. This example is slightly harder to apply directly to 'hem' in its typical usage, but if 'hemming classes' were an event, you might say, 'The hemming class starts at 8 pm.'
  3. General Truths.
    Example. She hems her dresses by hand every Sunday.
    Example. He always hems and haws before making a decision.
    Example. This example is slightly harder to apply directly to 'hem' in its typical usage, but if 'hemming classes' were an event, you might say, 'The hemming class starts at 8 pm.'
  4. When making a statement that is generally true at all times.
    Example. She hems her dresses by hand every Sunday.
    Example. He always hems and haws before making a decision.
    Example. This example is slightly harder to apply directly to 'hem' in its typical usage, but if 'hemming classes' were an event, you might say, 'The hemming class starts at 8 pm.'
  5. Fixed Arrangements.
    Example. She hems her dresses by hand every Sunday.
    Example. He always hems and haws before making a decision.
    Example. This example is slightly harder to apply directly to 'hem' in its typical usage, but if 'hemming classes' were an event, you might say, 'The hemming class starts at 8 pm.'
  6. For scheduled events in the near future (more commonly used with verbs related to scheduling).
    Example. She hems her dresses by hand every Sunday.
    Example. He always hems and haws before making a decision.
    Example. This example is slightly harder to apply directly to 'hem' in its typical usage, but if 'hemming classes' were an event, you might say, 'The hemming class starts at 8 pm.'

Past Simple

  1. Completed Actions.
    Example. She hemmed her skirt yesterday.
    Example. She folded the fabric, cut it, and then hemmed it.
    Example. People manually hemmed their clothes before sewing machines were invented.
  2. To describe actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.
    Example. She hemmed her skirt yesterday.
    Example. She folded the fabric, cut it, and then hemmed it.
    Example. People manually hemmed their clothes before sewing machines were invented.
  3. A Series of Completed Actions.
    Example. She hemmed her skirt yesterday.
    Example. She folded the fabric, cut it, and then hemmed it.
    Example. People manually hemmed their clothes before sewing machines were invented.
  4. To list actions that happened one after another in the past.
    Example. She hemmed her skirt yesterday.
    Example. She folded the fabric, cut it, and then hemmed it.
    Example. People manually hemmed their clothes before sewing machines were invented.
  5. Past Facts or Generalizations.
    Example. She hemmed her skirt yesterday.
    Example. She folded the fabric, cut it, and then hemmed it.
    Example. People manually hemmed their clothes before sewing machines were invented.
  6. To state facts or generalizations that were true in the past but may not be true now.
    Example. She hemmed her skirt yesterday.
    Example. She folded the fabric, cut it, and then hemmed it.
    Example. People manually hemmed their clothes before sewing machines were invented.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses.
    Example. She has hemmed all her summer dresses.
    Example. She had hemmed her dress before the party started.
    Example. She will have hemmed the curtains by tomorrow night.
    Example. The wedding dress was hemmed by a professional tailor.
  2. Present Perfect. For actions that happened at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important.
    Example. She has hemmed all her summer dresses.
    Example. She had hemmed her dress before the party started.
    Example. She will have hemmed the curtains by tomorrow night.
    Example. The wedding dress was hemmed by a professional tailor.
  3. Past Perfect. To talk about an action that happened before another action in the past.
    Example. She has hemmed all her summer dresses.
    Example. She had hemmed her dress before the party started.
    Example. She will have hemmed the curtains by tomorrow night.
    Example. The wedding dress was hemmed by a professional tailor.
  4. Future Perfect. To say that something will be finished by a certain time in the future.
    Example. She has hemmed all her summer dresses.
    Example. She had hemmed her dress before the party started.
    Example. She will have hemmed the curtains by tomorrow night.
    Example. The wedding dress was hemmed by a professional tailor.
  5. Passive Voice.
    Example. She has hemmed all her summer dresses.
    Example. She had hemmed her dress before the party started.
    Example. She will have hemmed the curtains by tomorrow night.
    Example. The wedding dress was hemmed by a professional tailor.
  6. When the focus is on the action and the subject is unknown or irrelevant.
    Example. She has hemmed all her summer dresses.
    Example. She had hemmed her dress before the party started.
    Example. She will have hemmed the curtains by tomorrow night.
    Example. The wedding dress was hemmed by a professional tailor.

Common mistakes

— 01

Forgetting to Double

A common error is not doubling the final consonant of a verb before adding the -ed ending for the past simple and past participle forms when the verb ends in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern and the stress is on the last syllable. For the verb 'hem,' the correct transformation is 'hemmed.' Learners often miss this rule and might spell it as 'hemed,' incorrectly applying the pattern used for verbs that do not double the final consonant.

— 02

Pronunciation of -ed

The pronunciation of the -ed ending in 'hemmed' is /hɛmd/, where the -ed creates an extra syllable because the base verb ends in 'm,' requiring the consonant to be doubled and the ending to be pronounced as a distinct syllable. A frequent mistake is either flattening this to a single syllable sound, not differentiating it from the base verb 'hem,' or mispronouncing the -ed ending, not realizing that it should blend smoothly into a /d/ sound following the doubled consonant.

— 03

Incorrect Spelling

Some learners may incorrectly apply the spelling rule for 'hemmed' to verbs that sound similar but follow different rules. For example, they might mistakenly believe that verbs ending in -m always double the final consonant before adding -ed, leading to incorrect forms of verbs that do not require doubling according to their phonetic or stress patterns. This misunderstanding can lead to spelling errors and confusion about when to apply specific rules for verb conjugation in the past tense and past participle forms.

Past tense quiz

Check your skills and find areas for improvement

Take quiz

Frequently asked questions

What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'hem'?

The past simple form of 'hem' is 'hemmed.' Similarly, the past participle form is also 'hemmed.' This means that for both the past simple and the past participle, the structure of the verb does not change and remains 'hemmed' for all its past tense uses.

How do I use 'hemmed' in a past simple sentence?

To use 'hemmed' in a past simple sentence, you should be referring to an action that was completed at a specific time in the past. For example. 'Yesterday, I hemmed the edges of my jeans.' In this sentence, 'hemmed' indicates that the action of hemming was completed yesterday.

Can you give an example of 'hemmed' used as a past participle?

Certainly! When 'hemmed' is used as a past participle, it often appears in perfect tenses or passive voice constructions. For example, in the present perfect tense. 'She has hemmed her skirt to make it shorter.' Here, 'hemmed' is part of the present perfect tense 'has hemmed,' indicating an action that has relevance to the present moment. In a passive voice example. 'The curtains were hemmed by a professional.' This sentence shows 'hemmed' being used to describe an action done to the curtains by someone else. Is there a difference in pronunciation between the base form and the past forms of 'hem'