Mastering the Past Tense of ‘Conclude’: Forms, Rules & Usage

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The English verb ‘conclude’ is a powerful word that means to bring something to an end, to finish, to decide after consideration, or to deduce logically. Whether you’re wrapping up a business meeting, finalizing a scientific report, or ending a conversation, ‘conclude’ helps you express that something has come to a close or a decision has been reached.

Mastering the past tense forms of verbs is crucial for clear English communication. Understanding how to use the past tense of ‘conclude’ allows learners to discuss completed actions, share previous decisions, or describe finished reasoning—skills essential in academic writing, professional reports, and everyday conversations alike.

This comprehensive article will explore the past tense form ‘concluded’, explaining its structure, correct usage, extensive examples, exceptions, common errors, and practical exercises. It’s designed for English learners from beginner to advanced levels, teachers, writers, and non-native speakers who want to strengthen their grammar skills.

By the end, you’ll have a thorough understanding of how to confidently use ‘concluded’ in various contexts and avoid typical mistakes. Let’s begin!

Table of Contents

1. Definition Section: What is the Past Tense of ‘Conclude’?

1.1 Overview of ‘Conclude’

‘Conclude’ is a verb used primarily to mean:

  • To bring to an end or finish (e.g., The speaker concluded the presentation.)
  • To decide after careful thought (e.g., They concluded that more research was needed.)
  • To deduce logically (e.g., From the evidence, we conclude he was innocent.)

It is a transitive verb, meaning it typically requires an object (e.g., conclude the meeting, conclude that).

1.2 Grammatical Classification

‘Conclude’ is a regular verb, which means its past tense is formed simply by adding -ed. Both the simple past and the past participle forms are ‘concluded’.

Base Form Past Simple Past Participle Present Participle 3rd Person Singular
conclude concluded concluded concluding concludes

1.3 Function of Past Tense

The past tense of ‘conclude’ expresses actions or events that were completed at a definite time in the past. It’s widely used in:

  • Narratives (telling stories or recounting events)
  • Reports (documenting completed actions)
  • Research summaries (stating findings)
  • Historical accounts

1.4 Usage Contexts

The verb ‘concluded’ appears in many settings:

  • Academic writing: “The study concluded that exercise improves memory.”
  • Business reports: “They concluded the merger agreement last month.”
  • Everyday conversation: “We finally concluded it was better to leave early.”
  • Formal and informal contexts

2. Structural Breakdown: Forming the Past Tense of ‘Conclude’

2.1 Regular Verb Past Formation

Because ‘conclude’ is a regular verb ending with an e, the past tense is formed by adding just a -d.

  1. Start with the base form: conclude
  2. Add -d to get concluded
  3. Result: concluded

2.2 Affirmative Forms

Structure: Subject + concluded

Examples:

  • She concluded her speech.
  • They concluded the meeting early.
  • We concluded our investigation last week.

2.3 Negative Forms

Structure: Subject + did not (didn’t) + base form (conclude)

Examples:

  • He did not conclude his argument.
  • We didn’t conclude the contract yesterday.
  • They did not conclude negotiations in time.

2.4 Interrogative Forms

Structure: Did + subject + base form (conclude)?

Examples:

  • Did you conclude the report?
  • Did they conclude the investigation?
  • Did she conclude the presentation successfully?

2.5 Emphatic Past Forms

To add emphasis, use did before the base form:

Example:

  • He did conclude the chapter, despite the delay.
  • They did conclude the event as planned.

2.6 Pronunciation of ‘concluded’

IPA: /kənˈkluːdɪd/

The stress falls on the second syllable: -clud-.

It has three syllables: con-CLU-ded.

3. Types or Categories of Past Tense Uses with ‘Conclude’

3.1 Simple Past (Completed Action)

Use when an action is finished at a specific time in the past.

Examples:

  • The board concluded the review yesterday.
  • The meeting concluded at 5 p.m.

3.2 Past Perfect

Structure: Subject + had concluded

Use to show an action completed before another past event.

Examples:

  • They had concluded negotiations before the announcement.
  • She had concluded her remarks when the guests arrived.

3.3 Past Continuous (was/were concluding)

Describes an ongoing past action, though rare with ‘conclude’.

Example:

  • She was concluding her speech when the alarm sounded.

3.4 Past Perfect Continuous

Expresses an action ongoing up to another past moment, rare with ‘conclude’.

Example:

  • Researchers had been concluding their analysis over several weeks.

3.5 Passive Voice in Past Tense

Focuses on the action/event rather than the doer.

Example:

  • The deal was concluded last Friday.
  • The investigation was concluded after months of work.
Active Voice Passive Voice
The team concluded the project. The project was concluded by the team.
She concluded the ceremony. The ceremony was concluded by her.

4. Extensive Examples Section

4.1 Simple Past Affirmative Sentences (10 Examples)

  • The scientist concluded the experiment.
  • We concluded the discussion before noon.
  • She concluded her speech with a strong message.
  • The conference concluded on Saturday.
  • They concluded the agreement last month.
  • He concluded his presentation with a summary.
  • The board concluded their review successfully.
  • I concluded my report yesterday.
  • The match concluded without any incidents.
  • Our team concluded the project ahead of schedule.

4.2 Simple Past Negative Sentences (5 Examples)

  • She did not conclude the essay.
  • They didn’t conclude the project yet.
  • We did not conclude the meeting on time.
  • He didn’t conclude his remarks properly.
  • The jury did not conclude deliberations yesterday.

4.3 Simple Past Questions (5 Examples)

  • Did you conclude the contract?
  • Did the jury conclude their deliberations?
  • Did she conclude her speech?
  • Did they conclude the investigation?
  • Did we conclude the training last week?

4.4 Past Perfect Examples (5 Examples)

  • He had concluded his study by 2019.
  • They had concluded the deal before the policy changed.
  • She had concluded her research prior to the deadline.
  • We had concluded all discussions before the CEO arrived.
  • The team had concluded negotiations when new information emerged.

4.5 Passive Voice Examples (5 Examples)

  • The agreement was concluded after long negotiations.
  • The investigation was concluded last month.
  • The trial was concluded in two weeks.
  • The contract was concluded yesterday.
  • The deal was concluded by both parties amicably.

4.6 Contextual Examples in Different Registers

Formal writing: The report concluded that further research is necessary.

Informal speech: We finally concluded it was better to leave early.

4.7 Example Tables

Table 1: Affirmative, Negative, and Question Forms
Affirmative Negative Question
They concluded the deal. They did not conclude the deal. Did they conclude the deal?
She concluded her talk. She didn’t conclude her talk. Did she conclude her talk?

Table 2: Active vs. Passive Past Tense Uses
Active Voice Passive Voice
We concluded the agreement. The agreement was concluded.
The team concluded the project. The project was concluded by the team.

Table 3: Past Simple vs. Past Perfect
Past Simple Past Perfect
They concluded the deal yesterday. They had concluded the deal before the meeting.
She concluded her speech at noon. She had concluded her speech before the guests arrived.

Table 4: Sentence Examples by Context
Academic Business Casual
The study concluded that sleep improves memory. The company concluded the contract last week. We concluded it was best to leave early.
Researchers had concluded the trial by 2020. The merger was concluded successfully. They finally concluded the party at midnight.

Table 5: Common Phrases with ‘Concluded’ in Past Tense
Phrase Example Sentence
concluded that Experts concluded that the plan would succeed.
concluded with The ceremony concluded with a standing ovation.
concluded by The speech was concluded by the CEO.

5. Usage Rules for the Past Tense of ‘Conclude’

5.1 When to Use the Simple Past ‘Concluded’

  • To describe actions or decisions that finished in the past.
  • For historical facts or when the time is clear or implied.

