Mastering the Past Tense of “Judge”: Forms, Rules, Examples & Tips

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The verb “judge” is an essential part of English vocabulary, widely used in both formal and informal communication. Whether in a courtroom, an art contest, or expressing personal opinions, “judge” helps us describe evaluating, deciding, or forming opinions about people, actions, or situations.

Mastering the past tense of “judge” is crucial for clear and accurate communication about past actions, decisions, or experiences. Understanding how and when to use “judged” allows speakers and writers to recount events effectively, whether in narratives, reports, storytelling, academic writing, or everyday conversations.

This comprehensive guide benefits students, ESL/EFL learners, teachers, writers, and professionals who want to improve their grammar accuracy and fluency. It covers everything from definitions and grammatical structures to usage rules, examples, common mistakes, advanced nuances, and practice exercises.

By the end of this article, you will thoroughly understand all aspects of the past tense of “judge” and be able to use it confidently in both spoken and written English.

Table of Contents

3. Definition Section

3.1. What Does “Judge” Mean?

The verb “judge” has several related meanings:

  • To form an opinion or conclusion about something or someone
    Example: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
  • To preside over a legal case and make a formal decision
    Example: “The judge will judge the trial tomorrow.”
  • To criticize, assess, or evaluate
    Example: “They judged the singing competition.”

3.2. Grammatical Classification of “Judge”

“Judge” is a regular verb in English. It acts as a main lexical (action) verb, which means it carries semantic meaning. It is primarily transitive (takes a direct object), as in “The panel judged the contest,” but can also be used intransitively in certain contexts, such as “Try not to judge.”

As a regular verb, its past tense and past participle both add -ed, forming “judged”.

3.3. What Is the Past Tense of “Judge”?

The simple past tense of “judge” is “judged”. This form is used to describe actions or states that were completed in the past, regardless of their duration.

Example: “She judged the competition last week.”

3.4. Why Focus on the Past Tense of “Judge”?

Properly using “judged” lets you clearly express:

  • Past decisions or evaluations: “He judged the essay harshly.”
  • Historical events: “The panel judged the entries in 2015.”
  • Legal judgments: “The court judged him guilty.”

Since “judge” appears in legal, academic, and daily language, mastering its past tense improves your ability to report actions and events accurately.

4. Structural Breakdown

4.1. How to Form the Simple Past of “Judge”

Since “judge” is a regular verb, its simple past tense is formed by adding -ed to the base:

judge + ed = judged

The -ed ending is pronounced as a voiced /d/ after the /ʤ/ sound, resulting in /ʤʌʤd/.

Base Form Past Tense Past Participle Present Participle Third Person Singular
judge judged judged judging judges

4.2. Sentence Structure with “Judged”

  • Affirmative: Subject + judged + (object)
    Example: “She judged the contest.”
  • Negative: Subject + did not + judge + (object)
    Example: “They did not judge the event.”
  • Interrogative: Did + subject + judge + (object)?
    Example: “Did he judge the competition?”

4.3. Pronunciation of “Judged”

“Judged” ends with a consonant cluster /ʤd/, which can be tricky. It sounds like:

/ʤʌʤd/, with the voiced /dʒ/ sound followed by a /d/ sound.

Non-native speakers should practice blending the /ʤ/ and /d/ smoothly: “judge-d”.

4.4. Past Participle vs. Past Simple of “Judge”

“Judged” serves as both:

  • Simple past: “They judged the show yesterday.”
  • Past participle (used with have/had/having): “They have judged many contests.”

Remember:

  • Simple past stands alone without auxiliary verbs.
  • Past participle combines with auxiliaries to form perfect tenses or passive voice.

5. Types or Categories

5.1. Simple Past Tense (“Judged”)

Describes an action completed at a specific time in the past.

Example: “The jury judged the case yesterday.”

5.2. Past Progressive (Was/Were Judging)

Describes a continuous action occurring at a particular moment in the past.

Example: “They were judging the performances all night.”

5.3. Past Perfect (Had Judged)

Describes an action completed before another past event.

Example: “She had judged many contests before retiring.”

5.4. Past Perfect Continuous (Had Been Judging)

Describes an action that was ongoing up to a certain point in the past.

Example: “He had been judging the competition for hours when the incident occurred.”

6. Examples Section

6.1. Basic Examples of Past Simple

  1. He judged the competition fairly.
  2. She judged the debate yesterday.
  3. The panel judged all the entries last week.
  4. They judged the artwork carefully.
  5. The teacher judged the essays quickly.
  6. I judged the race results yesterday.
  7. Our team judged the presentations in the morning.
  8. The experts judged the photography contest on Monday.
  9. My friend judged the talent show last night.
  10. The committee judged the proposals last month.

