Work past tense
Meaning of work
to exert oneself physically or mentally in order to do, make, or accomplish something.
Infinitive
- 1. He works from home on Fridays.
- 2. She always works late to meet deadlines.
- 3. They work together to solve complex problems.
Past Simple
- 1. Yesterday, I worked late into the night to complete the project on time.
- 2. She worked at the local cafe for a few months before finding a job in her field.
- 3. They worked together on the science project and won first place at the fair.
Past Participle
- 1. The project has been worked on by the entire team for months.
- 2. By the deadline, the report was worked over by all the department members to ensure accuracy.
- 3. The problem had been worked through by the engineers before the meeting even started.
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Bare infinitive
- To describe habitual actions or routines involving physical or mental effort to accomplish tasks.Example. She works on her novel every morning before breakfast.Example. He works as a software developer at a tech company.Example. To solve this problem, work systematically and don’t rush.
- To state facts or general truths about employment or the process of doing tasks.Example. She works on her novel every morning before breakfast.Example. He works as a software developer at a tech company.Example. To solve this problem, work systematically and don’t rush.
- To give instructions or advice about performing tasks or duties.Example. She works on her novel every morning before breakfast.Example. He works as a software developer at a tech company.Example. To solve this problem, work systematically and don’t rush.
Past Simple
- To talk about a specific instance in the past when someone exerted themselves to do, make, or accomplish something.Example. They worked tirelessly to meet the project deadline last week.Example. We worked through the night, analyzing the data and refining our conclusions.Example. When I lived in New York, I worked in a bookstore.
- To describe a series of actions in the past involving effort to complete tasks.Example. They worked tirelessly to meet the project deadline last week.Example. We worked through the night, analyzing the data and refining our conclusions.Example. When I lived in New York, I worked in a bookstore.
- To express past habits or states of employment or task completion.Example. They worked tirelessly to meet the project deadline last week.Example. We worked through the night, analyzing the data and refining our conclusions.Example. When I lived in New York, I worked in a bookstore.
Past Participle
- Perfect tenses - To talk about actions of exerting effort that have been completed or have affected the present.Example. The proposal was worked on by the entire team to ensure its success.
- Example (Present Perfect). She has worked in the field of renewable energy for over a decade.Example. The proposal was worked on by the entire team to ensure its success.
- Example (Past Perfect). By the time they arrived, we had already worked out a solution to the problem.Example. The proposal was worked on by the entire team to ensure its success.
- Passive voice - To describe situations where the focus is on something being done, made, or accomplished, rather than who did it.Example. The proposal was worked on by the entire team to ensure its success.
Common mistakes
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Incorrect Forms
A common mistake is treating irregular verbs like 'work' as if they have unique past simple or past participle forms. However, 'work' is a regular verb, and its past simple and past participle forms are correctly formed by adding '-ed' to the base form. The correct forms are 'worked' for both past simple and past participle. Mistakenly altering these to an irregular form, such as 'workt' or 'wroked,' is incorrect.
— 02
Misusing Forms
Another mistake involves confusing when to use the past simple versus the past participle form of 'work.' The past simple form 'worked' is used to describe actions that happened and were completed at a specific time in the past, e.g., 'I worked yesterday.' In contrast, the past participle form, also 'worked,' is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions, requiring auxiliary verbs like 'have' or 'was,' e.g., 'I have worked there for five years,' or 'The project was worked on by the entire team.' Misusing these forms by interchanging their contexts disrupts the clarity of the intended time frame or action.
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Wrong Consistency
A common error is failing to maintain tense consistency when narrating events or describing actions in the past. This often happens when mixing the past simple and past participle forms without paying attention to the surrounding auxiliary verbs or the overall tense structure of the discourse. For example, incorrectly mixing tenses like 'Yesterday, I have worked on the project and then went home' instead of 'Yesterday, I worked on the project and then went home,' combines a present perfect tense structure inappropriately with a past simple action, leading to a confusing narrative. Consistency is key to clear communication, and mixing up these forms without regard to their specific uses can significantly impact the coherence of the message being conveyed.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple form of 'work'?
What is the past participle form of 'work'?
How do I use 'worked' in a sentence to show a past action?
Can you provide an example of a sentence using 'worked' as a past participle in a perfect tense?