Mastering the Past Tense of ‘Broadcast’: Usage, Forms, and Examples

by

The verb “broadcast” is a cornerstone of modern communication, widely used in contexts involving radio, television, internet streaming, and public information dissemination. Whether you’re reporting a news story, discussing a live concert, or recounting a past event, knowing how to correctly use the past tense of “broadcast” is essential for clear, precise communication.

Unlike typical regular verbs, “broadcast” is an irregular verb with unique features that can cause confusion, especially when writing or speaking about past events. Grasping its past tense forms helps avoid errors, ensures professionalism in journalism, and contributes to overall grammatical accuracy.

This comprehensive guide is designed for students, teachers, ESL/EFL learners, writers, journalists, and language enthusiasts who seek to master the correct usage of “broadcast” in all its forms. You’ll learn definitions, grammatical structures, variations, numerous examples, usage rules, common pitfalls, advanced insights, and practice exercises to solidify your skills.

Let’s dive into the fascinating details of “broadcast” and its past tense forms.

Table of Contents

3. Definition Section

3.1. What Does ‘Broadcast’ Mean?

As a verb, “broadcast” means to transmit information, signals, or programs via radio, television, or internet.

  • The station will broadcast the match live.
  • They broadcast the emergency alert nationwide.

As a noun, “broadcast” refers to a program or transmission itself.

  • Did you watch the live broadcast?

3.2. Grammatical Classification of ‘Broadcast’

  • Verb type: Irregular verb
  • Base form: broadcast
  • Part of speech: Primarily transitive (requires an object) but can also be used intransitively

Example (transitive): The network broadcast the documentary.

Example (intransitive): The program broadcast at 8 PM.

3.3. The Past Tense of ‘Broadcast’

“Broadcast” has two accepted past tense forms:

  • broadcast (unchanged form, preferred and standard)
  • broadcasted (less common, sometimes regional or informal)

Both can be used, but “broadcast” is recommended in most cases.

3.4. Function of the Past Tense of ‘Broadcast’

The past tense indicates a completed action or event in the past involving the transmission of information.

  • The station broadcast the speech yesterday.
  • They broadcasted the ceremony live last week.

3.5. Usage Contexts

  • News reports: The government broadcast the announcement.
  • Historical accounts: In 1969, NASA broadcast the moon landing.
  • Media descriptions: The concert was broadcast around the world.
  • Everyday conversations: Did they broadcast the game last night?

4. Structural Breakdown

4.1. Overview of Irregular Verbs and ‘Broadcast’

Irregular verbs do not follow the standard -ed pattern for past tense and past participle forms. Some, like “broadcast,” have identical base, past, and past participle forms.

Other verbs with this pattern include:

Table 1: Comparison of Similar Irregular Verbs
Verb Base Form Past Simple Past Participle
broadcast broadcast broadcast broadcast
cut cut cut cut
set set set set
put put put put
hit hit hit hit

4.2. Forming the Simple Past Tense

4.2.1. Using ‘Broadcast’ (unchanged form)

The standard past tense form uses the verb without any change:

  • Subject + broadcast + object/time reference
  • The station broadcast the news yesterday.
  • They broadcast the concert live.

4.2.2. Using ‘Broadcasted’

Adding -ed forms “broadcasted”, following regular verb patterns. This version is less common, sometimes heard in American English, regional dialects, or informal speech.

  • The station broadcasted the event last week.
  • She broadcasted her podcast yesterday.

4.3. Past Participle Form

The past participle is used with perfect tenses and passive constructions. Preferred form is broadcast, though broadcasted may appear informally.

  • They have broadcast the results.
  • The show was broadcast live.
  • The network has broadcasted several documentaries.
  • The concert was broadcasted internationally.

4.4. Summary Table of Forms

Table 2: Forms of ‘Broadcast’
Base Form Past Simple Past Participle Present Participle
broadcast broadcast / broadcasted broadcast / broadcasted broadcasting

5. Types or Categories

5.1. Accepted Past Forms

  • Broadcast – standard, preferred, accepted in formal and informal contexts
  • Broadcasted – less common, regional, informal, sometimes marked as nonstandard

5.2. Regional Variations

There are subtle differences between British and American English preferences.

Table 3: Regional Preferences
Region Preferred Past Form Example
British English broadcast The BBC broadcast the program last night.
American English broadcast (more common), broadcasted (occasional) The station broadcasted the parade live.

5.3. Formal vs. Informal Contexts

  • Formal writing (news, academic, professional): prefers broadcast
  • Informal speech or regional dialects: may use broadcasted

Examples:

  • Formal: The network broadcast the speech to millions.
  • Informal: I think they broadcasted it last weekend.

5.4. Passive Voice Constructions

The past participle is used in passive forms. Preferred usage is:

  • The speech was broadcast worldwide.
  • The concert was broadcasted live (less formal).

6. Examples Section

6.1. Simple Past Tense with ‘Broadcast’

  • The station broadcast the football match on Sunday.
  • CNN broadcast the interview last night.
  • They broadcast the emergency alert yesterday.
  • The radio broadcast the weather report every hour.
  • Our local channel broadcast the parade live.
  • The network broadcast the movie premiere on Friday.
  • NASA broadcast the rocket launch in 1969.
  • ABC broadcast the awards ceremony last weekend.
  • The government broadcast the new policy announcement.
  • The university broadcast the commencement ceremony online.

6.2. Simple Past Tense with ‘Broadcasted’

  • The local station broadcasted the parade yesterday.
  • She broadcasted her podcast on Monday.
  • They broadcasted the emergency drill last week.
  • The website broadcasted the conference live.
  • The school broadcasted the announcement over the speakers.
  • My friend broadcasted his gaming stream last night.
  • Their channel broadcasted the charity concert.
  • The church broadcasted the sermon online.
  • The company broadcasted their product launch event.
  • The community center broadcasted the town hall meeting.

6.3. Past Participle in Perfect Tenses

  • They have broadcast updates hourly.
  • The network has broadcasted several documentaries.
  • We had broadcast the final episode before the announcement.
  • She has broadcasted five episodes so far.
  • He has broadcast the show from his studio regularly.
  • The station has broadcasted the series internationally.
  • They have broadcast warnings during the storm.
  • BBC has broadcast the Wimbledon finals for decades.
  • The channel has broadcasted multiple award shows.
  • Scientists have broadcast the signals into space.

6.4. Passive Voice Examples

  • The debate was broadcast live.
  • The concert was broadcasted internationally.
  • The speech was broadcast on all major networks.
  • The ceremony was broadcasted online.
  • The emergency alert was broadcast to all phones.
  • The documentary was broadcasted in HD.
  • The festival was broadcast worldwide.
  • The announcement was broadcasted this morning.
  • The final game was broadcast in over 50 countries.
  • The interview was broadcasted last night.

6.5. Negative Sentences

  • They didn’t broadcast the news.
  • The station has never broadcasted in HD.
  • BBC didn’t broadcast the ceremony live.
  • They haven’t broadcast any updates yet.
  • The network didn’t broadcasted the concert. (Incorrect: should be broadcast)

6.6. Questions

  • Did they broadcast the emergency alert?
  • Have they broadcasted the results yet?
  • When did CNN broadcast the interview?
  • Has the station broadcast the new series?
  • Did she broadcast her podcast yesterday?

6.7. Complex Sentences

  • After the station broadcast the announcement, viewers reacted quickly.
  • The event, which was broadcast live, attracted millions.
  • Because they had broadcast the warning early, many evacuated.
  • Once the company broadcasted the launch, sales increased.
  • Although the concert was broadcast internationally, ticket sales remained high.

6.8. Example Tables

Table 4: Simple Past Positive/Negative/Questions
Type Example
Positive They broadcast the match yesterday.
Negative They didn’t broadcast the match yesterday.
Question Did they broadcast the match yesterday?
Table 5: Perfect Tense Examples
Tense Example
Present Perfect The station has broadcast the news.
Past Perfect They had broadcasted the alert before the storm hit.
Future Perfect They will have broadcast the results by noon.
Table 6: Passive Voice Examples
Example Notes
The speech was broadcast live. Preferred, formal
The concert was broadcasted online. Less formal, regional
The alert was broadcast to all phones. Standard, formal

7. Usage Rules

7.1. When to Prefer ‘Broadcast’ over ‘Broadcasted’

  • Use broadcast in formal writing, journalism, academic contexts, and professional communication.
  • Style guides such as AP and Chicago Manual of Style recommend broadcast.

7.2. Acceptability of ‘Broadcasted’

  • Considered informal or regional.
  • Acceptable in casual speech, some dialects, or certain American English usages.
  • Avoid in formal or edited writing.

