Preterit (Noun)
Meaning
A term formerly used to refer to the simple past tense.
Classification
Nouns denoting relations between people or things or ideas.
Examples
- The teacher explained to the students that the preterit was an outdated term for the simple past tense.
- Linguists now use the term "simple past" instead of preterit to describe the tense that indicates completed action.
- The old grammar book referred to the preterit as a tense that expresses an action that occurred at a specific time in the past.
- The linguistics professor warned her students that some outdated sources might still use the term preterit to refer to the simple past tense.
- Historical linguists often encounter the term preterit in ancient grammar texts, but it is no longer commonly used today.