Put or Putted: Understanding the Past Tense of ‘Put’

The verb ‘put’ is an irregular verb, meaning its past tense and past participle forms don’t follow the typical ‘-ed’ ending rule seen in regular verbs like ‘walked,’ ‘talked,’ or ‘played.’ Instead, the past tense of ‘put’ remains ‘put,’ similar to other irregular verbs such as ‘cut,’ ‘hit,’ and ‘hurt.’ Understanding this exception is crucial for accurate sentence construction and clear communication. Knowing when to use ‘put’ in its various tenses will improve both your writing and speaking skills and avoiding common grammatical errors.

This article will provide a comprehensive guide to understanding and using the correct past tense of ‘put.’ Whether you’re writing an academic paper, crafting a story, or simply engaging in everyday conversation, mastering irregular verbs like ‘put’ is essential for effective communication. This guide will help you navigate the nuances of this verb, ensuring you use it correctly in all contexts.

Table of Contents

• Definition of ‘Put’
• Structural Breakdown
• Forms of ‘Put’
• Examples of ‘Put’ in Different Tenses
• Usage Rules for ‘Put’
• Common Mistakes
• Practice Exercises
• Advanced Topics
• FAQ
• Conclusion

Definition of ‘Put’

The verb ‘put’ is a versatile word with several meanings, but its core definition involves placing something in a specific location or position. It’s used to describe the action of transferring an object from one place to another, such as when you put a book on a shelf, put your keys on the table, or put your clothes in the closet. The word is commonly used in everyday conversation and writing.

In a broader sense, ‘put’ can also mean to bring into a particular state or condition. For example, you might put someone at ease, put pressure on a situation, or put an idea into action. This usage extends beyond physical placement to encompass abstract concepts and actions. Additionally, ‘put’ can refer to expressing something in a specific way, such as when you put your thoughts into words or put a question to someone.

As an irregular verb, ‘put’ does not follow the standard rules for forming the past tense and past participle. Instead of adding ‘-ed,’ the base form ‘put’ remains the same across all three principal parts: base form (put), past tense (put), and past participle (put). This characteristic makes it essential to understand the context in which ‘put’ is used to determine the tense accurately.

Structural Breakdown

The structural simplicity of ‘put’ can be deceiving. While the form remains constant across different tenses, its function and meaning change depending on the context. Understanding how ‘put’ is used in a sentence involves recognizing its relationship with other words, particularly the subject, object, and any accompanying adverbs or prepositions.

The basic structure involving ‘put’ typically follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) pattern. For example, in the sentence “I put the book on the table,” ‘I’ is the subject, ‘put’ is the verb, and ‘the book’ is the object. The prepositional phrase “on the table” provides additional information about the location where the book was placed. This structure applies regardless of the tense, as the verb ‘put’ does not change form.

To determine the tense of ‘put,’ you must rely on contextual clues within the sentence or surrounding sentences. These clues may include auxiliary verbs, time adverbs, or other indicators of past, present, or future time. For instance, in the sentence “Yesterday, I put the groceries away,” the adverb ‘yesterday’ clearly indicates that the action occurred in the past. In contrast, “I put the groceries away every day” indicates a present, habitual action.

Forms of ‘Put’

The verb ‘put’ maintains the same form across its base form, past tense, and past participle. This characteristic makes it an irregular verb that requires careful attention to context for proper usage. Here’s a breakdown of its forms:

Base Form

The base form of ‘put’ is used in the present tense (except for the third-person singular), as well as in the infinitive form and with modal verbs. Examples include:

• I put the keys on the counter.
• They put their trust in him.
• You should put more effort into your work.
• To put it simply, he failed the test.

Past Tense

The past tense of ‘put’ is also ‘put.’ Context clues are essential to determine if the action occurred in the past. Examples include:

• Yesterday, I put the letter in the mailbox.
• She put her phone away before the movie started.
• We put the chairs in the garage last weekend.

