Past Tense of Write: Definition & Examples
The past tense of “write” is wrote. Since “write” is an irregular verb, its past tense doesn’t follow the usual “-ed” rule. Instead, the word changes form.
Read on to learn more about the verb “write.”
What Does Write Mean?
To write means to put down words, symbols, or letters on a surface, usually paper or a screen, to communicate or record information. When you write, you create text, whether it’s a story, a letter, or a note.
The verb “to write” is commonly used in everyday tasks, schools, and workplaces. If you put thoughts into words on paper or a screen, you write.
In the present simple tense, “write” has two forms: write and writes. You use “write” with subjects like “I,” “you,” “we,” and “they.” For example:
- I write articles for a blog.
- They write letters to each other every month.
For third-person singular subjects (he, she, it), you add “s” to form writes. Here are some examples:
- He writes emails every day.
- She writes in her journal each night.
The Past Tense of Write
The past tense of “write” is wrote. As with all irregular verbs, its past tense doesn’t follow the “-ed” rule. Instead, the word changes form. For example:
- Last night, I wrote a letter to my friend.
- He wrote a book on historical events last year.
It’s essential to remember that “write” doesn’t become “writed” in the past tense, so saying “writed” is incorrect.
Wrote is pronounced like this: /rəʊt/. It rhymes with “boat” and “coat.”
The Past Participle of Write
The past participle of “write” is written. The past participle form is used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect) or passive voice constructions. It doesn’t typically stand alone. For example:
- Present Perfect: I have written three essays this week.
- Past Perfect: She had written the report before the meeting.
- Passive Voice: The novel was written by a famous author.
The past participle “written” remains the same regardless of the subject or tense when used with auxiliary verbs.
Important Note
Wrote is the past simple form, and written is the past participle form of “write.”
However, it’s crucial to understand that the past simple and the past participle forms of a verb serve different grammatical functions. While the past simple and past participle forms are different for “write” (wrote and written), this isn’t the case for every irregular verb.
When to Use Wrote and Written
Here’s when you can use “wrote” and “written”:
Past Simple and “Wrote”
In the past simple tense, you use “wrote” to describe an action that happened and was completed in the past. It often has a specific time reference. For example:
- I wrote a long email yesterday.
Here, “wrote” is the past simple form used to describe a completed action.
You can use “wrote” in positive sentences, but in negative sentences, you use the base form “write” with “didn’t” instead of “wrote.”
- Positive: I wrote a poem for my friend’s birthday.
- Negative: I didn’t write a report for the meeting.
So, in negative sentences, we use this formula: subject + didn’t + write.
Present Perfect and “Written”
The present perfect tense combines “have” or “has” with the past participle of the verb. In this case, the past participle of “write” is written. This tense refers to actions that happened at some point in the past but have relevance to the present. For example:
- I have written four chapters of my book.
- She has written several articles for the magazine.
This uses the formula: subject + have/has + written.
In negative sentences, you use “haven’t” or “hasn’t” with “written” instead:
- I haven’t written anything new this week.
- He hasn’t written to his friend since last year.
Past Perfect and “Written”
The past perfect tense is used to describe an action completed before another action in the past. To form this tense, you use “had” with the past participle written. Here are some examples:
- By the time I arrived, they had written the proposal.
- He had written the letter before she called.
For affirmative sentences like these, we use this formula: subject + had + written.
For negative sentences in the past perfect, use “hadn’t” with “written“:
- I hadn’t written my assignment before the deadline.
- They hadn’t written any notes before the presentation.
Using Written as an Adjective
When used as an adjective, “written” describes anything expressed or recorded in writing, as opposed to spoken or visual forms.
Examples:
- Written communication is essential in professional settings.
- She followed the written instructions carefully.
- The contract is a written agreement between both parties.
In these examples, “written” describes things that involve writing, like communication, instructions, or agreements.
“Wrote” can’t be used as an adjective.
Have You Written That All Down?
To summarize, the past tense of “write” is wrote, and the past participle is written. You use wrote, have/has written, or had written, depending on the context. Each form helps you describe when the writing took place.
Hopefully, you’ve written down some notes and learned everything you need to know about the past tense of “write”!
If you’d like to learn more about the past tense of other study related verbs, you might want to check out:
