What is the past tense of lead, read, and dream, and how do we pronounce them? That’s our question of the day!
Past tense of lead – led
The past tense of lead is led. Here are some example sentences:
- I often lead meetings at work. Yesterday I led a meeting with a new client.
- The winding trail through the forest eventually led us to a waterfall.
- Tim’s strategic thinking led the team to success in the challenging project.
- The detective carefully examined the evidence that led to the identification of the culprit.
Led is also the past participle of “lead,” used in the present perfect:
- In the past year, I’ve led several workshops on team building.
- She has led the organization well for over a decade.
Note: There is also the NOUN “lead” pronounced like “led,” which refers to a type of metal that is used in pencils.
Past tense of read – read (like “red”)
The past tense of read is read – it’s spelled exactly the same, but pronounced just like the color “red.”
- I always read a book before bed. (present) Last month I read two books. (past)
- She read the entire research paper to prepare for the discussion today.
- My grandfather read me bedtime stories when I was a child.
- I read that novel a long time ago so I don’t remember much about the story.
Read (pronounced “red”) is also the past participle of “read,” used in the present perfect:
- Have you ever read War and Peace?
- I’ve read over the contract and I have some questions.
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Past tense of dream – dreamed or dreamt (rhymes with “tempt”)
The past tense of dream can be dreamed or dreamt – both forms are correct, and they’ve both been used in English for several hundred years. So last night I dreamed about flying, or last night I dreamt about flying – they’re both fine.
- She dreamt about her long-lost friend and woke up with a sense of nostalgia.
- As a child, he often dreamed of becoming an astronaut and exploring outer space.
Dreamed or dreamt can also be used as the past participle, in the present perfect tense:
- I’ve often dreamed about quitting my job and traveling the world.
- We’ve always dreamt of adopting a child, and now our dream is coming true!
All three of these past tenses have a short “e” sound as in the word “get” or “bed.”
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