5.2 When to Use Past Perfect ‘Had Concluded’

  • To emphasize an action completed before another past event.
  • For correct sequencing of multiple past actions.

5.3 Passive vs. Active Past Forms

  • Passive voice is used to focus on the event/result rather than the doer.
  • Active voice highlights who performed the action.

5.4 Tense Consistency

Keep the same tense within sentences or paragraphs unless you need to indicate a time shift.

5.5 Common Collocations in the Past

  • Concluded that – expressing a decision or result.
    Example: The scientists concluded that the drug was effective.
  • Concluded with – describing how something ended.
    Example: The concert concluded with fireworks.
  • Concluded by – indicating who finished or how.
    Example: The speech was concluded by the president.

5.6 Exceptions and Special Cases

  • When using modal verbs in past, use the base form:
    They might have concluded the deal sooner.
  • In reported speech, past perfect is common:
    He said they had concluded the meeting.

6. Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

6.1 Incorrect Past Form *‘conclud’* or *‘conclued’*

Incorrect: We conclud the event.

Incorrect: She conclued the meeting.

Correct: We concluded the event.

6.2 Confusing Tenses

Incorrect: Yesterday, we conclude the event.

Correct: Yesterday, we concluded the event.

6.3 Wrong Negation

Incorrect: He didn’t concluded his statement.

Correct: He didn’t conclude his statement.

6.4 Misuse of Past Perfect

Incorrect: We had concluded before he arrives.

Correct: We had concluded before he arrived.

6.5 Passive vs. Active Confusion

Incorrect: The manager concluded the deal by the team.

Correct: The deal was concluded by the team.

6.6 Table of Correct vs. Incorrect Usage

Incorrect Correct
They didn’t concluded the project. They didn’t conclude the project.
The study conclude last year. The study concluded last year.
We had concluded before she arrive. We had concluded before she arrived.
The contract concluded by the company. The contract was concluded by the company.

7. Practice Exercises

7.1 Fill-in-the-Blank

  1. The meeting ______ (conclude) at 5 p.m.
  2. They ______ (not conclude) the agreement yesterday.
  3. Did you ______ (conclude) the report?
  4. She ______ (conclude) her presentation before noon.
  5. The project ______ (be conclude) last month.
  6. By 2018, they ______ (conclude) the study.
  7. We ______ (not conclude) the contract yet.
  8. He ______ (conclude) negotiations quickly.
  9. ______ they ______ (conclude) the investigation?
  10. The speech ______ (be conclude) with applause.

7.2 Error Correction

  1. The jury has conclude their verdict.
  2. We didn’t concluded the discussion.
  3. She conclude her essay yesterday.
  4. The deal concluded by the lawyers.
  5. They had concluded before the manager arrives.

7.3 Identify the Tense

  1. The contract was concluded last week.
  2. They had concluded before the announcement.
  3. He concluded his presentation yesterday.
  4. We were concluding the meeting when it started to rain.
  5. She had been concluding her study over several months.

7.4 Sentence Construction

  1. Use ‘concluded’ and ‘meeting’ in a past tense sentence.
  2. Use ‘had concluded’ and ‘negotiations’.
  3. Use ‘was concluded’ and ‘project’.
  4. Use ‘did not conclude’ and ‘report’.
  5. Use ‘did’ for emphasis with ‘conclude’.

7.5 Matching Exercise

Sentence Start Correct Ending
They had concluded before the CEO arrived.
The agreement was concluded after long discussions.
Did you conclude the report on time?
She did conclude her presentation despite the delay.
We didn’t conclude the contract yesterday.

