What Is The Past Tense of Fall?
The past tense of "fall" is "fell."
What is the Past Tense of "Fall"?
The past tense of "fall" is "fell". This form is used to describe an action that has already happened. It is straightforward and fits into regular past tense usage.
Examples:
She fell down the stairs yesterday.
The tree fell during the storm.
He fell asleep during the movie.
They fell behind in their work.
The book fell off the shelf.
Common Mistakes: Fell vs. Fallen
Many learners confuse "fell" and "fallen". "Fell" is the simple past tense, while "fallen" is the past participle. The past participle is used in perfect tenses and passive voice, often requiring auxiliary verbs like "has", "have", or "had".
Incorrect: She has fell asleep. Correct: She has fallen asleep.
Incorrect: The leaves have fell off the tree. Correct: The leaves have fallen off the tree.
Incorrect: He had fell ill before the trip. Correct: He had fallen ill before the trip.
How to Use "Fallen" Correctly
"Fallen" is used with auxiliary verbs and appears in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. It indicates that an action was completed before another action or a specific point in time.
Examples:
She has fallen ill.
The prices have fallen sharply.
By the time we arrived, night had fallen.
The company has fallen on hard times.
The tower had fallen by the time help arrived.
Remember:
Use "fell" for simple past: He fell off the bike.
Use "fallen" for perfect tenses: He has fallen off the bike.
More Rules and Examples
Rule 1: Use "fell" for simple past events.
Examples:
I fell over when I tripped on the sidewalk.
He fell in love quickly.
Rule 2: Use "fallen" with auxiliary verbs for perfect tenses.
Examples:
They have fallen out of touch.
The temperature had fallen by the time we arrived.
Rule 3: Use "fallen" in passive voice constructions.
Examples:
The castle walls had fallen after the long siege.
Many trees have fallen due to the strong winds.
Common Mistakes and Corrections
Incorrect: The soldiers have fell during the battle. Correct: The soldiers have fallen during the battle.
Incorrect: She fell asleep before the show had ended. Correct: She had fallen asleep before the show ended.
Incorrect: The prices fell by the time we checked. Correct: The prices had fallen by the time we checked.
Practice Exercises
Complete these sentences with "fell" or "fallen":
The vase ____ off the table.
He has ____ out of favor with his boss.
They ____ into the river last week.
By the end of the day, all the apples had ____.
She ____ ill after the meal.
The stars have ____ from the sky.
He ____ into the trap without noticing.
The interest rates have ____ recently.
The old house had ____ into disrepair.
We ____ behind schedule due to traffic.
Answers:
fell
fallen
fell
fallen
fell
fallen
fell
fallen
fallen
fell