The past form of the verb ‘cry’ in English is ‘cried’. This is an irregular verb, meaning that the past simple and past participle forms do not follow the regular pattern of adding ‘-ed’ to the base form. Irregular verbs are common in English and have to be memorized individually. Below we will go over the forms of ‘cry’ in more detail with examples of usage in sentences. We will also look at the origin and etymology of this verb.
Past Simple Form
The past simple form of ‘cry’ is ‘cried’. This is used to indicate an action that happened and was completed in the past. For example:
- The baby cried for hours last night.
- She cried tears of joy when she heard the good news.
- I cried myself to sleep after the breakup.
As you can see from the examples, the past simple form is used for single completed actions in the past. To form this, the base form ‘cry’ becomes ‘cried’.
Uses of Past Simple
The past simple is used:
- For actions that started and finished in the past:
- He cried during the sad movie last night.
- To describe repeated actions in the past:
- When he was a baby, he cried for hours every night.
- For sequences of events in the past:
- She cried, then called her friend, and cried some more.
So the past simple is versatile and describes many types of completed past actions.
Past Participle Form
The past participle form of ‘cry’ is also ‘cried’. This has several uses including:
- To form the present perfect tense:
- She has cried twice today already.
- To form the past perfect tense:
- He had cried before the movie even started.
- In passive voice sentences:
- The sad song was cried to by many people.
So the past participle ‘cried’ is important for constructing various types of sentences in English. It is formed irregularly from ‘cry’.
Uses of Past Participle
Some examples of the main uses of the past participle include:
- Present perfect tense: Have/has + past participle
- I’ve cried three times today.
- Past perfect tense: Had + past participle
- I had cried before the movie started.
- Passive voice: Be verb + past participle
- The sad song was cried to by everyone.
The past participle forms an integral part of verb tenses and the passive voice in English.
Origin of ‘Cried’
The past tense form ‘cried’ has its origins in Middle English. It comes from the Middle English word ‘crien’ meaning ‘to cry aloud’. This in turn came from the Old English ‘crīnan’ which had a similar meaning.
The origins of the word ‘cry’ itself before 1000 CE are uncertain, but it may be onomatopoeic, meaning it represents the sound of crying. The past tense form has remained relatively stable over the centuries. Since at least the 1400s, ‘cried’ has been established as the standard past tense form, persisting in modern English.
Timeline of ‘Cried’
- Old English ‘crīnan’ – To cry aloud (before 1000 CE)
- Middle English ‘crien’ – To cry aloud (1100-1500 CE)
- ‘Cried’ emerges as standard past tense in Middle English
- ‘Cried’ persists into modern English from at least 1400s
So the past form ‘cried’ has a long history stretching back over 1000 years in the English language.
‘Cried’ vs ‘Cryed’
Since ‘cry’ is an irregular verb, the standard past simple form is ‘cried’, not ‘cryed’. However, ‘cryed’ is sometimes used as a misspelling, for example:
- Incorrect: I cryed when I saw the movie.
- Correct: I cried when I saw the movie.
This mistake likely arises due to the influence of regular past tense verbs ending in ‘-ed’. But with irregular verbs, the standard past tense forms should be memorized and used.
Examples
Here are some more examples contrasting the incorrect ‘cryed’ and correct ‘cried’:
- Incorrect: The baby has been cryed all night.
- Correct: The baby has been crying all night.
- Incorrect: He cryed out in pain when he stubbed his toe.
- Correct: He cried out in pain when he stubbed his toe.
- Incorrect: The mourners cryed at the funeral.
- Correct: The mourners cried at the funeral.
So ‘cried’ should always be used as the past tense of ‘cry’ to avoid confusion and be grammatically correct.
Conjugating ‘Cry’ in Past, Present and Future
Here is a table showing how to conjugate ‘cry’ in the past, present and future:
| Tense | Conjugation |
|---|---|
| Past simple | I/you/he/she/it/we/they cried |
| Present simple | I/you/we/they cry |
| Present simple | He/she/it cries |
| Future simple | I/you/he/she/it/we/they will cry |
| Past participle | Have/has/had cried |
This summarizes the full conjugation of ‘cry’ in different tenses, showing the irregular past and past participle forms. The other forms follow the regular rules.
Examples
Here are some examples of ‘cry’ conjugated in sentences:
- Past: I cried when I found out the news.
- Present: The baby cries when he is hungry.
- Future: I will cry tears of joy at the wedding.
- Present perfect: She has cried three times today already.
- Past perfect: I had cried before the movie even started.
This shows ‘cry’ flexibly conjugated in real sentence context. The past tense and participle ‘cried’ occurs when needed.
Spelling and Pronunciation
‘Cried’ has the following spelling and pronunciation features:
- Spelling: cried
- Pronunciation: /kraɪd/
- Number of letters: 5
- Number of syllables: 1
- Stress: First syllable KRAI-d
Points to note:
- The letter ‘i’ is pronounced with a long ‘i’ sound as in ‘kite’.
- ‘Cried’ rhymes with ‘sided’, ‘bided’, ‘prided’
The pronunciation remains the same regardless of the grammatical context and tense used. The main change is in the stress and intonation when used in a sentence.
Minimal Pairs
Here are some minimal pairs that show the importance of the vowel sound in ‘cried’:
- Cried vs. creed
- Cried vs. pried
- Cried vs. dried
Getting the ‘i’ vowel sound right is key to pronouncing ‘cried’ correctly and distinguishing it from other similar words.
Synonyms for ‘Cried’
There are a few different synonyms that can be used in place of the past tense ‘cried’ while preserving the meaning:
- Wept
- Sobbed
- Bawled
- Blubbered
- Wailed
- Howled
Some examples:
- The child sobbed when his toy broke.
- The wolf howled to the moon.
- The widow wept at the funeral.
While these synonyms can provide variety in writing, ‘cried’ remains the most common and natural past tense form used in English.
Antonyms for ‘Cried’
Some antonyms for ‘cried’ include:
- Laughed
- Rejoiced
- Celebrated
- Smiled
These words convey the opposite emotions and behaviors. Some examples:
- The boy laughed when he heard the joke.
- She smiled when she saw her family.
- We rejoiced at the news.
Again, these provide some alternatives but ‘cried’ and its synonyms remain the best words for describing weeping, sobbing, and expressing sadness or grief.
Conclusion
In summary, the standard past tense form of the verb ‘cry’ in English is ‘cried’. This irregular past tense should always be used rather than the incorrect ‘cryed’. The past participle is also ‘cried’ and forms an integral part of many verb constructions. ‘Cried’ has origins in Old English and has been a stable past tense form for hundreds of years in the development of English. Using ‘cried’ correctly is important for both written and spoken English.