7.6 Answer Key

7.1 Answers

  1. concluded
  2. did not conclude / didn’t conclude
  3. conclude
  4. concluded
  5. was concluded
  6. had concluded
  7. did not conclude / didn’t conclude
  8. concluded
  9. Did, conclude
  10. was concluded

7.2 Answers

  1. had concluded
  2. didn’t conclude
  3. concluded
  4. was concluded by
  5. manager arrived

7.3 Answers

  1. Passive past simple
  2. Past perfect
  3. Simple past
  4. Past continuous
  5. Past perfect continuous

7.4 Sample Sentences

  1. The meeting concluded at 4 p.m.
  2. They had concluded negotiations before signing the contract.
  3. The project was concluded successfully last year.
  4. We did not conclude the report on time.
  5. He did conclude his speech, despite the interruptions.

8. Advanced Topics

8.1 Nuances of ‘Concluded’ in Reported Speech

Reported speech often shifts tenses back:

  • Direct: “We concluded the deal.”
  • Reported: He said they had concluded the deal.

8.2 Using ‘Concluded’ in Complex Sentences

Combine clauses to add detail:

Example: After the panel had concluded their review, they published the report.

8.3 Stylistic Choices: Passive vs. Active in Formal Writing

Passive voice is common in academic/professional writing to focus on the event:

Example: The agreement was concluded last quarter.

8.4 Modal Verbs in the Past with ‘Conclude’

Use might have concluded, could have concluded, etc., to express possibility or speculation.

Example: They might have concluded the talks earlier if conditions were better.

8.5 Subjunctive and Conditional Uses

Example: If we had concluded earlier, we could have left sooner.

8.6 Idiomatic Expressions & Phrasal Collocations

  • Concluded with: The event concluded with a dinner.
  • Concluded by: The ceremony was concluded by the mayor.
  • Concluded that: The experts concluded that changes were necessary.

9. FAQ Section

  1. What is the simple past tense of ‘conclude’?
    The simple past tense is ‘concluded’.
  2. Is ‘concluded’ both the past tense and past participle?
    Yes, ‘concluded’ serves as both the simple past and past participle.
  3. How do you pronounce ‘concluded’?
    It’s pronounced /kənˈkluːdɪd/, with the stress on the second syllable: con-CLU-ded.
  4. Can ‘concluded’ be used in passive voice?
    Yes, e.g., “The deal was concluded yesterday.”
  5. What are common phrases with ‘concluded’ in past tense?
    Concluded that, concluded with, was concluded by.
  6. When should I use ‘had concluded’ instead of ‘concluded’?
    Use ‘had concluded’ to indicate an action finished before another past event.
  7. Is ‘conclude’ a regular or irregular verb?
    It is a regular verb.
  8. What is the negative form of ‘concluded’?
    Did not conclude or didn’t conclude.
  9. How do I form a past tense question with ‘conclude’?
    Use Did + subject + conclude? For example, “Did you conclude the report?”
  10. Can ‘concluded’ be used in continuous tenses?
    Not by itself, but forms like was concluding or had been concluding are used for ongoing past actions.
  11. What are typical mistakes with ‘concluded’ in past tense?
    Using didn’t concluded (should be didn’t conclude), or confusing present and past forms.
  12. How does ‘conclude’ differ from ‘finish’ or ‘end’ in past tense?
    While similar, ‘conclude’ often implies a formal ending or decision after reasoning, whereas ‘finish’ means to complete, and ‘end’ simply means to stop.

10. Conclusion

In summary, ‘conclude’ is a regular verb whose past tense and past participle are both ‘concluded’. It’s essential for expressing completed actions, decisions, or deductions in both active and passive voice. Understanding when and how to use forms like the simple past, past perfect, or passive voice helps you communicate more clearly and accurately.

To master these forms, practice with the exercises provided, pay attention to common mistakes, and apply the rules in your writing and speaking. This will help you express past events involving conclusions with confidence and precision.

For further study, explore topics like past tense formation, passive voice, and reported speech to build a stronger grasp of English grammar.

Keep practicing, and soon you’ll use ‘concluded’ fluently and correctly in all contexts!

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