Past Participle

The past participle of ‘put’ is ‘put’ as well. It is used with auxiliary verbs such as ‘have,’ ‘has,’ or ‘had’ to form perfect tenses. Examples include:

• I have put the dishes in the dishwasher.
• She has put a lot of thought into this project.
• They had put their differences aside before the meeting.

Present Participle

The present participle of ‘put’ is ‘putting.’ This form is used in continuous tenses and as a gerund or participle. Examples include:

• I am putting the groceries away.
• She is putting on her coat.
• Putting your best foot forward is important.

Examples of ‘Put’ in Different Tenses

Understanding the different tenses of ‘put’ is essential for using the verb correctly. The tables below provide examples of ‘put’ in the simple present, simple past, present perfect, and past perfect tenses. By examining these examples, you can gain a better understanding of how to use ‘put’ in various contexts.

Simple Present Tense

The simple present tense is used to describe habitual actions, general truths, or states. Here are examples of ‘put’ in the simple present tense:

Subject	Verb (Put)	Object/Complement	Example Sentence
I	put	the book on the shelf	I put the book on the shelf every night.
You	put	your keys on the table	You always put your keys on the table.
He	puts	sugar in his coffee	He puts sugar in his coffee every morning.
She	puts	on her makeup	She puts on her makeup before work.
It	puts	me in a difficult position	It puts me in a difficult position when you ask me that.
We	put	the chairs in the corner	We put the chairs in the corner after the meeting.
They	put	their trust in him	They put their trust in him because he’s reliable.
I	put	my phone on silent	I always put my phone on silent during meetings.
You	put	too much salt in the soup	You put too much salt in the soup again.
He	puts	his heart and soul into his work	He puts his heart and soul into his work.
She	puts	the children to bed early	She puts the children to bed early on school nights.
It	puts	a smile on my face	It puts a smile on my face when I see you.
We	put	our heads together to solve the problem	We put our heads together to solve the problem.
They	put	their money in the bank	They put their money in the bank to save for the future.
I	put	the kettle on for tea	I put the kettle on for tea every afternoon.
You	put	yourself in danger	You put yourself in danger when you drive too fast.
He	puts	pressure on himself to succeed	He puts pressure on himself to succeed.
She	puts	others before herself	She always puts others before herself.
It	puts	me off when you interrupt	It puts me off when you interrupt me.
We	put	our differences aside	We put our differences aside to work together.
They	put	effort into their relationship	They put a lot of effort into their relationship.
I	put	my trust in you	I put my trust in you to make the right decision.
You	put	me in a good mood	You always put me in a good mood.
He	puts	his clothes away neatly	He puts his clothes away neatly after doing laundry.
She	puts	her heart into her cooking	She puts her heart into her cooking, and it shows.

Simple Past Tense

The simple past tense is used to describe completed actions in the past. Here are examples of ‘put’ in the simple past tense:

Subject	Verb (Put)	Object/Complement	Example Sentence
I	put	the book on the shelf	Yesterday, I put the book on the shelf.
You	put	your keys on the table	You put your keys on the table when you came in.
He	put	sugar in his coffee	This morning, he put sugar in his coffee.
She	put	on her makeup	She put on her makeup before the party.
It	put	me in a difficult position	That question put me in a difficult position.
We	put	the chairs in the corner	We put the chairs in the corner after the event.
They	put	their trust in him	They put their trust in him last year.
I	put	my phone on silent	I put my phone on silent during the meeting.
You	put	too much salt in the soup	You put too much salt in the soup last night.
He	put	his heart and soul into his work	He put his heart and soul into his work on that project.
She	put	the children to bed early	She put the children to bed early because they were tired.
It	put	a smile on my face	Your message put a smile on my face this morning.
We	put	our heads together to solve the problem	We put our heads together to solve the problem yesterday.
They	put	their money in the bank	They put their money in the bank last week.
I	put	the kettle on for tea	I put the kettle on for tea earlier.
You	put	yourself in danger	You put yourself in danger when you drove in that storm.
He	put	pressure on himself to succeed	He put a lot of pressure on himself to succeed.
She	put	others before herself	She put others before herself during the crisis.
It	put	me off when you interrupted	It put me off when you interrupted the speaker.
We	put	our differences aside	We put our differences aside to work together on the project.
They	put	effort into their relationship	They put a lot of effort into their relationship last year.
I	put	my trust in you	I put my trust in you to handle the situation.
You	put	me in a good mood	Your visit put me in a good mood yesterday.
He	put	his clothes away neatly	He put his clothes away neatly after he did laundry.
She	put	her heart into her cooking	She put her heart into her cooking for the dinner party.

