Mastering the Past Tense of ‘Slay’: Usage, Forms & Examples

The English verb “slay” is a fascinating and sometimes confusing word that holds a special place in both traditional literature and modern slang. Its dual meanings—ranging from violent acts in epic tales to expressions of admiration in pop culture—make it essential for language learners to understand its correct usage.

Mastering the past tense forms of “slay” is crucial for speaking and writing accurately. This is especially true because “slay” is an irregular verb with two recognized past tenses: one traditional (“slew”), another emerging in informal contexts (“slayed”). These forms differ in meaning, tone, and usage, often leading to confusion even among native speakers.

This comprehensive guide will take you step-by-step through everything you need to know about using “slay” in the past tense. Whether you are a student, teacher, ESL learner, writer, or grammar enthusiast, this article will help you confidently use “slay,” avoid common mistakes, and understand its nuances across contexts.

Let’s delve into the definitions, forms, examples, usage rules, common errors, practice exercises, and advanced insights—all designed to help you master the past tense of “slay”.

Table of Contents

• 3. Definition Section: What Does the Past Tense of “Slay” Mean?
• 4. Structural Breakdown: Forms of the Past Tense of “Slay”
• 5. Types or Categories of Past Tense Forms of “Slay”
• 6. Examples Section: Extensive Examples of Past Tense Forms
• 7. Usage Rules: How to Correctly Use the Past Tense of “Slay”
• 8. Common Mistakes
• 9. Practice Exercises
• 10. Advanced Topics
• 11. FAQ Section
• 12. Conclusion

3. DEFINITION SECTION: What Does the Past Tense of “Slay” Mean?

3.1. Overview of “Slay”

“Slay” is a versatile verb with both literal and figurative meanings:

• Literal: To kill violently, especially in battle or combat.
  Example: “The knight vowed to slay the dragon.”
• Figurative/Slang: To impress greatly, perform exceptionally, or succeed spectacularly.
  Example: “She slayed her performance last night.”

Dictionary Definitions:

• Merriam-Webster: “To kill violently, wantonly, or in great numbers; broadly: to strike down.”
• Oxford English Dictionary: “Kill (a person or animal) in a violent way.”
  “Informal: greatly impress or amuse (someone).”

3.2. Grammatical Classification

“Slay” is an irregular and transitive verb:

• Irregular: Its past forms do not follow the standard “-ed” ending.
• Transitive: It requires a direct object (e.g., slay the beast).

3.3. Function of the Past Tense

The past tense indicates actions that were completed in the past. When using “slay,” the past tense tells us that the act of killing or impressing happened before now:

• “He slew the monster last year.”
• “She slayed that song yesterday.”

3.4. Usage Contexts

• Literal (killing): Used in historical accounts, fantasy literature, or news (e.g., battles, crime reports).
• Figurative/Colloquial: Common in fashion, social media, entertainment to mean “performed well” or “looked amazing.”

Note: The form you choose depends heavily on the context, tone, and level of formality.

4. STRUCTURAL BREAKDOWN: Forms of the Past Tense of “Slay”

4.1. Irregular Verb Forms

Unlike regular verbs that add -ed for the past tense (e.g., “walked”), irregular verbs have unique forms. “Slay” is irregular because:

• The traditional past tense is “slew”, not “slayed.”
• The past participle is “slain”, not “slayed.”

4.2. Two Accepted Past Tense Forms

English now recognizes two past tense forms of “slay,” depending on context:

Base Form	Simple Past	Past Participle	Usage Context
slay	slew	slain	Traditional, literal
slay	slayed	slayed	Slang, modern, figurative

4.3. “Slew” – Traditional Simple Past

“Slew” is the standard, traditional simple past of “slay” used in formal, historical, or literal contexts.

Etymology: From Old English slean (to strike), past tense sloh, which evolved into “slew.”

Usage: Common in literature, e.g., “David slew Goliath.”

4.4. “Slayed” – Modern/Slang Past

“Slayed” has emerged as a colloquial past tense, especially in slang contexts meaning “to impress” or “perform well.”

• More accepted in spoken English, social media, entertainment.
• Considered nonstandard for the literal “kill” sense in formal writing.

4.5. Past Participle Forms

The traditional past participle is “slain”.

In figurative slang, people often use “slayed” as both past tense and participle.

Base Form	Past Simple	Past Participle	Usage Example
slay	slew	slain	“The hero had slain the monster.”
slay	slayed	slayed	“She had slayed her audition.”

