Word of the Day: Write
A person who writes does this with a pen or a pencil in hand.
This is an important verb that can be used for many different situations. It’s irregular, so pay close attention to the way it changes:
| simple | past | past participle | present participle |
|---|---|---|---|
|
write
|
wrote
|
written
|
writing
|
- Mary writes for a newspaper. (She’s a journalist.)
- She used to write for a magazine. (This was a job she had in the past.)
- Bob wrote a list of things he needed from the store.
- John Updike wrote an interesting series of books about a man named “Rabbit.”
- The teacher has written a list of vocabulary words on the board.
- Have you written any letters recently?
- What are you writing? (This question is in the present continuous tense.)
- Write me when you get a chance. (Send me a letter or an email.)
In these sentences and questions, the word “writing” is a gerund. Remember that gerunds function in a way that is similar to a noun, but gerunds are always singular:
- Writing in English is difficult and requires a lot of practice.
- Justin is working on his writing.
- Do you like writing?
- Thanks for writing to me.
When used as an adjective, you can use the past participle, “written,” of the present participle, “writing.”
- He works as a writing instructor.
- You have to take a written test before you get your driver’s license.
- Written memos are almost never used at our company. Everyone uses email instead.
- She has a beautiful writing style. (She expresses her ideas beautifully.)
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with W page to see the list of all words starting with letter W. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