Present Perfect Tense

The present perfect tense is used to describe actions that started in the past and continue to have relevance in the present, or actions completed at an unspecified time in the past. It combines ‘have’ or ‘has’ with the past participle (which is ‘put’).

Subject	Auxiliary Verb	Verb (Put)	Object/Complement	Example Sentence
I	have	put	the book on the shelf	I have put the book on the shelf.
You	have	put	your keys on the table	You have put your keys on the table again.
He	has	put	sugar in his coffee	He has put sugar in his coffee every morning this week.
She	has	put	on her makeup	She has put on her makeup for the event.
It	has	put	me in a difficult position	This situation has put me in a difficult position.
We	have	put	the chairs in the corner	We have put the chairs in the corner.
They	have	put	their trust in him	They have put their trust in him for years.
I	have	put	my phone on silent	I have put my phone on silent to avoid interruptions.
You	have	put	too much salt in the soup	You have put too much salt in the soup this time.
He	has	put	his heart and soul into his work	He has put his heart and soul into his work on this project.
She	has	put	the children to bed early	She has put the children to bed early because they are tired.
It	has	put	a smile on my face	Your kind words have put a smile on my face.
We	have	put	our heads together to solve the problem	We have put our heads together to solve the problem many times.
They	have	put	their money in the bank	They have put their money in the bank for safekeeping.
I	have	put	the kettle on for tea	I have put the kettle on for tea; it will be ready soon.
You	have	put	yourself in danger	You have put yourself in danger by taking that risk.
He	has	put	pressure on himself to succeed	He has put too much pressure on himself to succeed.
She	has	put	others before herself	She has always put others before herself.
It	has	put	me off when you interrupted	Your interruption has put me off.
We	have	put	our differences aside	We have put our differences aside to work together.
They	have	put	effort into their relationship	They have put considerable effort into their relationship.
I	have	put	my trust in you	I have put my trust in you to handle this delicate matter.
You	have	put	me in a good mood	Your presence has put me in a good mood.
He	has	put	his clothes away neatly	He has put his clothes away neatly every time.
She	has	put	her heart into her cooking	She has put her heart into her cooking, and it tastes divine.

Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense is used to describe an action that was completed before another action in the past. It is formed using ‘had’ + past participle (put).