5. TYPES OR CATEGORIES OF PAST TENSE FORMS OF “SLAY”

5.1. Traditional Literary and Formal Usage

Use “slew” and “slain” when writing or speaking about literal killing, especially in:

• Historical accounts (“The warrior slew many enemies.”)
• Literature (“He was slain by his rival.”)
• Formal journalism or academic writing

5.2. Modern Informal and Slang Usage

Use “slayed” when expressing excellence, humor, or admiration, such as:

• “She slayed her stand-up routine.”
• “You slayed that look today!”
• In social media hashtags (#slayed)

5.3. Summary Table: Usage by Context and Register

Context Type	Simple Past	Past Participle	Example Sentence
Historical/Violent act	slew	slain	The knight slew the dragon.
Slang/Performing well	slayed	slayed	She slayed her performance last night.

6. EXAMPLES SECTION: Extensive Examples of Past Tense Forms

6.1. Examples Using “Slew” (Literal Killing Sense)

1. The warrior slew his enemy in single combat.
2. Beowulf slew the monster Grendel.
3. The hunter slew the wild boar with a spear.
4. King Arthur slew many foes during his reign.
5. According to myth, Perseus slew Medusa.
6. The hero slew the beast terrorizing the village.
7. The soldier slew the enemy commander.
8. The knight slew the dragon to rescue the princess.
9. The king’s army slew thousands in the battle.
10. Legends say Saint George slew a mighty serpent.
11. The prince slew the troll under the bridge.
12. The assassin slew the tyrant king.

6.2. Examples Using “Slain” (Past Participle)

1. The dragon had been slain by the hero.
2. Many soldiers were slain during the war.
3. The beast was finally slain after years of terrorizing the town.
4. Thousands have been slain in conflicts worldwide.
5. Legends tell of monsters slain by brave warriors.
6. The villain was slain by his own greed.
7. He has slain more enemies than anyone else in the realm.
8. The rebels were slain in battle.
9. The giant had been slain centuries ago.
10. According to prophecy, the monster must be slain by a chosen one.
11. The dragon has been slain and peace restored.

6.3. Examples Using “Slayed” (Slang/Figurative)

1. She absolutely slayed her audition.
2. You slayed that outfit today!
3. The comedian slayed the audience with his jokes.
4. They totally slayed at the competition.
5. He slayed his role in the play.
6. Her performance slayed everyone.
7. The band slayed on stage last night.
8. Wow, girl, you slayed your makeup today!
9. She just slayed that dance routine!
10. Our team slayed the match yesterday.
11. That joke really slayed me!
12. He slayed with his charisma at the party.

6.4. Mixed Context Examples: Formal vs. Informal

1. The hero slew the dragon (formal, literal).
2. She slayed her speech (informal, figurative).
3. The rebels were slain in battle (formal, passive).
4. You slayed that look! (informal, slang).
5. David slew Goliath (biblical, formal).
6. He slayed the crowd with laughter (informal, figurative).

6.5. Example Tables

Table 3: Literal vs Figurative Examples

Literal (killed)	Figurative (performed well)
The knight slew the dragon.	She slayed her dance routine.
Beowulf slew the monster.	You slayed that outfit!
The rebels were slain.	He has slayed every role he played.

Table 4: Past Simple vs Past Participle Example Pairs

Past Simple	Past Participle
The hero slew the beast.	The beast was slain.
She slayed her show.	She has slayed every performance.
The knight slew his enemy.	His enemy was slain.

Table 5: Positive, Negative, and Question Forms

Form	Literal Example	Figurative Example
Positive	He slew the dragon.	She slayed her performance.
Negative	He did not slay the dragon.	She did not slay at the concert.
Question	Did he slay the dragon?	Did she slay her audition?

6.6. Summary of Examples

• The hero slew the monster.
• She slayed the competition.
• The rebels were slain.
• You slayed that presentation.
• Beowulf slew Grendel.
• The dragon has been slain.
• Our team slayed yesterday’s game.
• The knight slew his enemy.
• She has slayed every performance.
• Thousands were slain in the war.

7. USAGE RULES: How to Correctly Use the Past Tense of “Slay”

7.1. Choosing Between “Slew” and “Slayed”

• Use “slew” when referring to literal killings in traditional, historical, or formal contexts.
• Use “slayed” for figurative meanings in informal, colloquial, or slang contexts.
• Avoid mixing: Don’t use “slayed” when narrating epic battles or kill scenes in formal writing.

7.2. Subject-Verb Agreement in Past Tense

Since “slew” and “slayed” are both simple past, they agree with all subjects:

• Singular: He slew the beast. / She slayed her audition.
• Plural: They slew their enemies. / They slayed the show.

