What is the past tense of read?

The past tense of read is “read”, but it is pronounced differently. The present tense “read” is pronounced as reed. Whereas, the past tense “read” is pronounced as red.

Complete Answer:

The past tense of read is “read”. It is a tricky one because the spelling doesn’t change, but the pronunciation does. This makes it an irregular verb. Regular verbs follow predictable patterns (like “walk” becomes “walked”), but irregular verbs have their own unique forms.

Here are all three forms of the word “read”

1. Present Tense (pronounced “reed”): This is the form you use when talking about actions happening now or habitually.

Example: I read the newspaper every morning. She reads novels in her free time. They read aloud in class.

2. Past Tense (pronounced “red”): This is the form you use when talking about actions that happened at some point before now.  

Example: I read a fascinating article yesterday. She read all the Harry Potter books. They read the instructions carefully before starting the project.

3. Past Participle (pronounced “red”): This form is used with auxiliary verbs like “have” or “be” to form perfect tenses. It’s also used in passive voice constructions. The past participle of “read” is the same as the past tense: “read” (pronounced “red”).  

• Example (Present Perfect): I have read that book twice. She has read several biographies.
• Example (Past Perfect): Before I went to bed, I had read a few chapters.
• Example (Passive Voice): The letter was read aloud to the audience.

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