Errors in Past Tense: The Complete List

It could make you sound, however stereotypical it maybe, uneducated and put off the entire conversation. Therefore, it is essential that you identify these errors and rectify them at the earliest! But before you read ahead, make sure you are well-versed with the basics of past tense.

5 Common Errors in Past Tense

Let’s look at 5 common errors in past tense and how you can avoid them!

Using simple past tense with a past participle

For most verbs, we should not use the simple past tense form with a past participle as the result turns out to be grammatically incorrect.

Let’s understand with an example: “I had ate at McDonald’s yesterday” is grammatically incorrect as had is the past participle of have and ate is the simple past tense of eat. Whereas, “I had eaten at McDonald’s yesterday” is correct as it has a past tense verb (had) and a present participle verb form (eaten).

Incorrect usage of Auxiliary Verbs

Another common error in the past tense is the incorrect or unnecessary addition of auxiliary verbs before simple past tense verbs.

Example — “I should have went to the bakery last night” This sentence is grammatically incorrect because the auxiliary verb (have) is used before the simple past tense of go (went). The correct form would be “I should have gone to the bakery last night”. Always remember to use an auxiliary verb with a past participle and not with the simple past tense form of a verb!

Simple past tense vs Past continuous tense

When referring to an old habit or things you used to do regularly in the past, simple past tense should be used.

Example — “I was cycling to church every day for 4 years” is incorrect, since the subject mentions a definite period of time while talking about an old habit. The grammatically correct form would be — “I cycled to church every day for 4 years”.

Present perfect tense or Simple past tense

“I didn’t do the dishes yet.” sounds weird? That’s because it is an error in past tense! This sentence mentions an event that should’ve already been done but hasn’t been completed yet. In such cases of mentioning recent past events, you should use the present perfect tense instead of a simple past tense verb. The correct form of the sentence is — “I haven’t done the dishes yet.”

Simple past tense for completed events

Often, people use past continuous tense, like “I was calling her last night,” to address events/activities that have already been completed. This is grammatically incorrect as events/activities that have already taken place in the past and are completed, should be addressed using the simple past tense. Therefore, “I called her last night,” is the grammatically correct form of the sentence.