Past Tense of Fly

Understanding the Base Form: Fly

The verb "fly" means to move through the air using wings or to travel by air. It is an irregular verb, meaning it does not follow the standard rules for past tense formation.

Examples:

• Birds fly south for the winter.
• I fly to New York every summer.
• The pilot flies the plane every day.
• Butterflies fly from flower to flower.
• You fly to different cities for work.

Simple Past Tense: Flew

The simple past tense of "fly" is "flew". Use "flew" to describe actions that happened at a specific time in the past.

Examples:

• She flew to Paris last week.
• They flew over the mountains during their trip.
• He flew his kite at the park yesterday.
• The pilot flew the plane smoothly.
• We flew together for the first time last summer.

Rules:

• Use "flew" for completed actions in the past.
• Do not use "flew" with auxiliary verbs like "have" or "had".

Common Mistakes:

• Incorrect: She has flew to Paris last week.
• Correct: She flew to Paris last week.

Past Participle: Flown

The past participle of "fly" is "flown". Use "flown" in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions.

Examples:

• I have flown to many countries.
• She had never flown before last year.
• The drone has flown over the entire area.
• The birds had flown away before the storm.
• The helicopter was flown by a skilled pilot.

Rules:

• Use "flown" with auxiliary verbs like "have," "has," or "had".
• Use "flown" for actions that occurred before another past action or for experiences up to the present.

Common Mistakes:

• Incorrect: They have flew across the ocean.
• Correct: They have flown across the ocean.
• Incorrect: The plane was flew by the new pilot.
• Correct: The plane was flown by the new pilot.

Common Mistakes and Tips

Learners often confuse "flew" and "flown". Remember, "flew" is for simple past, while "flown" is for perfect tenses and passive voice.

Tips:

• Use "flew" for specific past actions.
• Use "flown" with "have," "has," or "had".
• Practice with sentences to reinforce understanding.

Practice Sentences:

• Correct: She flew to Canada last year.
• Incorrect: She has flew to Canada last year.
• Correct: They have flown across the ocean.
• Incorrect: They have flew across the ocean.
• Correct: I had flown in a small plane before.
• Incorrect: I had flew in a small plane before.
• Correct: The pilot has flown this route many times.
• Incorrect: The pilot has flew this route many times.

Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of "fly" (flew or flown):

• Yesterday, I ____ to New York.
• By the time you arrived, we had already ____ to the meeting.
• She has ____ to several countries in Europe.
• The bird ____ away when it saw the cat.
• They ____ over the city in a hot air balloon last summer.

Correct the following sentences:

• He has flew to Japan twice.
• We had flew to the island before the storm started.
• The pilot has flew the plane for ten years.
• The papers were flew to the office.
• They have flew together many times.

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