6.2. Negative Past Simple Examples

  • They did not judge the contest last week.
  • She did not judge the essays yesterday.
  • He did not judge the competition fairly.
  • The panel did not judge the entries on time.
  • We did not judge the performance harshly.

6.3. Interrogative Past Simple Examples

  • Did she judge the debate yesterday?
  • Did they judge the competition fairly?
  • Did the committee judge the proposals last month?
  • Did he judge the artwork carefully?
  • Did your friend judge the talent show last night?

6.4. Examples by Context

  • Legal: “The court judged him guilty.”
  • Legal: “A federal judge judged the case last year.”
  • Legal: “The tribunal judged the defendant innocent.”
  • Personal opinion: “I judged his actions too harshly.”
  • Personal opinion: “They judged me without knowing the facts.”
  • Personal opinion: “She judged his behavior inappropriate.”
  • Art/competition: “The panel judged the paintings carefully.”
  • Art/competition: “Experts judged the culinary contest on Saturday.”
  • Art/competition: “He judged the beauty pageant last week.”
  • General: “People often judged others quickly in that era.”

6.5. Examples of Past Perfect, Past Continuous, and Past Perfect Continuous

Past Continuous

  • They were judging the entries when the power went out.
  • She was judging the debate when the interruption occurred.
  • The committee was judging the competition during the storm.
  • The judges were judging the final round when the protests started.
  • He was judging all afternoon yesterday.

Past Perfect

  • She had judged several contests before she retired.
  • They had judged the previous event before moving on to this one.
  • He had judged the case before the new evidence appeared.
  • The panel had judged all performances before lunch.
  • We had judged the initial round before announcing the finalists.

Past Perfect Continuous

  • He had been judging for hours when the incident occurred.
  • They had been judging since early morning before the break.
  • She had been judging many competitions before she became a mentor.
  • The team had been judging continuously for two days before the decision.
  • We had been judging the entries all week before announcing the winners.

6.6. Example Tables

Table 1: Affirmative, Negative, and Question Forms in Past Simple
Form Example
Affirmative He judged the contest.
Negative He did not judge the contest.
Question Did he judge the contest?
Table 2: “Judge” in Various Past Tense Forms
Tense Form Example
Simple Past She judged the debate.
Past Continuous She was judging the debate.
Past Perfect She had judged the debate.
Past Perfect Continuous She had been judging the debate.
Table 3: “Judge” in Different Sentence Types
Sentence Type Example
Declarative They judged the competition.
Interrogative Did they judge the competition?
Negative They did not judge the competition.
Table 4: Contextual Usage by Domain
Context Example
Legal The court judged him guilty.
Competition The panel judged the paintings carefully.
Personal Opinion I judged his actions too harshly.
Table 5: Timeline of Past Tense Forms
Past Tense Order Example
Past Perfect Continuous Started earliest, continued up to another past event He had been judging for hours when it ended.
Past Perfect Completed before another past action She had judged before the new rules.
Past Continuous Ongoing at a past moment They were judging when it happened.
Simple Past Completed event at a definite past time They judged yesterday.

7. Usage Rules

7.1. When to Use “Judged” in Simple Past

  • To describe completed actions at a specific past time.
  • Common time markers: yesterday, last week, in 2010, two days ago.

Example: “The committee judged the entries last Friday.”

7.2. When to Use Past Progressive

  • To express actions that were ongoing at a certain moment in the past.
  • Often used with interruptions: “They were judging when the power went out.”

7.3. When to Use Past Perfect

  • For actions completed before another past event.
  • Usually combined with time markers like before, after, by the time.

Example: “She had judged several contests before retiring.”

7.4. When to Use Past Perfect Continuous

  • To emphasize duration of an action leading up to a past event.
  • Often used with for or since.

Example: “They had been judging for hours before the results were announced.”

7.5. Irregularities and Exceptions

“Judge” is a regular verb — simply add -ed without any spelling changes or irregular patterns.

7.6. Usage in Reported Speech

  • Direct speech: “I judge the contest.”
  • Reported speech: “He said he judged the contest.”

7.7. Passive Voice Forms

  • Simple Past Passive: “The case was judged by the panel.”
  • Past Perfect Passive: “The case had been judged before the appeal.”

Use the passive when focusing on the object or result rather than the doer.

8. Common Mistakes

8.1. Incorrect Past Tense Formation

  • Wrong: “judgeed”
  • Correct: “judged”

8.2. Confusing Past and Present Forms

  • Wrong: “Yesterday, he judge the case.”
  • Correct: “Yesterday, he judged the case.”

8.3. Using Present with Past Time Markers

  • Wrong: “Last year, they judge all entries.”
  • Correct: “Last year, they judged all entries.”

8.4. Overusing Past Perfect

  • Wrong: “He had judged the contest yesterday.”
  • Correct: “He judged the contest yesterday.”

8.5. Passive Voice Confusion

  • Wrong: “The case judged last week.”
  • Correct: “The case was judged last week.”

8.6. Examples Table: Correct vs. Incorrect Sentences

Incorrect Correct
She judge the contest yesterday. She judged the contest yesterday.
They was judging when we arrived. They were judging when we arrived.
The case had judged before the appeal. The case had been judged before the appeal.
Did he judged the competition? Did he judge the competition?
I was judging since morning. I had been judging since morning.
He had judged yesterday. He judged yesterday.
Last week, she judge the debate. Last week, she judged the debate.
The contest was judge by them. The contest was judged by them.
They did not judged the entries. They did not judge the entries.
The panel judge the paintings last night. The panel judged the paintings last night.

9. Practice Exercises

9.1. Fill-in-the-Blank (20 items)

  1. Last month, the panel ______ the final round.
  2. She ______ the debate yesterday.
  3. They ______ all entries before noon.
  4. The jury ______ the case quickly.
  5. He ______ the contest last Sunday.
  6. The expert ______ the artwork carefully.
  7. I ______ the competition last year.
  8. We ______ the presentations on Friday.
  9. The judges ______ the dance contest last week.
  10. My friend ______ the singing competition.
  11. They did not ______ the event last night.
  12. Did she ______ the proposals?
  13. He had ______ many contests before retiring.
  14. The committee was ______ when the lights went out.
  15. They had been ______ for hours before the break.
  16. She was ______ the debate when I arrived.
  17. The case was ______ by the Supreme Court.
  18. We did not ______ the entries yesterday.
  19. Did they ______ the art exhibition?
  20. By 2010, he had ______ over 50 cases.

9.2. Error Correction (10 sentences)

  1. They did not judged the competition last year.
  2. She judge the essays yesterday.
  3. The panel was judge the performances.
  4. He had judged yesterday.
  5. Did he judged the debate?
  6. They was judging when the announcement was made.
  7. The contest had judge before the appeal.
  8. Last week, we judge the final round.
  9. The case judged yesterday.
  10. He have judged the contest already.

9.3. Multiple Choice (10 items)

  1. Yesterday, she ____ the competition.
    A) judge
    B) judged
    C) judging
    D) judges
  2. He ____ the contest last month.
    A) judged
    B) judging
    C) judges
    D) judge
  3. They ____ the entries when the alarm went off.
    A) was judging
    B) were judging
    C) judging
    D) judged
  4. By 2015, she ____ many competitions.
    A) judged
    B) has judged
    C) had judged
    D) judging
  5. The results ____ by an expert panel.
    A) was judged
    B) were judged
    C) are judged
    D) judging
  6. We ____ the case before the new evidence arrived.
    A) have judged
    B) had judged
    C) judging
    D) judged
  7. Did they ____ the proposals last week?
    A) judged
    B) judging
    C) judge
    D) judges
  8. She ____ the debate when I called.
    A) was judging
    B) judging
    C) judged
    D) judges
  9. They ____ been judging for hours before the break.
    A) was
    B) have
    C) had
    D) had been
  10. He ____ not judge the event yesterday.
    A) do
    B) did
    C) does
    D) did not

9.4. Sentence Construction (10 prompts)

  1. She / judge / competition / last week
  2. They / not / judge / contest / yesterday
  3. Did / he / judge / debate / on Monday?
  4. We / judge / entries / last month
  5. The panel / be / judging / performances / all day
  6. He / have / judged / many cases / before
  7. They / had been / judging / for hours / before break
  8. The case / be / judged / by / Supreme Court
  9. She / not / judge / event / last year
  10. Did / they / judge / proposals / last Friday?

9.5. Identify the Tense (10 sentences)

  1. They judged the competition last week.
  2. She was judging the debate when I called.
  3. He had judged many contests before retiring.
  4. We had been judging for hours before lunch.
  5. The panel judged the entries yesterday.
  6. She had been judging for years before becoming a coach.
  7. They were judging when the alarm went off.
  8. He judged the artwork last night.
  9. They had judged the case before the new evidence appeared.
  10. She was judging all afternoon.

9.6. Practice Exercises Answer Key

9.1 Fill-in-the-Blank Answers:

  1. judged
  2. judged
  3. judged
  4. judged
  5. judged
  6. judged
  7. judged
  8. judged
  9. judged
  10. judged
  11. judge
  12. judge
  13. judged
  14. judging
  15. judging
  16. judging
  17. judged
  18. judge
  19. judge
  20. judged

9.2 Error Correction Answers:

  1. They did not judge the competition last year.
  2. She judged the essays yesterday.
  3. The panel was judging the performances.
  4. He judged yesterday.
  5. Did he judge the debate?
  6. They were judging when the announcement was made.
  7. The contest had been judged before the appeal.
  8. Last week, we judged the final round.
  9. The case was judged yesterday.
  10. He has judged the contest already.