7.3. Passive Voice Constructions

• Literal: Use “slain” (traditional past participle).
  “The villain was slain by the hero.”
• Figurative: Informal slang sometimes uses “slayed”.
  “She was slayed on stage.” (meaning overwhelmed or impressed)

7.4. Perfect Tenses

Use the correct participle in perfect tenses:

Table 6: Perfect Tense Examples

Tense	Traditional Literal	Figurative/Slang
Present Perfect	He has slain his foes.	She has slayed every show.
Past Perfect	They had slain the monster.	They had slayed the competition.
Future Perfect	She will have slain the beast.	She will have slayed her set.

7.5. Common Exceptions and Variations

• “Slayed” is increasingly accepted in informal speech and writing for the figurative sense.
• In formal, academic, or historical contexts, stick with “slew” and “slain”.
• Editorial standards may vary; some accept “slayed” only in slang.

8. COMMON MISTAKES

8.1. Using “slayed” in Formal Writing When “slew” is Required

• Incorrect: “The hero slayed the dragon.”
• Correct: “The hero slew the dragon.”

8.2. Confusing Past Simple and Past Participle

• Incorrect: “He has slew the monster.”
• Correct: “He has slain the monster.”

8.3. Overregularizing the Irregular Verb

• Incorrect: “She had slayed the beast” (when narrating a literal kill).
• Correct: “She had slain the beast.”

8.4. Mixing Literal and Figurative Forms Incorrectly

• Incorrect: “The soldier slayed his enemy.”
• Correct: “The soldier slew his enemy.”

8.5. Summary Table of Mistakes

Incorrect Sentence	Correct Form	Explanation
The hero slayed the dragon.	The hero slew the dragon.	Use “slew” for traditional, literal killing.
He has slew the monster.	He has slain the monster.	Use “slain” as past participle, not “slew”.
She had slayed the beast.	She had slain the beast.	In literal sense, “slain” is correct participle.
The knight slayed his enemy.	The knight slew his enemy.	Use “slew” in past simple for literal killing.
The dragon was slayed by the hero.	The dragon was slain by the hero.	“Slain” is the traditional past participle in passive.

9. PRACTICE EXERCISES

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

1. The knight _____ the dragon with his sword. (Answer: slew)
2. She really _____ that dance routine last night. (slayed)
3. The rebels were _____ during the uprising. (slain)
4. He has _____ all his foes in battle. (slain)
5. They _____ the competition yesterday. (slayed)
6. According to legend, Beowulf _____ Grendel. (slew)
7. The monster was _____ by the hero. (slain)
8. Our team _____ it on stage! (slayed)
9. The assassin _____ the king. (slew)
10. She has _____ every show she performed. (slayed)
11. Thousands were _____ in the conflict. (slain)
12. He _____ the crowd with his humor. (slayed)
13. The prince _____ the evil sorcerer. (slew)
14. The beast was finally _____ after years. (slain)
15. You totally _____ that presentation! (slayed)

9.2. Correction Exercises (10 sentences)

1. He has slew the beast. → He has slain the beast.
2. The knight slayed the dragon. → The knight slew the dragon.
3. The rebels were slayed. → The rebels were slain.
4. She had slew her enemies. → She had slain her enemies.
5. They has slayed the show. → They have slayed the show.
6. The dragon was slayed by the hero. → The dragon was slain by the hero.
7. He has slew many monsters. → He has slain many monsters.
8. She had slew the beast. → She had slain the beast.
9. The hero slayed his enemy. → The hero slew his enemy.
10. They slew the audience with their performance. → They slayed the audience with their performance.

9.3. Identification Exercises (10 items)

Decide if the sentence uses the correct form:

1. The hero slew the dragon. Correct
2. She slayed her audition. Correct (figurative)
3. He has slew the monster. Incorrect
4. The rebels were slain. Correct
5. The knight slayed his enemy. Incorrect
6. They slayed the competition. Correct
7. The beast was slain by the hero. Correct
8. She had slayed her performance. Correct (figurative)
9. Beowulf slayed the monster. Incorrect
10. You really slayed that look! Correct

9.4. Sentence Construction (10 prompts)

Use the base form “slay” in the following prompts to create sentences with correct past forms:

1. The knight (slay) the dragon. → The knight slew the dragon.
2. She (slay) her performance last night. → She slayed her performance last night.
3. The monster (be, slay) by the hero. → The monster was slain by the hero.
4. They (slay) their competition yesterday. → They slayed their competition yesterday.
5. Thousands (be, slay) in battle. → Thousands were slain in battle.
6. He (slay) the enemy commander. → He slew the enemy commander.
7. She (have, slay) every show. → She has slayed every show.
8. According to legend, Perseus (slay) Medusa. → Perseus slew Medusa.
9. The rebels (be, slay) during the revolt. → The rebels were slain during the revolt.
10. You (slay) that outfit! → You slayed that outfit!

9.5. Answer Key

Fill-in-the-Blank: The answers were provided inline above. Remember, use “slew” for literal past simple, “slain” for past participle in passive/perfect, and “slayed” for slang or figurative contexts.

Correction: The corrections demonstrate replacing “slayed” with “slew” in literal contexts, and using “slain” as the correct past participle.

Identification: Watch for incorrect mixing or overregularization, e.g., “has slew” (incorrect) → “has slain.”

Sentence Construction: Focus on context to choose between “slew,” “slain,” and “slayed.”

10. ADVANCED TOPICS

10.1. Historical Evolution of “Slay” and Its Past Forms

“Slay” derives from Old English slean (to strike), with the past tense sloh.

Middle English evolved sloh to “slew,” which became standard in Early Modern English.

“Slayed” arose as a regularized form, gaining popularity in slang and informal speech.

10.2. Regional and Dialectal Variations

• In some dialects, “slayed” is used more broadly.
• In American pop culture, “slayed” dominates figurative contexts.
• British English tends to prefer traditional forms in formal contexts.

10.3. Prescriptive vs. Descriptive Grammar on “Slayed”

• Prescriptive: Only “slew” and “slain” are correct for literal senses.
• Descriptive: Recognizes “slayed” in figurative, modern usage.
• Language evolves, so both views coexist.

10.4. Figurative Extensions and Idiomatic Expressions

• “Slay the dragon”: Metaphor for overcoming a major challenge.
• “She slayed it”: Performed exceptionally well.
• “That joke slayed me”: Made me laugh a lot.

10.5. Register, Tone, and Audience Considerations

• In academic or professional writing, use “slew” and “slain.”
• In creative writing, dialogue, or social media, “slayed” is acceptable for slang senses.
• Always consider your audience when choosing forms.

11. FAQ SECTION

1. What is the correct past tense of “slay”?
   Traditionally, it is “slew” for the simple past, and “slain” for the past participle. In informal slang, “slayed” is used figuratively.
2. Is “slayed” grammatically correct?
   It is correct in modern informal/slang contexts meaning “performed well,” but not traditionally correct for the literal “kill” sense.
3. When should I use “slew” instead of “slayed”?
   Use “slew” in formal, historical, or literal contexts involving killing. Use “slayed” informally for praise or figurative meaning.
4. What is the past participle of “slay”?
   Traditionally, “slain.” In slang, “slayed” is sometimes used as a participle.
5. Why do people say “slayed” in slang?
   Because “slay” has taken on a new meaning of impressing or performing well, and “slayed” follows the regular past tense pattern in informal speech.
6. Can I use “slayed” in formal writing?
   Avoid “slayed” in formal writing, especially when referring to literal killing. Use “slew” or “slain” instead.
7. How do I know which form to choose in my sentence?
   Consider context and formality. Literal/violent + formal = “slew/slain.” Figurative + informal = “slayed.”
8. Is “slew” still used in modern English?
   Yes, especially in historical, literary, or formal contexts referring to killing.
9. Are “slew” and “slayed” interchangeable?
   Not always. They differ in meaning, tone, and context. Use “slew” for literal/historical, “slayed” for slang/figurative.
10. Does “slay” have other meanings besides killing?
    Yes! In slang, it means to impress, amuse, or perform well.
11. What are some common mistakes with “slay” past tense?
    Using “slayed” instead of “slew” in formal contexts; confusing “slew” and “slain”; overregularizing as “slayed” inappropriately.
12. How do I teach the past tense of “slay” to ESL students?
    Emphasize the two contexts (literal vs. figurative), practice distinctions, use plenty of examples, and highlight traditional vs. slang forms.

12. CONCLUSION

Understanding the past tense of “slay” requires recognizing its two major forms:

• “slew” (traditional, literal killing)
• “slayed” (modern, figurative slang)

Choosing the right form depends on context, meaning, and formality. In historical or formal writing, use “slew” and “slain”. In informal conversations or pop culture, “slayed” is widely accepted for praise or humor.

To master these forms:

• Practice regularly using the examples and exercises.
• Be mindful of audience and tone.
• Remember that language evolves, so being aware of both traditional rules and modern usage is key.

Use this comprehensive guide as a reference whenever you encounter “slay” in your reading, writing, or conversations. With time and practice, you will confidently choose the correct past tense form and enrich your English mastery.