Understanding the Past Tense of “Blow”: Forms, Rules & Usage

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The verb “blow” is a common yet fascinating irregular verb in English, carrying numerous meanings—from describing how the wind moves, to causing explosions, to missing opportunities. Because it’s irregular, mastering its past tense forms can be tricky for learners. Knowing when to use “blew” or “blown” is essential for clear, correct communication, both in everyday speech and in writing.

Irregular verbs like blow don’t follow the standard -ed past tense pattern, which often causes confusion. This comprehensive article is designed to demystify the past tense of “blow,” whether you are:

  • an English learner aiming to improve fluency,
  • an ESL teacher seeking in-depth explanations, or
  • a writer striving for grammatical precision.

We’ll explore the verb’s definitions and forms, analyze their grammatical structures, provide extensive examples and tables, outline usage rules, highlight common mistakes to avoid, and offer interactive practice exercises. Advanced sections on idioms, history, and dialectal variation, plus a detailed FAQ, will ensure you master every aspect of this important verb.

Table of Contents

3. Definition Section

3.1. Overview of “Blow” as a Verb

The verb blow is a versatile irregular verb. Its core meaning is to move air, as in “The wind blows.” However, it has several other key meanings:

  • To move air forcefully: “She blew on her coffee to cool it.”
  • To explode: “The bomb blew up.”
  • To damage or destroy: “The storm blew the roof off.”
  • To waste or lose an opportunity: “They blew their chance.”
  • To make a sound with air: “He blew the trumpet.”

In grammar terms, blow is an irregular, strong verb, meaning its past tense forms do not follow the regular -ed pattern but instead change the vowel sound internally.

3.2. What Is a Past Tense Verb?

Past tense verbs describe actions completed in the past. English mainly uses two past-related forms of verbs:

  • Simple past: shows a finished action at a specific time (e.g., “Yesterday, he ran.”)
  • Past participle: used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses or passives (e.g., “He has run many miles.”)

Understanding the difference between these forms is crucial for correct tense construction.

3.3. The Past Tense Forms of “Blow”

  • Simple Past: blew
  • Past Participle: blown

Example:

  • Simple past: “The wind blew all night.”
  • Past participle (with auxiliary): “The papers have been blown away.”

3.4. Grammatical Classification

  • Verb type: Irregular
  • Verb group: Strong verb (vowel change: blow → blew → blown)
  • Transitivity: Can be both transitive (takes an object, e.g., “She blew a kiss.”) and intransitive (no object, e.g., “The wind blew.”) depending on the context.

3.5. Usage Contexts

When to use blew:

  • To narrate a completed action in the past without auxiliary verbs.
  • Example: “He blew out the candles last night.”

When to use blown:

  • In perfect tenses (with have/has/had): “She has blown the whistle.”
  • In passive voice constructions: “The door was blown open.”

4. Structural Breakdown

4.1. Irregular Verb Patterns

Unlike regular verbs (which add -ed for past forms: walk → walked), irregular verbs like blow change internal vowels or consonants. Specifically, blow follows a strong verb pattern involving vowel change:

blow → blew → blown

Some similar verbs include:

  • grow – grew – grown
  • know – knew – known
  • fly – flew – flown

4.2. Simple Past Form: Blew

The simple past blew is formed by changing the vowel o to ew. It describes an action fully completed at a definite time in the past.

Table 1: Conjugation Overview
Base Form Simple Past Past Participle Present Participle
blow blew blown blowing

4.3. Past Participle Form: Blown

The past participle blown involves the vowel change plus the suffix -n. It’s used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses and passive voice:

  • “The tree has been blown down.”
  • “She had blown a bubble before the photo.”

4.4. Present Participle and Base Form (for contrast)

For clarity, here are the other forms:

  • Base form: blow (used in the infinitive: “to blow”)
  • Present participle: blowing (used in continuous tenses: “is blowing”)

4.5. Auxiliary Verbs with “Blown”

The past participle blown relies on auxiliary verbs:

  • Perfect tenses: have/has/had blown
  • Passive voice: is/are/was/were blown

Examples:

  • “The fuse has blown again.”
  • “The roof was blown off.”

4.6. Pronunciation Notes

Correct pronunciation helps distinguish forms:

Table 2: Pronunciation Guide
Form IPA Pronunciation Tip
blow /bloʊ/ Long “o” as in “go”
blew /bluː/ Long “oo” as in “blue”
blown /bloʊn/ Long “o” plus “n”

5. Types or Categories

5.1. Simple Past vs. Past Participle

Simple past (blew): describes a finished action at a specific moment.

  • “Yesterday, the storm blew fiercely.”

