One way to help you remember which of these verbs is the present tense form and which is the past tense form is that the word present has more letters than the word past, just as lead has more letters than the word led.Īlso lead has more definitions than led. You can recognize it is different because it appears in all capital letters. It is pronounced as the three separate letters el ee dee. There is also the word LED, which is an acronym for light emitting diode. The music teacher led the class in a song.The quarterback led the football team to victory!.When to use led: Led is the past tense and past participle of the verb to lead. In both expressions lead has the verb form and, therefore, has the long e pronunciation. Fine, if you really want us to enter the haunted house we will.Lead the way: Go first so that others may follow.There were many events leading up to the war.There are several common expressions using lead. (adjective)Īlthough it might seem overwhelming to remember which of the definitions is pronounced which way, just remember only the metal has the short e sound. The lead singer is sick so she won’t appear in tonight’s concert.However, they are actually made from graphite. Many people believe pencils are made from lead.My lead broke so my dog escaped and ran around for an hour before I could catch her.I’m going to win, because he’s in the lead! (noun) The tour guide leads tourists through the jungle and points out interesting animals and plants.The metal is pronounced with a short e sound like red or bled. Lastly, it can be an adjective and mean first or most important.įor all of these definitions it has a long e sound like in the words bead or creed, with the exception of the metal. It can also be a noun and mean the foremost position, a tool to control a dog while walking, or a soft metal. When to use lead: Lead can be a verb and mean to go first to show others the way. Let’s practice a few ways you can use these words in your sentences. It can be hard to remember how to pronounce all the meanings of lead and led. Harriet Tubman led many slaves to freedom in the mid 1800’s.Led is the past tense form of the verb lead. Where is the lead? I want to take the dogs on a walk.The race has just begun, and Dasher On the Rampage is in the lead! (noun meaning first position).When used in this way, it rhymes with bed or said.įinally, as an adjective, lead means in the first position. It is the metal labeled Pb on the periodic table of elements. For both of these meanings, it also rhymes with seed. It is the present tense form, and rhymes with seed or feed.Īs a noun, lead can mean the first position or a dog’s leash. It means to go first or to act as a guide. Lead, as a verb, is the opposite of the word follow. Because these two words are used for different tenses, they can never be interchanged.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |