Mastering the Past Tense of ‘Worry’: Forms, Rules, and Examples

by

Feeling anxious or concerned is a universal human experience, and in English, the verb “worry” perfectly captures this emotion. Whether you’re recounting a stressful event or reflecting on past concerns, using the correct past tense form of “worry” is essential to communicating clearly and accurately.

This comprehensive guide will help you master all the past tense forms of “worry” — crucial for narrating past feelings, experiences, and stories. Understanding these forms will improve your speaking, writing, and comprehension skills and help you avoid common mistakes.

This article is designed for ESL learners, English teachers, exam candidates, and anyone wanting to refine their English grammar. We’ll explore definitions, conjugation structures, usage rules, examples, common errors, exercises with answers, and advanced insights to deepen your understanding.

Let’s begin your journey to mastering the past tense of “worry”!

Table of Contents

3. DEFINITION SECTION

3.1. What Does “Worry” Mean?

The verb “worry” means to feel anxious, nervous, or concerned about something uncertain or problematic.

Dictionary definitions:

  • Oxford: “Feel or cause to feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems.”
  • Cambridge: “To think about problems or unpleasant things that might happen in a way that makes you feel anxious.”

While “worry” can also be a noun (e.g., “a worry”), this article focuses on its verb usage.

3.2. Grammar Classification of “Worry”

  • Verb Type: Regular verb (forms past tense by adding -ed with a spelling change)
  • Verb Group: Action verb; transitive verb (usually requires an object, e.g., “worry about something”)
  • Aspect Focus: Simple Past, Past Continuous, Past Perfect, Past Perfect Continuous

3.3. Function of the Past Tense of “Worry”

The past tense forms of “worry” help us:

  • Express concerns or anxieties that occurred in the past
  • Narrate past events involving worry
  • Reflect or report on previous emotional states

3.4. Usage Contexts

  • Storytelling and recounting previous experiences
  • Reporting past emotional reactions
  • Describing habitual worrying in the past
  • Expressing regret or relief about past concerns

4. STRUCTURAL BREAKDOWN

4.1. Regular Verb Conjugation Pattern

“Worry” is considered a regular verb but follows a specific spelling rule when forming its past tense.

Rule: Since “worry” ends with a consonant + “y”, we change “y” to “i” and add -ed.

Therefore: worry → worried

Table 1: Forms of “Worry”
Base Past Simple Past Participle Present Participle
worry worried worried worrying

4.2. Past Simple Form of “Worry”

Structure: Subject + worried

Usage: To describe a single completed action or state in the past.

Example: “She worried about the exam.”

4.3. Past Continuous Form

Structure: Subject + was/were + worrying

Usage: To describe an ongoing or repeated worry during a past time frame.

Example: “They were worrying all night.”

4.4. Past Perfect Form

Structure: Subject + had + worried

Usage: To show worry completed before another event in the past.

Example: “He had worried before the results came out.”

4.5. Past Perfect Continuous Form

Structure: Subject + had been + worrying

Usage: To emphasize ongoing worry up to or before a past event.

Example: “She had been worrying for days before the test.”

4.6. Affirmative, Negative, and Interrogative Forms

Simple Past:

  • Affirmative: She worried.
  • Negative: She did not worry.
  • Interrogative: Did she worry?

Past Continuous:

  • Affirmative: They were worrying.
  • Negative: They were not worrying.
  • Interrogative: Were they worrying?

Past Perfect:

  • Affirmative: He had worried.
  • Negative: He had not worried.
  • Interrogative: Had he worried?

Past Perfect Continuous:

  • Affirmative: She had been worrying.
  • Negative: She had not been worrying.
  • Interrogative: Had she been worrying?
Table 2: Sentence Structures in Past Forms
Tense Affirmative Negative Interrogative
Simple Past She worried She did not worry Did she worry?
Past Continuous She was worrying She was not worrying Was she worrying?
Past Perfect She had worried She had not worried Had she worried?
Past Perfect Continuous She had been worrying She had not been worrying Had she been worrying?

5. TYPES OR CATEGORIES OF USE

5.1. Simple Past of “Worry”

Usage:

  • To show a single, completed worry in the past.
  • To describe habitual worrying in the past.

