Understanding & Using the Past Tense of “Withdraw” Effectively

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Mastering irregular verbs like “withdraw” is essential for clear and accurate English. Despite being a common verb, its irregular past tense forms—withdrew and withdrawn—can confuse learners and even native speakers at times. Whether you’re discussing banking, military maneuvers, emotional responses, or academic arguments, using the correct past form of “withdraw” ensures your meaning is precise.

This comprehensive guide will help learners of all levels—from ESL beginners to advanced writers—understand when and how to use withdrew and withdrawn. Teachers, professionals, and exam candidates will also find valuable explanations, examples, and practice exercises. We’ll cover definitions, grammar structures, usage rules, common mistakes, advanced nuances, and much more. Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

3. DEFINITION SECTION

3.1 What Does “Withdraw” Mean?

“Withdraw” has several core meanings, which include:

  • To remove or take back: She withdrew her support.
  • To retreat or pull back: The army withdrew from the city.
  • To stop participating: He withdrew from the competition.
  • Banking: To take out money: I withdrew $100 yesterday.

3.2 Grammatical Classification

  • Verb Type: Irregular verb
  • Transitive Use: Requires an object (e.g., She withdrew her complaint.)
  • Intransitive Use: No object (e.g., The troops withdrew.)
  • Verb Group: Irregular verbs with vowel changes (draw → drew → drawn, withdraw → withdrew → withdrawn)
  • Base Form: withdraw

3.3 Past Tense Forms of “Withdraw”

  • Simple Past: withdrew
  • Past Participle: withdrawn
  • Present Participle: withdrawing

Note: As an irregular verb, “withdraw” does not simply add -ed. Instead, it changes its internal vowel.

3.4 Function and Usage Contexts

  • Use withdrew to narrate a completed action in the past: Yesterday, she withdrew her application.
  • Use withdrawn in perfect tenses or passive voice: The money has been withdrawn.
  • Choosing the correct form helps maintain grammatical accuracy and clarity.

4. STRUCTURAL BREAKDOWN

4.1 Irregular Verb Conjugation Pattern

“Withdraw” follows a vowel change pattern:

  • withdraw (base)
  • withdrew (simple past)
  • withdrawn (past participle)
Table 1: Conjugation of “Withdraw”
Form Example
Base I withdraw money every week.
Simple Past She withdrew cash yesterday.
Past Participle They have withdrawn support.
Present Participle He is withdrawing funds now.
3rd Person Singular She withdraws money regularly.

4.2 Forming the Simple Past with “Withdrew”

Use “withdrew” in affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms:

  • Affirmative: He withdrew his name from the list.
  • Negative: They did not withdraw their offer.
  • Interrogative: Did you withdraw the complaint?
Table 2: Sentence Formation with “Withdrew”
Sentence Type Structure Example
Affirmative Subject + withdrew + object She withdrew cash.
Negative Subject + did not + withdraw + object They did not withdraw support.
Interrogative Did + subject + withdraw + object? Did he withdraw his application?

4.3 Using the Past Participle “Withdrawn”

  • Perfect Tenses:
    • Present Perfect: They have withdrawn their complaint.
    • Past Perfect: She had withdrawn her support.
    • Future Perfect: By then, we will have withdrawn all funds.
  • Passive Voice: The troops were withdrawn after the ceasefire.
Table 3: Examples with “Withdrawn”
Structure Example
Present Perfect They have withdrawn the offer.
Past Perfect He had withdrawn his candidacy.
Future Perfect We will have withdrawn support by then.
Passive (present) The complaint has been withdrawn.
Passive (past) The troops were withdrawn last night.

4.4 Timeline Contexts

Use the following visual guide to determine when to use withdrew or withdrawn:

  • Withdrew: A finished, singular action at a specific past time.
  • Withdrawn: An action connected to the present or used in perfect tenses/passive voice.

Timeline Diagram:

  • PAST: He withdrew funds yesterday. (Completed past action)
  • PAST → PRESENT: He has withdrawn funds. (Action with present relevance or recent past)
  • PAST of PAST: By 5 PM, he had withdrawn funds. (Earlier past action before another past event)

5. TYPES OR CATEGORIES

5.1 Transitive vs. Intransitive Usage

Transitive: requires an object.

  • She withdrew her application.
  • They withdrew the troops.
  • He withdrew his consent.

Intransitive: no object.

  • The troops withdrew at dawn.
  • He withdrew from the race.
  • The company withdrew after negotiations failed.

5.2 Formal vs. Informal Register

  • Formal: legal, academic, military: The proposal was withdrawn.
  • Informal alternatives: He dropped out., She took it back., They pulled out.

5.3 Literal vs. Figurative Usages

  • Literal: physically removing or retreating: She withdrew cash., The troops withdrew.
  • Figurative: emotional/social distancing or changing position: He withdrew from the conversation., The company withdrew support.

6. EXAMPLES SECTION

6.1 Basic Affirmative Past Simple

  • She withdrew money yesterday.
  • He withdrew his complaint after the apology.
  • The army withdrew from the border.
  • The company withdrew the offer.
  • Jack withdrew from the competition.
  • The students withdrew their applications.
  • My friend withdrew $500 last week.
  • The bank withdrew the fee after my request.
  • They withdrew their investment early.
  • She withdrew her support for the plan.

6.2 Negative Sentences in Past Simple

  • They did not withdraw from the agreement.
  • She did not withdraw cash yesterday.
  • He didn’t withdraw his criticism.
  • The army didn’t withdraw before sunrise.
  • We didn’t withdraw our consent.
  • The company didn’t withdraw the faulty product.
  • I didn’t withdraw any money last week.
  • They didn’t withdraw despite the warnings.
  • She didn’t withdraw her name from the list.
  • He didn’t withdraw his candidacy.

6.3 Interrogative Sentences

  • Did he withdraw his complaint?
  • Did they withdraw the troops?
  • Did she withdraw her application?
  • Did you withdraw money yesterday?
  • Did the bank withdraw the charge?
  • Did the company withdraw the product?
  • Did he withdraw from the race?
  • Did they withdraw their support?
  • Did you withdraw before the deadline?
  • Did she withdraw her statement?

6.4 Past Perfect with “Withdrawn”

  • She had withdrawn her support before the meeting.
  • They had withdrawn all troops by midnight.
  • He had already withdrawn his application.
  • The company had withdrawn the faulty batch.
  • By then, the students had withdrawn their applications.
  • I had withdrawn all my savings beforehand.
  • She had withdrawn her consent prior to signing.
  • They had withdrawn before the enemy arrived.
  • He had withdrawn the claim after the evidence surfaced.
  • We had withdrawn our funds early.

6.5 Present Perfect with “Withdrawn”

  • They have withdrawn the offer.
  • She has withdrawn her complaint.
  • The bank has withdrawn the fee.
  • He has withdrawn from the competition.
  • The troops have been withdrawn.
  • We have withdrawn all applications.
  • She has withdrawn support recently.
  • The company has withdrawn faulty products.
  • They have withdrawn due to safety concerns.
  • I have withdrawn some money today.

6.6 Passive Voice Examples

  • The troops were withdrawn after the ceasefire.
  • The offer was withdrawn last week.
  • The faulty product was withdrawn from the market.
  • The application was withdrawn by the student.
  • All charges were withdrawn against the suspect.
  • The complaint has been withdrawn.
  • The funding was withdrawn suddenly.
  • The investment had been withdrawn earlier.
  • The support was withdrawn unexpectedly.
  • The product will be withdrawn next month.

6.7 Complex Sentences and Clauses

  • After he had withdrawn his investment, the company collapsed.
  • If they had withdrawn earlier, losses would have been minimized.
  • Because she withdrew her application, the position remained open.
  • Since the offer was withdrawn, negotiations stalled.
  • Once the troops had been withdrawn, peace talks resumed.
  • Although he withdrew, he continued to support the cause.
  • Before the complaint was withdrawn, an investigation began.
  • When the funds were withdrawn, the account was closed.
  • Even though they had withdrawn support, the project succeeded.
  • After the charges were withdrawn, he was released.

6.8 Example Tables

Table 4: Affirmative, Negative, Interrogative with “Withdrew”
Type Example
Affirmative She withdrew her application.
Negative She did not withdraw her application.
Interrogative Did she withdraw her application?
Table 5: Perfect Tense and Passive Voice with “Withdrawn”
Structure Example
Present Perfect They have withdrawn their offer.
Past Perfect He had withdrawn his complaint.
Passive (present) The troops have been withdrawn.
Passive (past) The offer was withdrawn yesterday.
Table 6: Transitive vs. Intransitive Examples
Usage Example
Transitive She withdrew her consent.
Intransitive The team withdrew from the tournament.
Table 7: Literal vs. Figurative Usage
Type Example
Literal She withdrew cash from the ATM.
Figurative He withdrew from the discussion.
Table 8: Formal vs. Informal Context Examples
Register Example
Formal The application was withdrawn.
Informal She dropped out.

7. USAGE RULES

7.1 Rule: Use “withdrew” for Completed Past Actions

  • She withdrew last week.
  • The army withdrew in 2010.
  • They withdrew from talks yesterday.