9.3 Multiple Choice Answers:

  1. B) judged
  2. A) judged
  3. B) were judging
  4. C) had judged
  5. B) were judged
  6. B) had judged
  7. C) judge
  8. A) was judging
  9. C) had
  10. B) did

9.4 Sentence Construction (sample answers):

  1. She judged the competition last week.
  2. They did not judge the contest yesterday.
  3. Did he judge the debate on Monday?
  4. We judged the entries last month.
  5. The panel was judging the performances all day.
  6. He had judged many cases before.
  7. They had been judging for hours before the break.
  8. The case was judged by the Supreme Court.
  9. She did not judge the event last year.
  10. Did they judge the proposals last Friday?

9.5 Identify the Tense Answers:

  1. Simple Past
  2. Past Continuous
  3. Past Perfect
  4. Past Perfect Continuous
  5. Simple Past
  6. Past Perfect Continuous
  7. Past Continuous
  8. Simple Past
  9. Past Perfect
  10. Past Continuous

10. Advanced Topics

10.1. Nuances of “Judge” in Legal vs. Figurative Contexts

In legal contexts, “judged” typically refers to an official decision made by a court or judge.

Example: “The court judged him guilty.”

In figurative or personal contexts, it often means forming an opinion or criticizing.

Example: “She judged me unfairly.”

10.2. Combining Past Tenses with “Judge” in Complex Sentences

Complex sentences often mix tenses:

Example: “While the panel was judging the contestants, the audience had already left.”

10.3. Use in Conditional Sentences

Third conditional expresses unreal past conditions:

Example: “If he had judged fairly, the result would have been different.”

10.4. Using “Judged” in Passive Constructions Across Past Tenses

  • Simple Past Passive: “The artwork was judged yesterday.”
  • Past Continuous Passive: “The entries were being judged all day.”
  • Past Perfect Passive: “The case had been judged before new evidence appeared.”
  • Past Perfect Continuous Passive (rare): “The results had been being judged for hours before the announcement.”

10.5. Stylistic Choices: Passive vs. Active in Narratives

Passive voice is common in formal/legal writing to focus on the action or result:

Example: “The case was judged yesterday.”

Active voice emphasizes the doer:

Example: “The judge judged the case yesterday.”

11. FAQ Section

  1. What is the simple past tense of “judge”?
    The simple past tense is “judged”.
  2. Is “judged” both the past tense and past participle?
    Yes, “judged” functions as both the simple past and the past participle.
  3. How do you pronounce the “-ed” in “judged”?
    It is pronounced as a voiced /d/, blending with the /ʤ/ to sound like /ʤʌʤd/.
  4. Can “judge” be irregular in any tense?
    No, “judge” is a regular verb in all tenses.
  5. When should I use “judging” instead of “judged”?
    Use “judging” for continuous tenses (e.g., “She was judging”) or as a gerund/noun (e.g., “Judging is difficult”).
  6. Is “had judged” the same as “judged”?
    No, “had judged” (past perfect) shows an action completed before another past event, while “judged” is simple past.
  7. How do I form negative sentences with “judged”?
    Use did not + judge: “They did not judge the contest.”
  8. How do I make questions in the past tense with “judge”?
    Use Did + subject + judge: “Did he judge the competition?”
  9. What are some common mistakes with “judged”?
    Mistakes include wrong spelling (“judgeed”), using present tense with past markers, or incorrect auxiliary verbs.
  10. Can “judged” be used in passive voice?
    Yes, e.g., “The case was judged by the panel.”
  11. What’s the difference between “was judging” and “had judged”?
    “Was judging” = ongoing action in the past; “had judged” = completed before another past event.
  12. How many tenses use the word “judged”?
    Mainly simple past, past perfect, and perfect passive forms. It also appears as the past participle in perfect and passive tenses.

12. Conclusion

Understanding the past tense of “judge” — primarily the form “judged” — is essential for accurately describing past actions, decisions, and events. This article has covered its formation, usage across various past tenses, differences between forms, pronunciation, and context-specific nuances.

Through numerous examples, tables, and exercises, you can now confidently use “judged” in affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences, as well as in complex structures. Mastery comes with practice, so apply these concepts in your writing and speaking regularly.

Continue studying other verb tenses and their contextual uses to deepen your fluency and express yourself clearly in English.

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