Past participle (blown): combines with auxiliary verbs for perfect tenses or passive voice.

  • “The leaves have been blown away.”
  • “He had blown the horn before we arrived.”

5.2. Transitive Uses

When blow acts on an object:

  • “He blew a bubble.”
  • “The referee has blown the whistle.”

5.3. Intransitive Uses

When no object follows:

  • “The wind blew all night.”
  • “The fuse has blown again.”

5.4. Idiomatic Expressions

Past forms of “blow” appear in many idioms:

Table 3: Common Idioms with Past Forms
Expression Meaning Example
blew it messed up, missed an opportunity “I really blew it during the interview.”
was blown away amazed or impressed “I was blown away by her performance.”
got blown off was ignored or rejected “I got blown off by the manager.”
blown out of proportion exaggerated “The issue was blown out of proportion.”
blown to pieces destroyed completely “The old building was blown to pieces.”

5.5. Formal vs. Informal Registers

  • Standard past forms (blew, blown) are used in all registers.
  • Idioms like “blew it” or “was blown away” are more informal or conversational.
  • In formal writing, avoid slangy idioms; prefer literal or neutral phrases.

6. Examples Section

6.1. Simple Past Form Blew Examples

  1. Yesterday, the wind blew all day.
  2. She blew out the candles on her birthday cake.
  3. The referee blew the final whistle.
  4. They blew a big lead in the last quarter.
  5. He blew into town unexpectedly.
  6. The fuse blew during the storm.
  7. My brother blew the dust off the book.
  8. She blew me a kiss from the stage.
  9. The explosion blew the windows out.
  10. We blew past the speed limit without realizing.
  11. During the argument, he totally blew his cool.
  12. The strong gust blew the umbrella inside out.
  13. They blew their entire budget on decorations.
  14. The factory whistle blew at noon.
  15. The hurricane blew several trees down.

6.2. Past Participle Blown in Perfect Tenses

  1. The window has been blown open by the wind.
  2. The referee had blown the whistle before the foul occurred.
  3. They have blown every chance they had.
  4. The circuit breaker has blown again.
  5. My mind was blown by that movie’s ending.
  6. The papers have been blown all over the yard.
  7. She has blown dozens of balloons for the party.
  8. The secret had been blown before the meeting.
  9. They have blown the opportunity once again.
  10. He has blown the leaves off the driveway.
  11. The speaker has blown because of the loud music.
  12. The cover has been blown off the pool.
  13. I have never blown glass before.
  14. The storm had blown the fence over by morning.
  15. She has blown the deal by arriving late.

6.3. Blown in Passive Voice

  1. The roof was blown away by the hurricane.
  2. The secret has been blown.
  3. The windows were blown open during the storm.
  4. The door was blown shut by the gust.
  5. The leaves were blown into the street.

6.4. Contrasting Present vs. Past Forms

Table 4: Present vs. Past Usage
Tense/Form Example
Simple Present He blows the horn every morning.
Simple Past He blew the horn yesterday.
Present Perfect He has blown the horn already.
Past Perfect He had blown the horn before we arrived.

6.5. Idiomatic Usage Examples

  1. You really blew it on that test!
  2. I was blown away by the news.
  3. They have blown all their chances.
  4. The story was blown out of proportion.
  5. My mind was blown when I saw the ending.

6.6. Summary Tables

Table 5: Summary of Examples Categorized by Tense and Context
Form Context Example
Simple Past (blew) Literal, completed action She blew out the candles.
Past Participle (blown) Perfect tense They have blown every chance.
Past Participle (blown) Passive voice The roof was blown away.
Simple Past (blew) Idiom He blew it during the interview.
Past Participle (blown) Idiom, perfect tense I was blown away by her speech.

7. Usage Rules

7.1. When to Use Blew

  • For simple past tense describing actions completed at a definite past time.
  • Often paired with time markers: yesterday, last week, two days ago, in 2010, etc.
  • Example: “Last night, the wind blew very hard.”

7.2. When to Use Blown

  • With auxiliaries has/have/had to form perfect tenses.
  • With be verbs (is/was/were) to form passive voice.
  • Examples:
    • “The whistle has been blown.”
    • “The storm had blown the gate open.”
    • “The leaves were blown everywhere.”

7.3. Common Exceptions and Special Cases

  • In some dialects or informal speech, blowed is used, but it’s nonstandard in modern English.
  • Certain idioms require specific forms regardless of tense, e.g., “blew it.”
  • Some regional dialects in the southern US may say “blowed,” but standard usage prefers “blew” and “blown.”

