#The past tense of ring is series#

it was ringing, then stopped, then was ringing again, then stopped again, then was ringing again, etc.) (That is, unless it was in such a state several times, i.e.

#The past tense of ring is series#

A continuous state of ringing is not countable, because it’s an ongoing state, not a series of individual actions. That’s because “was ringing” (past continuous, if I’m not mistaken) is telling us that (for a brief period) the telephone was in a continuous state of ringing. “The telephone rang for some time before I answered it.”īut I’m pretty sure you CAN’T say “The telephone was ringing several times…” “The telephone was ringing for some time before I answered it.” “The telephone had rung several times before I answered it.” (Or “…by the time I answered it.”) “The telephone rang several times before I answered it.” when we’ve finished a big job we would probably say “We’ve done it,” but some of my US friends would say “We did it!” I don’t know if that’s considered right or wrong in the US, but perhaps you do. In the UK, we occasionally use the simple past to function as the perfect, but not as much, and e.g. Please note, I’m not suggesting anything or anyone is right or wrong! I’m just saying that usage seems to vary. From here, “The bell already rang” doesn’t really make sense: if it’s already, then there’s an ongoing effect or change of situation, and it should be the perfect tense: “The bell HAS already RUNG.”īut I’ve noticed that at least some people from the US quite often use the simple past for this. However, that’s from a British perspective. it was too early to get our lunch, but now that the bell has rung we should join the lunch line), the ‘proper’ tense for this is the perfect tense (in one of its forms): “The bell has rung,” or “The bell has been rung,” or “Has the cook rung the bell yet?” When the action changes the situation (e.g. it’s now too late, or we’re now in lunch time, or (as opposed to “the bell rang occasionally, or at some point in the past, or just now, but without any change of situation).

If the bell has already rung, that not only means that the event has happened, but that there is an ongoing effect, e.g. …it seems to illustrate a possible conflict between what is ‘correct’ and a form used fairly commonly in the US. Re: “The bell already rang.” To me, a Brit, that doesn’t work, but…

Were you aware that the phone rang this morning? By tomorrow, they will have rung the bell ten times to get the students’ attention.ĥ. She had rung the bell three times before I was near enough to hear it.Ĥ. We rang the bell, but no one answered the door.ģ. He rings the bell to get the students’ attention.Ģ. Were you aware that the phone this morning?ġ. By tomorrow, they will have the bell ten times to get the students’ attention.ĥ. She had the bell three times before I was near enough to hear it.Ĥ. We the bell, but no one answered the door.ģ. He the bell to get the students’ attention.Ģ. She would have rung the bell sooner if she had known they were leaving today.ġ. I would have rung the bell sooner if I had known they were leaving today. If they don’t answer the door soon, she will have rung the bell twice since this morning. If they don’t answer the door soon, I will have rung the bell twice since this morning. The past participle also includes the auxiliary verb have, has, or had depending on whether it is in the present, past, future, or conditional perfect. The past participle of ring changes the central vowel to u. They rang their bike bells when they approached the park. The simple past tense of ring changes the central vowel to an a. They ring their bike bells when they approach the park. Like standard verbs, ring has no change of form or vowel in the present tense. Ring conjugates as ring (present tense), rang (simple past), and rung (past participle). In verb conjugation, a regular verb follows a simple, predictable pattern, such as print (present tense), printed (simple past), and printed (past particle): I print, you printed, and they have printed.Īn irregular verb is one that forms its simple past tense and past participle with a non-standard pattern.