7.2 Rule: Use “withdrawn” for Perfect Tenses

  • Present Perfect: They have withdrawn.
  • Past Perfect: They had withdrawn before noon.
  • Future Perfect: They will have withdrawn by tomorrow.

7.3 Rule: Use “withdrawn” in Passive Voice

  • The troops were withdrawn.
  • The complaint has been withdrawn.
  • The support was withdrawn suddenly.

7.4 Common Exceptions & Special Cases

  • With modal verbs + perfect infinitive: They might have withdrawn earlier.
  • Indirect speech: He said he had withdrawn.
  • Conditionals: If they had withdrawn earlier, they would have saved money.

7.5 Variations in Formality and Region

  • Generally no dialectal differences.
  • Formality influences verb choice: “withdraw” is formal, “pull out” is informal.

8. COMMON MISTAKES

8.1 Confusing “Withdrew” and “Withdrawn”

  • Incorrect: They have withdrew their money.
  • Correct: They have withdrawn their money.

8.2 Overusing “Withdrawed”

“Withdrawed” is never correct because “withdraw” is an irregular verb, not regular.

8.3 Misusing Tenses in Context

  • Incorrect: They withdrawn yesterday. (wrong tense and form)
  • Correct: They withdrew yesterday.
  • Incorrect: They have withdrew their support.
  • Correct: They have withdrawn their support.

8.4 Incorrect Passive Form

  • Incorrect: The offer was withdrew.
  • Correct: The offer was withdrawn.

8.5 Summary Table: Common Mistakes vs. Correct Forms

Common Mistakes and Corrections
Mistake Correction Explanation
They have withdrew They have withdrawn Use past participle with perfect tenses
The offer was withdrew The offer was withdrawn Passive voice requires past participle
She withdrawed her complaint She withdrew her complaint Irregular verb, not regular -ed form
They withdrawn yesterday They withdrew yesterday Simple past should be “withdrew”

8.6 Tips to Avoid Errors

  • Remember: withdraw → withdrew → withdrawn
  • Associate “draw” with “drew” and “drawn” for similar patterns.
  • Practice with timelines: use withdrew for past points, withdrawn for perfect tenses/passive.
  • Double-check participle forms in perfect and passive sentences.

9. PRACTICE EXERCISES

9.1 Fill-in-the-Blank

Choose the correct form: withdrew, withdrawn, or a present form.

  1. She ____ her application last week.
  2. The troops were ____ after the ceasefire.
  3. He has ____ from the project.
  4. They ____ their consent yesterday.
  5. The complaint has been ____.
  6. I ____ $200 yesterday.
  7. By 5 PM, they had ____ their support.
  8. She is ____ money right now.
  9. They ____ from the talks two days ago.
  10. The offer had been ____ before we arrived.
  11. We ____ early last month.
  12. The funding has been ____ recently.
  13. Did you ____ your application?
  14. He ____ from the race yesterday.
  15. The team has ____ after the loss.

9.2 Error Correction

Identify and correct the mistakes.

  1. They have withdrew from the tournament.
  2. The troops was withdrew last night.
  3. She withdrawed her complaint yesterday.
  4. The complaint was withdrawed by the company.
  5. He has withdrew his application.
  6. They had withdrawed before the deadline.
  7. We withdrawed our support last week.
  8. The offer was withdrew two days ago.
  9. She have withdrawn her consent.
  10. Did he withdrawn his statement?

9.3 Identify the Tense/Form

Write whether the verb form is simple past, past participle, or incorrect.

  1. She withdrew.
  2. They have withdrawn.
  3. He withdrawed.
  4. The funds were withdrawn.
  5. They withdrawed yesterday.
  6. We had withdrawn.
  7. She was withdrew.
  8. He withdrew last month.
  9. The troops have withdrew.
  10. The offer was withdrawn.

9.4 Sentence Construction

Create sentences using the prompt.

  1. withdrew / last week
  2. withdrawn / has / complaint
  3. withdraw / usually / money
  4. withdrawn / had / troops
  5. withdrawn / was / offer
  6. withdrew / yesterday / application
  7. withdraw / is / currently / he
  8. withdrawn / have / support
  9. withdrew / did / when
  10. withdrawn / will have / funds

9.5 Transformation Exercises

Transform the sentences as instructed.

  1. Active to Passive: She withdrew her application.
  2. Past Simple to Present Perfect: They withdrew their support.
  3. Active to Passive: The bank withdrew the charges.
  4. Past Simple to Past Perfect: He withdrew his complaint.
  5. Present Simple to Present Perfect: She withdraws money every week.