Examples:

  • “I worried too much last year.”
  • “He worried about everything when he was a child.”

5.2. Past Continuous of “Worry”

Usage:

  • Ongoing worry during a specific past moment.
  • Background action in storytelling.

Examples:

  • “He was worrying when I called him.”
  • “They were worrying all day yesterday.”

5.3. Past Perfect of “Worry”

Usage:

  • Completed worry before another past event.

Examples:

  • “By the time she arrived, I had worried enough.”
  • “He had worried before the doctor gave him good news.”

5.4. Past Perfect Continuous of “Worry”

Usage:

  • Emphasizes duration of worry up to a past point.

Examples:

  • “They had been worrying for hours before the news.”
  • “She had been worrying all week before the interview.”

5.5. Passive Voice (rare with “worry”)

Usage: “Worried” is often used as an adjective but can form passive structures like:

  • “She was worried by the delay.” (passive)
  • More commonly in adjective sense: “She was worried.”

Tip: To distinguish, check if “by” + agent follows (passive), or if “worried” describes a state (adjective).

6. EXAMPLES SECTION

6.1. Simple Past Examples

  1. I worried she wouldn’t come.
  2. He worried about the results.
  3. They worried too much last year.
  4. She worried all night before the interview.
  5. We worried when the plane was late.
  6. My parents worried about my safety.
  7. He didn’t worry about the traffic.
  8. Did you worry about your exam?
  9. She didn’t worry because she was confident.
  10. Did they worry about the cost?

6.2. Past Continuous Examples

  1. I was worrying about my job when you called.
  2. She was worrying all morning before the meeting.
  3. They were worrying unnecessarily.
  4. Were you worrying about the presentation?
  5. He wasn’t worrying at all last night.
  6. We were worrying about our visas.
  7. Were they worrying when the alarm went off?
  8. She was worrying about the weather forecast.
  9. He was worrying instead of sleeping.
  10. They were worrying about their children abroad.

6.3. Past Perfect Examples

  1. They had worried before the meeting began.
  2. She had worried about the interview all week.
  3. I had worried until I saw the results.
  4. He had worried about nothing.
  5. We had worried before the doctor reassured us.
  6. You had worried too much before the event.
  7. She had worried before the call.
  8. They had worried needlessly.
  9. He had worried himself sick.
  10. By then, I had worried enough.

6.4. Past Perfect Continuous Examples

  • I had been worrying for weeks before my interview.
  • They had been worrying all night before the news.
  • She had been worrying since Monday.
  • We had been worrying for hours before he arrived.
  • He had been worrying constantly before the surgery.
  • You had been worrying unnecessarily for months.
  • She had been worrying about her son’s safety for days.

6.5. Passive/Adjectival Use Examples

  • He was worried by the silence.
  • They were worried about the storm.
  • She was worried by the delay in response.
  • We were worried by the strange noises.
  • The parents were worried by their child’s absence.

6.6. Contrasting Examples

  • She worried about the exam. (simple past)
  • She was worrying about the exam. (past continuous)
  • She had worried about the exam. (past perfect)
  • She had been worrying about the exam. (past perfect continuous)
  • He worried last night.
  • He was worrying when I arrived.
  • He had worried before I spoke to him.
  • They worried before the meeting.
  • They were worrying during the meeting.
  • They had been worrying for days before the meeting.

6.7. Tables of Examples

Table 3: Examples by Tense & Sentence Type
Tense Affirmative Negative Question
Simple Past She worried She didn’t worry Did she worry?
Past Continuous He was worrying He wasn’t worrying Was he worrying?
Past Perfect They had worried They hadn’t worried Had they worried?
Past Perfect Continuous We had been worrying We hadn’t been worrying Had we been worrying?
Table 4: Affirmative, Negative, Interrogative Comparison
Form Affirmative Negative Interrogative
Simple Past I worried I did not worry Did I worry?
Past Continuous I was worrying I was not worrying Was I worrying?
Past Perfect I had worried I had not worried Had I worried?
Past Perfect Continuous I had been worrying I had not been worrying Had I been worrying?
Table 5: Timeline Illustration of Tenses
Tense Timeline Description Example
Past Simple Completed past event I worried yesterday.
Past Continuous Ongoing worry during a past time I was worrying when you called.
Past Perfect Worry finished before another past event I had worried before the exam started.
Past Perfect Continuous Long, ongoing worry up to a past point I had been worrying for hours before the news.