7.3. Using Past Tense in Different Contexts

  • News reporting: The network broadcast the statement this morning.
  • Historical narration: NASA broadcast the moon landing in 1969.
  • Personal recounting: I think they broadcasted it last night.

7.4. Tense Consistency

Maintain consistent verb tense within a sentence or paragraph.

Incorrect: The station broadcasted the match and then announces the winner.

Correct: The station broadcast the match and then announced the winner.

7.5. Common Exceptions and Special Cases

  • Idiomatic uses: He broadcast his feelings all over social media.
  • Metaphorical senses: The past tense remains broadcast (preferred).

7.6. Summary Table of Usage Preferences

Table 7: Recommended Usage by Context
Context Preferred Past Form Notes
Formal writing broadcast Standard English
Informal speech broadcast / broadcasted Both acceptable, but broadcast preferred
British English broadcast Standard
American English broadcast (more common), broadcasted (informal) Regional variation
Journalism broadcast Recommended

8. Common Mistakes

8.1. Incorrect Use of ‘Broadcasted’ in Formal Writing

Incorrect: The news broadcasted last night.

Correct: The news broadcast last night.

8.2. Adding -ed to Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs like cost, hit, and broadcast do not take -ed in standard past tense forms.

Incorrect: The product costed $20.

Correct: The product cost $20.

8.3. Confusing Past Tense and Past Participle Forms

Using “broadcasted” as a past participle in formal contexts is discouraged.

Incorrect: The event was broadcasted live.

Correct: The event was broadcast live.

8.4. Tense Shifts in Narratives

Incorrect: The station broadcast the game and then broadcasted the interview.

Correct: The station broadcast the game and then broadcast the interview.

8.5. Overgeneralization in ESL Learners

Many learners apply the -ed ending to all past tense verbs.

Incorrect: They broadcasted the news yesterday. (in formal writing)

Correct: They broadcast the news yesterday.

8.6. Summary Table of Mistakes and Corrections

Table 8: Common Errors with ‘Broadcast’ and Corrections
Mistake Correction
The news broadcasted last night. The news broadcast last night.
The event was broadcasted live. The event was broadcast live.
The company has broadcasted the announcement. The company has broadcast the announcement.
They costed a lot of money. They cost a lot of money.
He hited the ball hard. He hit the ball hard.

9. Practice Exercises

9.1. Fill-in-the-Blank

Complete the sentences with the correct past form: broadcast or broadcasted.

  1. The station ________ the concert last night.
  2. The BBC ________ the Queen’s speech yesterday.
  3. She ________ her podcast on Monday.
  4. The news was ________ worldwide.
  5. They have ________ several interviews this week.
  6. Did CNN ________ the debate live?
  7. The emergency alert was ________ to all devices.
  8. Our local channel ________ the parade.
  9. I think they ________ed the show last weekend.
  10. The network has ________ updates hourly.

Answer Key:

  1. broadcast
  2. broadcast
  3. broadcasted
  4. broadcast
  5. broadcast
  6. broadcast
  7. broadcast
  8. broadcast
  9. broadcasted
  10. broadcast

9.2. Identify the Correct Form

Choose the correct option:

  1. The station (broadcast / broadcasted) the match yesterday.
  2. She has (broadcast / broadcasted) five episodes so far.
  3. The concert was (broadcast / broadcasted) live online.
  4. They (broadcast / broadcasted) the emergency alert last night.
  5. The company has (broadcast / broadcasted) the launch event.
  6. We (broadcast / broadcasted) the finals on Sunday.
  7. The program was (broadcast / broadcasted) internationally.
  8. He (broadcast / broadcasted) his podcast yesterday.
  9. The speech was (broadcast / broadcasted) across Europe.
  10. They didn’t (broadcast / broadcasted) the ceremony.

Answer Key:

  1. broadcast
  2. broadcast
  3. broadcast
  4. broadcast
  5. broadcast
  6. broadcast
  7. broadcast
  8. broadcasted
  9. broadcast
  10. broadcast

9.3. Error Correction

Identify and correct the mistakes:

  1. They has broadcasted the show live.
  2. The announcement was broadcasted yesterday.
  3. Did you broadcasted the alert?
  4. The station broadcasted the ceremony last night.
  5. She have broadcasted several podcasts.
  6. The game was broadcasted worldwide.
  7. They broadcasted the interview last week.
  8. Has the network broadcasted the results?
  9. The parade was broadcasted in HD.
  10. We broadcasted the concert live.