Subject	Auxiliary Verb	Verb (Put)	Object/Complement	Example Sentence
I	had	put	the book on the shelf	I had put the book on the shelf before I went to bed.
You	had	put	your keys on the table	You had put your keys on the table before leaving.
He	had	put	sugar in his coffee	He had put sugar in his coffee before I arrived.
She	had	put	on her makeup	She had put on her makeup before the guests arrived.
It	had	put	me in a difficult position	The situation had put me in a difficult position.
We	had	put	the chairs in the corner	We had put the chairs in the corner before the dance.
They	had	put	their trust in him	They had put their trust in him until he betrayed them.
I	had	put	my phone on silent	I had put my phone on silent before the lecture started.
You	had	put	too much salt in the soup	You had put too much salt in the soup before I could taste it.
He	had	put	his heart and soul into his work	He had put his heart and soul into his work before he retired.
She	had	put	the children to bed early	She had put the children to bed early because they were exhausted.
It	had	put	a smile on my face	The surprise party had put a smile on my face.
We	had	put	our heads together to solve the problem	We had put our heads together to solve the problem, but we still couldn’t find a solution.
They	had	put	their money in the bank	They had put their money in the bank before the market crashed.
I	had	put	the kettle on for tea	I had put the kettle on for tea before you arrived.
You	had	put	yourself in danger	You had put yourself in danger by going there alone.
He	had	put	pressure on himself to succeed	He had put so much pressure on himself to succeed that he became ill.
She	had	put	others before herself	She had always put others before herself, even when it hurt her.
It	had	put	me off when you interrupted	Your interruption had put me off my train of thought.
We	had	put	our differences aside	We had put our differences aside to work on the project together.
They	had	put	effort into their relationship	They had put a lot of effort into their relationship before they decided to separate.
I	had	put	my trust in you	I had put my trust in you, but you disappointed me.
You	had	put	me in a good mood	Your kind words had put me in a good mood all day.
He	had	put	his clothes away neatly	He had put his clothes away neatly before going out.
She	had	put	her heart into her cooking	She had put her heart into her cooking for the special occasion.

Usage Rules for ‘Put’

The verb ‘put’ follows specific usage rules that ensure clarity and grammatical accuracy. Here are the primary rules to keep in mind:

1. Tense Consistency: Ensure that the tense of ‘put’ aligns with the overall tense of the sentence or paragraph. For past actions, use contextual clues like time adverbs (‘yesterday,’ ‘last week’) to indicate that ‘put’ is in the past tense.
2. Auxiliary Verbs: When using ‘put’ in perfect tenses (present perfect, past perfect), remember to include the appropriate auxiliary verb (‘have,’ ‘has,’ ‘had’). For example, “I have put the dishes away” (present perfect) or “I had put the dishes away before you arrived” (past perfect).
3. Subject-Verb Agreement: While ‘put’ does not change form in the past tense, it does change in the simple present tense for the third-person singular (he, she, it). In these cases, ‘put’ becomes ‘puts.’ For example, “He puts sugar in his coffee.”
4. Phrasal Verbs: ‘Put’ is often used in phrasal verbs, which combine ‘put’ with a preposition or adverb to create a new meaning. Examples include ‘put on’ (to wear), ‘put off’ (to postpone), ‘put up with’ (to tolerate), and ‘put down’ (to criticize). Ensure you understand the specific meaning of the phrasal verb in context.
5. Contextual Clues: Rely on context to determine the tense of ‘put.’ Look for time references, sequence of events, and other indicators that provide information about when the action occurred.

Common Mistakes

One of the most common mistakes is incorrectly assuming that ‘put’ follows the regular verb pattern and adding ‘-ed’ to form the past tense, resulting in the non-existent word “putted.” It’s crucial to remember that ‘put’ is an irregular verb and its past tense and past participle forms are the same as its base form.

Another frequent error is misusing ‘put’ in perfect tenses. Remember to include the correct auxiliary verb (‘have,’ ‘has,’ or ‘had’) to form the present perfect or past perfect tense. For example, saying “I put the keys on the table” when you mean “I have put the keys on the table” can lead to confusion.

Also, be mindful of subject-verb agreement in the simple present tense. While ‘put’ remains the same for most subjects (I, you, we, they), it changes to ‘puts’ for third-person singular subjects (he, she, it). For instance, “He puts the book on the shelf,” not “He put the book on the shelf.”