7. USAGE RULES

7.1. When to Use Each Past Form of “Worry”

  • Simple Past: For single, finished events or states (e.g., “I worried yesterday.”)
  • Past Continuous: For ongoing or background worry (e.g., “I was worrying during the meeting.”)
  • Past Perfect: For worry that finished before another past event (e.g., “I had worried before I got the news.”)
  • Past Perfect Continuous: To emphasize the duration of worry up to a past moment (e.g., “I had been worrying for weeks before the test.”)

7.2. Spelling Rules for Forming “Worried”

Rule: If a verb ends in consonant + y, change y to i and add -ed.

Examples:

  • worry → worried
  • carry → carried
  • hurry → hurried
  • study → studied

7.3. Auxiliary Verbs in Questions and Negatives

  • Simple Past: Use did + base form.
    • Did you worry?
    • I did not worry.
  • Past Continuous: Use was/were + present participle.
    • Were you worrying?
    • He was not worrying.
  • Past Perfect: Use had + past participle.
    • Had they worried?
    • They had not worried.
  • Past Perfect Continuous: Use had been + present participle.
    • Had she been worrying?
    • She had not been worrying.

7.4. Common Exceptions and Special Cases

  • “Worried” can be an adjective (e.g., “She was worried”) or part of passive voice (“She was worried by the news”).
  • Idiomatic expressions: “worried sick,” “worried to death” — use with care in past contexts.
  • British vs. American English: No significant difference for “worry” past tenses.

7.5. Sequence of Tenses with “Worry”

Combine different past tenses for clarity:

  • “I had worried about the test, but by the time it started, I was feeling calm.”
  • “She had been worrying all week before her friend finally called.”

8. COMMON MISTAKES

8.1. Incorrect Spelling Errors

  • Incorrect: worryed → Correct: worried
  • Incorrect: worring → Correct: worrying

Tip: If a verb ends in consonant + y, remember to change “y” to “i” before adding -ed.

8.2. Confusing Tense Forms

  • Using present tense instead of past:
    • Incorrect: Yesterday, I worry about the exam.
    • Correct: Yesterday, I worried about the exam.
  • Mixing past continuous and past perfect:
    • Incorrect: I was worried before the exam. (this is an adjective, not past continuous)
    • Correct: I had worried before the exam.

8.3. Wrong Auxiliary Use

  • Incorrect: Did worried → Correct: Did worry
  • Incorrect: He was worried (when intending past continuous) → Correct: He was worrying

8.4. Overusing Past Perfect

Sometimes, learners overuse past perfect when simple past is enough:

  • Incorrect: I had worried yesterday. (no second event)
  • Correct: I worried yesterday.

8.5. Correct vs Incorrect Examples Table

Table 6: Typical Mistakes and Corrections
Incorrect Correct
He worryed about the test. He worried about the test.
She worring all night. She was worrying all night.
Did you worried? Did you worry?
I was worried yesterday. (intended as past continuous) I was worrying yesterday.
I had worried yesterday. (no sequence) I worried yesterday.
They was worrying. They were worrying.

9. PRACTICE EXERCISES

9.1. Fill-in-the-Blank

Complete with the correct past tense form of “worry”.

  1. Yesterday, I ____ (worry) about the presentation.
  2. She ____ (not worry) about the weather.
  3. ____ you ____ (worry) when the phone rang?
  4. They ____ (be) worrying all day.
  5. He ____ (worry) too much in the past.
  6. We ____ (not be) worrying when it happened.
  7. I ____ (have) worried before I saw the results.
  8. She ____ (be) worrying since Monday.
  9. They ____ (not worry) about the cost.
  10. ____ she ____ (be) worrying before the interview?

9.2. Error Correction

Find and correct the mistakes.

