Trip past tense

Meaning of trip

to stumble or fall by catching one's foot on something.

Infinitive

Word: trip /trɪp/

Examples:

1. Every year, my family plans a trip to the mountains for some peaceful time away from the city hustle.
2. A trip to the grocery store becomes an adventure when I go with my energetic nephew.
3. The school organizes a field trip to the science museum every spring to help students learn outside the classroom.

Past Simple

Word: tripped /trɪpt/

Examples:

1. Last summer, we tripped to the beach for a weekend getaway.
2. She accidentally tripped on the stairs and dropped her bag.
3. He tripped over a rock while jogging in the park yesterday morning.

Past Participle

Word: tripped /trɪpt/

Examples:

1. She had tripped over the rug and spilled her drink before anyone could help.
2. By the end of the hike, he had tripped on roots and rocks more times than he could count.
3. They had tripped on the uneven pavement and dropped the groceries, scattering them everywhere.

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Bare infinitive

General Truths or Facts
Example. 'The path to the lake always trips people.'
Example. 'She always trips over her rug in the morning.'
Example. 'The school trip departs at 8 AM tomorrow.'
Example. 'He grabs the ball, trips, but still manages to score!'
Habitual Actions
Example. 'The path to the lake always trips people.'
Example. 'She always trips over her rug in the morning.'
Example. 'The school trip departs at 8 AM tomorrow.'
Example. 'He grabs the ball, trips, but still manages to score!'
Scheduled Events in the Near Future (especially for public transportation)
Example. 'The path to the lake always trips people.'
Example. 'She always trips over her rug in the morning.'
Example. 'The school trip departs at 8 AM tomorrow.'
Example. 'He grabs the ball, trips, but still manages to score!'
Commentaries (usually in quick succession)
Example. 'The path to the lake always trips people.'
Example. 'She always trips over her rug in the morning.'
Example. 'The school trip departs at 8 AM tomorrow.'
Example. 'He grabs the ball, trips, but still manages to score!'

Past Simple

Completed Action in the Past
Example. 'She tripped on the stairs yesterday.'
Example. 'He tripped, fell, and then laughed at his own clumsiness.'
Example. 'When I was a child, I often tripped on my way to school.'
Example. 'She never tripped when she wore flat shoes.'
A Series of Completed Actions in the Past
Example. 'She tripped on the stairs yesterday.'
Example. 'He tripped, fell, and then laughed at his own clumsiness.'
Example. 'When I was a child, I often tripped on my way to school.'
Example. 'She never tripped when she wore flat shoes.'
Habit in the Past (often with ‘used to’ or in a context that makes the habitual nature clear)
Example. 'She tripped on the stairs yesterday.'
Example. 'He tripped, fell, and then laughed at his own clumsiness.'
Example. 'When I was a child, I often tripped on my way to school.'
Example. 'She never tripped when she wore flat shoes.'
Past Facts or Generalizations
Example. 'She tripped on the stairs yesterday.'
Example. 'He tripped, fell, and then laughed at his own clumsiness.'
Example. 'When I was a child, I often tripped on my way to school.'
Example. 'She never tripped when she wore flat shoes.'

Past Participle

Perfect Tenses (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, and Future Perfect)
Example. 'The thief was tripped by a hidden wire.'
Example. 'Tripped by her own shoelaces, she found herself on the ground.'
Present Perfect. 'He has tripped over his words several times during the speech.'
Example. 'The thief was tripped by a hidden wire.'
Example. 'Tripped by her own shoelaces, she found herself on the ground.'
Past Perfect. 'By the time they realized, he had already tripped the alarm.'
Example. 'The thief was tripped by a hidden wire.'
Example. 'Tripped by her own shoelaces, she found herself on the ground.'
Future Perfect. 'She will have tripped all the sensors by midnight.'
Example. 'The thief was tripped by a hidden wire.'
Example. 'Tripped by her own shoelaces, she found herself on the ground.'
Passive Voice
Example. 'The thief was tripped by a hidden wire.'
Example. 'Tripped by her own shoelaces, she found herself on the ground.'
To Describe a State Resulting from an Action
Example. 'The thief was tripped by a hidden wire.'
Example. 'Tripped by her own shoelaces, she found herself on the ground.'

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing forms

A common mistake is interchanging the past simple form 'tripped' with the past participle form 'tripped' when using them in sentences. While it might seem confusing since both forms are spelled the same for the verb 'trip,' the error usually lies in their application within different tenses. For example, the correct use in the past simple is 'He tripped on the rug,' indicating an action completed in the past. The past participle form, although spelled the same, is often used incorrectly without an auxiliary verb in perfect tenses, e.g., 'I have tripped on the rug' is correct, but one might mistakenly say 'I have trip on the rug.'

— 02

Omitting Auxiliary Verbs

Another common mistake is omitting auxiliary verbs when using the past participle form 'tripped' in perfect tenses. Since 'tripped' serves as the past participle, it requires an auxiliary verb, such as 'have' or 'has,' to form the present perfect tense. The correct construction is 'She has tripped over the toy,' but a frequent error is omitting the auxiliary verb, leading to an incorrect sentence like 'She tripped over the toy' when intending to use the present perfect tense.

— 03

Incorrect Verb Tense

Misusing the past simple and past participle forms can also lead to conveying the wrong time frame or aspect of an action. For example, using the past simple when the past perfect is needed can confuse the sequence of events. The sentence 'After he tripped, he saw the sign warning about the step' might incorrectly suggest that the tripping and seeing happened simultaneously. The correct form to show sequence is the past perfect, 'After he had tripped, he saw the sign warning about the step,' but mistakenly using the simple past for both verbs can blur the chronological order of actions.

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Frequently asked questions

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

The past simple form of 'trip' is 'tripped.' The past participle form is also 'tripped.'

How do I use the past simple form 'tripped' in a sentence?

The past simple form 'tripped' is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example. 'I tripped over the rug yesterday.' This sentence indicates that the action of tripping over the rug occurred at a specific time in the past, which is yesterday.

How is the past participle form 'tripped' used in sentences?

The past participle form 'tripped' is often used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses or the passive voice. Here are two examples. Perfect tense. 'She has tripped on the stairs twice today.' This sentence uses 'has tripped' (present perfect tense) to indicate an action that happened at an unspecified time before now, emphasizing the result or consequence in the present. Passive voice. 'The wire was tripped by the running child.' This sentence uses 'was tripped' (past passive voice) to indicate that the action of tripping the wire was done by the child.

Can you give an example of a sentence using both the past simple and past participle forms of 'trip'?

Yes, combining both forms in a complex sentence can illustrate different aspects or times of an action. For example. 'I tripped over the toy car, which had never tripped me before.' In this sentence, 'tripped' is used in the past simple to describe the action that happened at a specific time in the past, while 'had tripped' (past perfect tense) is used to express that at any time before that specific past moment, the toy car had not caused a tripping incident. This highlights a contrast between a past event and an earlier past situation.