Here are some examples of common mistakes and their corrections:

Incorrect	Correct	Explanation
I putted the book on the table.	I put the book on the table.	‘Put’ is an irregular verb; its past tense is ‘put.’
She put on her coat yesterday.	She put on her coat yesterday.	This sentence is already correct; ‘put’ is the correct past tense form.
They had putted their trust in him.	They had put their trust in him.	The past participle of ‘put’ is ‘put,’ not ‘putted.’
He put the dishes away.	He has put the dishes away.	In this context, the present perfect tense is more appropriate to indicate that the action has relevance to the present.
She put the key on the table every day.	She puts the key on the table every day.	Third-person singular requires ‘puts’ in the simple present tense.
I am put the groceries away.	I am putting the groceries away.	The present continuous tense requires the -ing form, ‘putting’.
They have putted their money in the bank.	They have put their money in the bank.	The past participle of ‘put’ is ‘put’, not ‘putted’.
He putted his heart into his work.	He put his heart into his work.	‘Put’ is the correct past tense form.
She had putted the children to bed early.	She had put the children to bed early.	The past participle is ‘put’, not ‘putted’.
We are put our heads together to solve the problem.	We are putting our heads together to solve the problem.	The -ing form ‘putting’ is needed for the present continuous tense.

Practice Exercises

Test your understanding of ‘put’ with these practice exercises. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of ‘put’ (put or putting) in the appropriate tense.

Exercise 1: Simple Past Tense

Question	Answer
Yesterday, I ______ the letter in the mailbox.	put
She ______ her phone away before the movie started.	put
We ______ the chairs in the garage last weekend.	put
He ______ sugar in his coffee this morning.	put
They ______ their trust in him last year.	put
You ______ too much salt in the soup last night.	put
I ______ my phone on silent during the meeting.	put
She ______ the children to bed early because they were tired.	put
We ______ our heads together to solve the problem yesterday.	put
He ______ his heart and soul into his work on that project.	put

Exercise 2: Present Perfect Tense

Question	Answer
I ______ (have) the dishes in the dishwasher.	have put
She ______ (has) a lot of thought into this project.	has put
They ______ (have) their differences aside before the meeting.	have put
He ______ (has) his clothes away neatly every time.	has put
We ______ (have) our money in the bank for safekeeping.	have put
You ______ (have) yourself in danger by taking that risk.	have put
I ______ (have) the kettle on for tea; it will be ready soon.	have put
She ______ (has) others before herself.	has put
He ______ (has) pressure on himself to succeed.	has put
They ______ (have) effort into their relationship.	have put

Exercise 3: Present Continuous Tense

Question	Answer
I am ______ the groceries away.	putting
She is ______ on her coat.	putting
They are ______ their differences aside to work together.	putting
He is ______ pressure on himself to succeed.	putting
We are ______ our heads together to solve the problem.	putting
You are ______ yourself in danger by driving too fast.	putting
She is ______ others before herself.	putting
I am ______ my trust in you.	putting
He is ______ his heart into his work.	putting
We are ______ the final touches on the project.	putting

Advanced Topics

While the focus is often on the physical act of moving an object, ‘put’ is a cornerstone of English idioms and phrasal verbs. Understanding these advanced uses is key to achieving fluency. In these complex structures, ‘put’ still follows its irregular conjugation (put-put-put), but the meaning shifts significantly based on the accompanying particle.

Common Phrasal Verbs with ‘Put’

• Put off: To postpone. (e.g., “They put off the wedding until June.”)
• Put up with: To tolerate. (e.g., “I have put up with his noise for long enough.”)
• Put across: To communicate clearly. (e.g., “She put her ideas across very well.”)
• Put out: To extinguish or to inconvenience. (e.g., “The firefighters put out the blaze.”)

FAQ

Conclusion

Mastering the verb ‘put’ is a significant milestone in learning English grammar. Because it is an irregular “static” verb—meaning its base, past, and past participle forms are identical—it often trips up students and writers alike. The most important rule to remember is that “putted” is not the past tense of “put” in general English; “put” remains “put” regardless of whether the action happened a moment ago or a year ago.

By paying attention to context clues and auxiliary verbs, you can easily navigate the different tenses. Whether you are putting your thoughts on paper or have already put your books away, using the correct form ensures your communication is professional, clear, and grammatically sound.