The Verb "Burn" in English
Conjugation of "To Burn"
The verb "burn" is an irregular verb. (This means that "burn" does not form its simple past tense or its past participle by adding "-ed" or "-d" to the base form.)The Five Forms of "To Burn"
| Form | burn | Alternative Name |
|---|---|---|
| Base Form | burn | Infinitive Form |
| The -S Form | burns | Third Person Singular Form |
| Past Form | burnt (also burned) | Simple Past Tense |
| The -ING Form | burning | Present Participle Form |
| The Past Participle Form | burnt (also burned) | [no alternative name] |
"To Burn" in All the Tenses
The tables below show how "burn" conjugates in the past, present, and future tenses.Past Tenses
| Person | Simple Past | Past Progressive Tense | Past Perfect Tense | Past Perfect Progressive Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The simple past tense is for a completed activity that happened in the past.
|
The past progressive tense is for an ongoing activity in the past. Often, it is used to set the scene for another action.
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The past perfect tense is for emphasizing that an action was completed before another took place.
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The past perfect progressive tense is for showing that an ongoing action in the past has ended.
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Present Tenses
| Person | Simple Present | Present Progressive Tense | Present Perfect Tense | Present Perfect Progressive Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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The simple present tense is mostly for a fact or a habit.
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The present progressive tense is for an ongoing action in the present.
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The present perfect tense is for an action that began in the past. (Often, the action continues into the present.)
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The present perfect progressive tense is for a continuous activity that began in the past and continues into the present (or finished very recently).
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Future Tenses
| Person | Simple Future | Future Progressive Tense | Future Perfect Tense | Future Perfect Progressive Tense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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The simple future tense is for an action that will occur in the future.
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The future progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will occur in the future.
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The future perfect tense is for an action that will have been completed at some point in the future.
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The future perfect progressive tense is for an ongoing action that will be completed at some specified time in the future.
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Most Common Irregular Verbs
The two most common irregular verbs in English are "be" and "have." These pages give more details about these two verbs: Here are the next 10 most common irregular verbs in English:Most Common Irregular Verbs
The two most common irregular verbs in English are "be" and "have." These pages give more details about these two verbs: Here are the next 10 most common irregular verbs in English:
This page was written by Craig Shrives.
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