7.4. Sequence of Tenses

  • Use blew for a simple past action.
  • Use had blown when referring to an action completed before another past action (past perfect).
  • Example: “By the time the police arrived, the whistle had been blown.”

7.5. Collocations

Table 6: Useful Collocations
With “blew” With “blown”
blew a kiss, blew the whistle, blew his chance, blew away, blew it been blown away, blown out of proportion, blown up, blown to pieces, was blown away

8. Common Mistakes

8.1. Using blowed Instead of blew or blown

Incorrect: He blowed out the candles.

Correct: He blew out the candles.

8.2. Confusing Simple Past and Past Participle

Incorrect: He has blew the whistle.

Correct: He has blown the whistle.

8.3. Misusing in Passive Voice

Incorrect: The window was blew open.

Correct: The window was blown open.

8.4. Pronunciation Errors

  • Mispronouncing blew as /bleʊ/ instead of /bluː/
  • Mispronouncing blown as /blɒn/ instead of /bloʊn/

8.5. Spelling Errors

  • Writing blowned or blowen instead of blown
  • Writing bleuw instead of blew

8.6. Incorrect Idiomatic Usage

  • Incorrect: “You blown it!”
  • Correct: “You blew it!”
  • Incorrect: “I was really blew away.”
  • Correct: “I was really blown away.”

8.7. Table 7: Common Mistakes with Corrections

Table 7: Common Mistakes with Corrections
Mistake Correction
She has blew the whistle. She has blown the whistle.
The roof was blew off. The roof was blown off.
He blowed the candles. He blew the candles.
The fuse has blowed. The fuse has blown.
You blown it! You blew it!
I was blew away. I was blown away.

9. Practice Exercises

9.1. Fill-in-the-Blank (15 sentences)

  1. Yesterday, the wind ____ very hard. (blew)
  2. The secret has been ____ already. (blown)
  3. She ____ out the candles last night. (blew)
  4. The roof was ____ away during the storm. (blown)
  5. By the time we arrived, the whistle had been ____. (blown)
  6. He ____ his chance to win the game. (blew)
  7. The papers have been ____ across the yard. (blown)
  8. They ____ all their money on the trip. (blew)
  9. The fuse has ____. (blown)
  10. She ____ me a kiss from the stage. (blew)
  11. The horn has been ____. (blown)
  12. The factory whistle ____ at noon. (blew)
  13. The cover was ____ off the car. (blown)
  14. He ____ the dust off the shelf. (blew)
  15. The circuit breaker has ____. (blown)

9.2. Correct the Errors (10 sentences)

  1. She has blew out the candles.
  2. The door was blew open.
  3. He blowed a big bubble.
  4. The secret has been blowed.
  5. I was really blew away by the news.
  6. The fuse has blew.
  7. You blown it!
  8. The wind blowed all night.
  9. He had blew the horn before we arrived.
  10. The leaves were blew into the street.

9.3. Identify the Tense Form (10 examples)

  1. He blew the whistle. (simple past)
  2. She has blown the whistle. (past participle)
  3. They blow the horn every morning. (base form)
  4. The window was blown open. (past participle)
  5. We blew our chance. (simple past)
  6. He is blowing the trumpet. (present participle)
  7. The fuse had blown. (past participle)
  8. I will blow the candles out. (base form)
  9. She blew me a kiss. (simple past)
  10. The roof was blown away. (past participle)

9.4. Sentence Construction

  • Create 5 sentences using blew:
    • “Yesterday, the wind ____.”
    • “He ____ up the balloons.”
    • “They ____ their chance to qualify.”
    • “The whistle ____ at noon.”
    • “She ____ a kiss across the room.”
  • Create 5 sentences using blown:
    • “The roof has been ____ off.”
    • “The papers have ____ everywhere.”
    • “The fuse has ____ again.”
    • “The door was ____ open.”
    • “My mind was ____ by the story.”

9.5. Mixed Practice Review

Combine fill-in, correction, and identification:

  1. He ____ (blew/blown) the candles out last night.
  2. The window was ____ (blew/blown) open during the storm.
  3. She has ____ (blew/blown) the whistle.
  4. They ____ (blew/blown) all their money.
  5. The secret has been ____ (blew/blown).

9.6. Answer Key

Fill-in-the-Blank:

  1. blew
  2. blown
  3. blew
  4. blown
  5. blown
  6. blew
  7. blown
  8. blew
  9. blown
  10. blew
  11. blown
  12. blew
  13. blown
  14. blew
  15. blown

Correct the Errors:

  1. She has blown out the candles.
  2. The door was blown open.
  3. He blew a big bubble.
  4. The secret has been blown.
  5. I was really blown away by the news.
  6. The fuse has blown.
  7. You blew it!
  8. The wind blew all night.
  9. He had blown the horn before we arrived.
  10. The leaves were blown into the street.