Answer Key:

  1. They have broadcast the show live.
  2. The announcement was broadcast yesterday.
  3. Did you broadcast the alert?
  4. The station broadcast the ceremony last night.
  5. She has broadcast several podcasts.
  6. The game was broadcast worldwide.
  7. They broadcast the interview last week.
  8. Has the network broadcast the results?
  9. The parade was broadcast in HD.
  10. We broadcast the concert live.

9.4. Sentence Construction

Write sentences using the past tense of broadcast in the following contexts:

  1. News report about a presidential speech.
  2. Personal story about watching a parade.
  3. Passive voice describing a live concert.
  4. Perfect tense about recent updates.

Sample Answers:

  1. The station broadcast the president’s speech last night.
  2. I watched the parade that they broadcasted live last weekend.
  3. The concert was broadcast worldwide.
  4. They have broadcast several updates this morning.

10. Advanced Topics

10.1. Historical Development of ‘Broadcast’ as a Verb

“Broadcast” originally referred to scattering seeds widely in farming (early 18th century). In the 20th century, it evolved to mean transmitting signals or information widely, especially via radio and TV.

10.2. Corpus Data and Usage Frequency

Data from COCA (Corpus of Contemporary American English) and BNC (British National Corpus) show:

  • broadcast is overwhelmingly more common in past tense and participle forms.
  • broadcasted appears rarely, mainly in American English and informal speech.

10.3. Register and Style Considerations

  • Journalistic writing: prefers broadcast.
  • Academic writing: prefers broadcast.
  • Conversational English: may include broadcasted.

10.4. ‘Broadcast’ in Idioms and Figurative Language

  • Broadcast one’s feelings – to share emotions openly
  • Broadcast the news – to tell many people about something
  • Past tense: He broadcast his excitement all over town.

10.5. Cross-verbal Comparison

Other irregular verbs with unchanged forms in past and participle:

Table 9: Irregular Verbs with Unchanged Past Forms
Verb Base Past Simple Past Participle
broadcast broadcast broadcast broadcast
cost cost cost cost
hit hit hit hit
put put put put
set set set set

11. FAQ Section

  1. What is the correct past tense of ‘broadcast’?
    The preferred past tense is broadcast. It remains unchanged from the base form.
  2. Is ‘broadcasted’ grammatically correct?
    It is accepted in some informal or regional varieties, mainly American English, but is less preferred in standard formal English.
  3. Which form is preferred in formal writing?
    Broadcast is strongly recommended in formal, academic, or professional contexts.
  4. Can both ‘broadcast’ and ‘broadcasted’ be used interchangeably?
    While both can function as past tense forms, broadcast is preferred. Use broadcasted cautiously in informal speech only.
  5. What is the past participle of ‘broadcast’?
    Preferred form is broadcast. “Broadcasted” may appear informally.
  6. How is ‘broadcast’ used in passive voice?
    Use the past participle: The speech was broadcast live.
  7. Why do some sources use ‘broadcasted’?
    It follows regular verb patterns and appears in certain American English dialects or informal speech, but it is less standard.
  8. Is ‘broadcasted’ more common in American English?
    Yes, it’s somewhat more common there, but still less frequent than “broadcast.”
  9. Are there other verbs with unchanged past tense forms?
    Yes. Examples include cut, put, hit, set, cost.
  10. How do I avoid common mistakes with ‘broadcast’?
    Prefer broadcast in all past tense and participle forms, especially in writing. Practice recognizing irregular verbs.
  11. Can ‘broadcast’ be both transitive and intransitive?
    Yes. Transitive: The station broadcast the show. Intransitive: The program broadcast at 8 PM.
  12. What are examples of ‘broadcast’ in perfect tenses?
    The station has broadcast the results. / They had broadcast the news earlier.

12. Conclusion

In summary, the preferred past tense and past participle of “broadcast” is “broadcast,” which remains unchanged from its base form. While “broadcasted” exists in regional, informal, or American English contexts, it should generally be avoided in formal writing.

Understanding the irregular nature of “broadcast” helps you correctly use it in simple past, perfect tenses, passive voice, and various contexts. Pay attention to consistency, avoid overgeneralizing -ed endings, and practice with exercises to reinforce your knowledge.

Mastering “broadcast” enhances your ability to communicate clearly and professionally, especially in media, reporting, and academic settings. To further improve your grammar, continue studying other irregular English verbs and their unique patterns.

Keep practicing, and soon, using “broadcast” in past tense will become second nature!

Leave a Comment