Past Tense of Grind

The past tense of "grind" is "ground." This irregular verb form is used to describe the action of crushing or reducing something to small particles that occurred in the past.

Understanding the Verb "Grind"

"Grind" means to crush or reduce something into small pieces. It's often used when discussing food preparation, machinery, or even repetitive tasks.

Examples in present tense:

  • I grind coffee beans every morning.

  • The machine grinds the wheat into flour.

  • She grinds her teeth at night.

  • The workers grind the ore to extract the minerals.

  • You grind the peppercorns to add flavor to the dish.

What is the Past Tense of "Grind"?

The past tense of "grind" is "ground." Many people mistakenly use "grinded," but this is incorrect. "Ground" is the proper form used in all standard English contexts.

Examples using "ground":

  • Yesterday, I ground the coffee beans.

  • The mill ground the grain into flour last week.

  • He ground his teeth during the stressful meeting.

  • They ground the metal into powder for the experiment.

  • She ground the herbs to make a medicinal paste.

Usage and Common Mistakes

"Ground" is used in various contexts, including food preparation, mechanical processes, and even idiomatic expressions.

Common mistakes:

  • Incorrect: She grinded the spices for the recipe.

  • Correct: She ground the spices for the recipe.

  • Incorrect: The machine grinded the corn.

  • Correct: The machine ground the corn.

  • Incorrect: He has grinded his teeth all night.

  • Correct: He has ground his teeth all night.

To avoid mistakes, remember that "ground" is the standard past tense form. It’s helpful to practice and get accustomed to using the correct form.

Rules for Forming the Past Tense

  1. Regular vs. Irregular Verbs: "Grind" is an irregular verb. Unlike regular verbs that add "-ed" for the past tense, irregular verbs like "grind" have unique past tense forms.

  2. Consistent Usage: Always use "ground" as the past tense and past participle of "grind." Avoid using "grinded" in any context.

Practice Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the correct past tense form of "grind":

  1. Last night, I _____ the coffee beans.

  2. The workers _____ the wheat into flour.

  3. During the exam, he _____ his teeth nervously.

  4. They _____ the metal into powder for the experiment.

  5. She _____ the herbs to make a medicinal paste.

Multiple-choice quiz:

  1. What is the past tense of "grind"?

    • A) Grinded

    • B) Ground

    • C) Grinds

  2. Which of the following sentences is correct?

    • A) She grinded the spices for the recipe.

    • B) She ground the spices for the recipe.

    • C) She grinds the spices for the recipe.

  3. Choose the correct sentence:

    • A) The machine grinded the corn.

    • B) The machine ground the corn.

    • C) The machine grinds the corn.

Answers:

  1. B) Ground

  2. B) She ground the spices for the recipe.

  3. B) The machine ground the corn.

More Examples for Practice

Sentence Construction:

  1. The artisan _____ the gemstones to a fine polish.

  2. The chef _____ the garlic to release its flavor.

  3. The factory _____ the plastic into small pellets.

  4. He _____ the knife to sharpen the blade.

  5. They _____ the concrete to make it smooth.

Correct Form Check:

  • Incorrect: The workers grinded the ore.

  • Correct: The workers ground the ore.

  • Incorrect: She has grinded the coffee.

  • Correct: She has ground the coffee.