9.6 Answer Key

9.1 Fill-in-the-Blank Answers:

  1. withdrew
  2. withdrawn
  3. withdrawn
  4. withdrew
  5. withdrawn
  6. withdrew
  7. withdrawn
  8. withdrawing
  9. withdrew
  10. withdrawn
  11. withdrew
  12. withdrawn
  13. withdraw
  14. withdrew
  15. withdrawn

9.2 Error Correction Answers:

  1. have withdrawn
  2. were withdrawn
  3. withdrew
  4. was withdrawn
  5. has withdrawn
  6. had withdrawn
  7. withdrew
  8. was withdrawn
  9. has withdrawn
  10. Did he withdraw his statement?

9.3 Identify the Tense/Form Answers:

  1. Simple past
  2. Past participle
  3. Incorrect
  4. Past participle
  5. Incorrect
  6. Past participle
  7. Incorrect
  8. Simple past
  9. Incorrect
  10. Past participle

9.4 Sample Sentences:

  1. She withdrew last week.
  2. She has withdrawn her complaint.
  3. He usually withdraws money.
  4. They had withdrawn the troops.
  5. The offer was withdrawn.
  6. She withdrew her application yesterday.
  7. He is currently withdrawing funds.
  8. They have withdrawn their support.
  9. When did he withdraw?
  10. They will have withdrawn the funds.

9.5 Transformation Answers:

  1. Her application was withdrawn.
  2. They have withdrawn their support.
  3. The charges were withdrawn by the bank.
  4. He had withdrawn his complaint.
  5. She has withdrawn money every week.

10. ADVANCED TOPICS

10.1 Perfect Tenses Nuances

  • Present Perfect (“has/have withdrawn”) connects past actions with the present or recent past.
  • Past Perfect (“had withdrawn”) shows an action completed before another past event.
  • Example: By the time talks began, they had withdrawn their proposal.

10.2 Subjunctive and Conditional Uses

  • Unreal past: If they had not withdrawn, we would have succeeded.
  • Hypotheticals: I wish he had withdrawn sooner.

10.3 Passive Voice Variations

  • Passive causative: The troops were ordered to be withdrawn.
  • Complex passive: It was decided that the troops be withdrawn.

10.4 Collocations and Phrasal Constructs

  • withdraw support
  • withdraw consent
  • withdraw troops
  • withdraw funds
  • withdraw an application
  • withdraw a complaint

10.5 Register and Tone

  • Perfect tenses can make statements more formal or polite: We have withdrawn our proposal.
  • Simple past is more direct and narrative: We withdrew our proposal.

11. FAQ SECTION

1. What is the simple past tense of “withdraw”?
The simple past tense is withdrew.

2. What is the past participle of “withdraw”?
The past participle is withdrawn.

3. Is “withdrawed” ever correct?
No, “withdrawed” is incorrect. “Withdraw” is irregular and changes to “withdrew” and “withdrawn”.

4. How do I know when to use “withdrew” vs. “withdrawn”?
Use withdrew for a completed action in the past. Use withdrawn in perfect tenses and passive voice.

5. Can “withdrawn” be used as an adjective?
Yes, e.g., “a withdrawn child” meaning shy or uncommunicative.

6. How do I form negative sentences with “withdrew”?
Use “did not withdraw”: She did not withdraw her complaint.

7. How is “withdraw” conjugated in all tenses?
Present: withdraw/withdraws
Past: withdrew
Past participle: withdrawn
Present participle: withdrawing

8. What are some common collocations with “withdraw”?
Withdraw support, withdraw funds, withdraw consent, withdraw troops, withdraw an application.

9. Is “withdraw” transitive, intransitive, or both?
Both. It can take an object (transitive) or not (intransitive).

10. How do I use “withdraw” in passive voice sentences?
Use the past participle: The application was withdrawn.

11. What mistakes should I avoid with “withdraw” past forms?
Avoid using “withdrawed” and confusing “withdrew” with “withdrawn” in perfect tenses and passive voice.

12. Are there dialectal differences in using “withdraw”?
No significant dialectal differences; usage is standard globally.

12. CONCLUSION

To communicate effectively in English, it’s crucial to distinguish between withdrew (simple past) and withdrawn (past participle). Use withdrew for completed past actions and withdrawn in perfect tenses or the passive voice. Choosing the correct irregular form ensures clarity and grammatical accuracy.

Consistent practice with examples and exercises will help solidify your understanding. Mastering these forms enhances your spoken and written English, making your communication more precise and professional.

Keep exploring irregular verbs and tense structures to deepen your language skills!

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