Identify the Tense Form:

  1. simple past
  2. past participle
  3. base form
  4. past participle
  5. simple past
  6. present participle
  7. past participle
  8. base form
  9. simple past
  10. past participle

Mixed Practice Review:

  1. blew
  2. blown
  3. blown
  4. blew
  5. blown

10. Advanced Topics

10.1. Historical Linguistics of “Blow”

Blow comes from Old English blāwan, a strong verb with past tense blēow and past participle blāwen. It maintained its vowel-changing pattern over centuries, classifying it among traditional strong verbs.

10.2. “Blow” in Phrasal Verbs

  • blow up – to explode (“The bomb blew up.”)
  • blow over – to pass without consequence (“The scandal blew over.”)
  • blow out – extinguish (“She blew out the candle.”)
  • blow away – amaze or physically move (“I was blown away by the performance.”)
  • Past tense forms depend on context: “The tire blew out yesterday.” / “The story has blown over.”

10.3. Subjunctive and Conditional Uses

Examples:

  • “If the wind had blown harder, the boat would have sunk.”
  • “Had he blown the whistle sooner, the foul could have been avoided.”

10.4. Register and Style Considerations

  • Use literal meanings in formal writing.
  • Idioms like “blew it” are informal or conversational.
  • In academic or professional contexts, avoid colloquialisms unless quoting speech.

10.5. Variations in Dialects

  • Some regional dialects (southern American English, rural UK) might use “blowed” in casual speech, but it is considered nonstandard.
  • Standard English prefers “blew” and “blown.”

10.6. Metaphorical and Figurative Uses

Past forms of “blow” enrich figurative language:

  • “She blew the competition away.” (defeated easily)
  • “His mind was blown.” (was amazed)
  • “They blew their chance.” (missed opportunity)
  • “The news blew him away.” (shocked or amazed)

11. FAQ Section

1. What is the simple past tense of “blow”?

Answer: The simple past tense is blew, used for actions completed in the past (e.g., “The wind blew last night.”).

2. What is the past participle of “blow”?

Answer: The past participle is blown, used with auxiliaries in perfect tenses and passive voice (“The window has been blown open.”).

3. When should I use “blew” vs. “blown”?

Answer: Use blew for simple past narration. Use blown with helping verbs in perfect tenses or passive constructions.

4. Is “blowed” ever correct?

Answer: No, blowed is nonstandard in modern English, though it appears in some dialects or informal speech. Standard forms are blew and blown.

5. How do I pronounce “blew” and “blown”?

Answer: “Blew” is pronounced /bluː/ (rhymes with “blue”). “Blown” is /bloʊn/ (rhymes with “cone”).

6. Can “blown” be used without an auxiliary verb?

Answer: Typically no. Blown requires a helping verb (has, have, had, is, was, were, been) to be grammatical.

7. What are common idioms using “blew” and “blown”?

  • “blew it” – missed a chance
  • “was blown away” – was amazed
  • “blown out of proportion” – exaggerated
  • “blown to pieces” – destroyed

8. Does “blew” always imply a completed action?

Answer: Yes, “blew” is the simple past tense, indicating a finished action at a definite past time.

9. Are there regional differences in the past tense of “blow”?

Answer: Some dialects use “blowed,” but standard English accepts only “blew” and “blown.”

10. What are typical mistakes with “blow” past tenses?

Answer: Using “blowed” instead of “blew” or “blown,” confusing “blew” with “blown,” and mispronouncing the forms.

11. How can I practice irregular past tense verbs like “blow”?

Answer: Use tables, do fill-in and correction exercises, write your own sentences, and read/listen for examples in context.

12. How is “blow” used in passive voice sentences?

Answer: In passive voice, “blown” pairs with “be” verbs: “The roof was blown away,” “The whistle has been blown.”

12. Conclusion

Mastering the past tense forms of blow—blew and blown—is crucial for clear, accurate English communication. Since “blow” is irregular, it doesn’t follow ordinary -ed patterns, so focused study is essential. This article’s examples, tables, and exercises are designed to build your confidence and skill with this verb.

Remember:

  • Use blew for simple past actions.
  • Use blown with auxiliary verbs for perfect tenses and passive voice.

Consistent practice and review will help you internalize these forms, enhancing your fluency and understanding. Revisit this guide as needed, consult the FAQs, and keep expanding your knowledge of irregular verbs with similar patterns like grow, fly, and know.

With dedication, you’ll confidently master blow in all its forms and uses!

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