  1. He was worryed about the weather.
  2. Did worried you about the meeting?
  3. They had been worry since morning.
  4. I was worrying since yesterday.
  5. We didn’t worried about the delay.
  6. She had worry about nothing.
  7. Were worrying they about the exam?
  8. I had been worried for hours.
  9. He was worrying when I had arrived.
  10. She wasn’t worry about it.

9.3. Identify the Tense

Name the tense used in each sentence.

  1. They had been worrying for hours.
  2. I worried yesterday.
  3. She was worrying when I called.
  4. He had worried before the results.
  5. We were worrying about the cost.
  6. She worried last week.
  7. I had been worrying about my visa.
  8. They had worried before the interview.
  9. He was worrying during the meeting.
  10. Did you worry yesterday?

9.4. Sentence Construction

Write your own sentences:

  1. Write a sentence about a time you worried last week.
  2. Write a sentence using “was worrying”.
  3. Write a sentence using “had worried”.
  4. Write a sentence using “had been worrying”.
  5. Write a question in past simple with “worry”.
  6. Write a negative sentence in past perfect with “worry”.
  7. Write a sentence using “were worrying”.
  8. Write a sentence that contrasts simple past and past continuous forms.
  9. Write a sentence with “worried” as an adjective.
  10. Write a sentence using both past perfect and past continuous.

9.5. Mixed Practice Quiz

  1. She ____ (worry) about her test last night.
  2. They ____ (not worry) about the flight delay.
  3. ____ he ____ (worry) when you saw him?
  4. We ____ (be) worrying all afternoon.
  5. I ____ (have) worried before the news arrived.
  6. She ____ (be) worrying for days before the results.
  7. He ____ (not be) worrying when I called.
  8. ____ they ____ (be) worrying since this morning?
  9. They ____ (worry) too much last year.
  10. You ____ (not worry) at all yesterday.

Answer Key

9.1. Fill-in-the-Blank

  1. worried
  2. did not worry
  3. Did / worry
  4. were
  5. worried
  6. were not
  7. had
  8. had been
  9. did not worry
  10. Had / been

9.2. Error Correction

  1. was worried → was worrying (if continuous); or “was worried” (adjective)
  2. Did worried you → Did you worry
  3. had been worry → had been worrying
  4. was worrying since → had been worrying since
  5. didn’t worried → didn’t worry
  6. had worry → had worried
  7. Were worrying they → Were they worrying
  8. had been worried → had been worrying
  9. was worrying when I had arrived → was worrying when I arrived
  10. wasn’t worry → wasn’t worrying

9.3. Identify the Tense

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

9.5. Mixed Practice Quiz

  1. worried
  2. did not worry
  3. Was / worrying
  4. were worrying
  5. had worried
  6. had been worrying
  7. was not worrying
  8. Had / been worrying
  9. worried
  10. did not worry

10. ADVANCED TOPICS

10.1. Subjunctive Mood & “Worry” in Past Forms

Expressing hypothetical or unreal past worries:

  • “If I had worried more, I might have prepared better.”
  • “Had she worried less, she could have enjoyed the trip.”

10.2. Nuances between Past Continuous and Past Perfect Continuous

  • Past Continuous: ongoing worry during a specific past moment (background action).
    • “I was worrying when you called.”
  • Past Perfect Continuous: ongoing worry starting earlier and continuing up to a past moment, emphasizing duration.
    • “I had been worrying for weeks before the exam.”

10.3. Collocations and Idioms in the Past

  • “She was worried sick about her son.”
  • “They were worried to death when they heard the news.”
  • “I had been worried stiff before the interview.”

10.4. Reported Speech with Past Tense of “Worry”

  • Direct speech: “I am worried.”
  • Reported: She said she was worried.
  • Direct: “I was worrying about the results.”
  • Reported: He said he had been worrying about the results.

10.5. Regional & Formal vs Informal Variations

  • Minimal regional differences for “worry” past tenses.
  • Formal: “He had been worrying unnecessarily.”
  • Informal: “He was super worried about the whole thing.”

11. FAQ SECTION

  1. What is the past tense of “worry”?
    The past simple and past participle form is worried.
  2. Is “worried” an adjective or a verb?
    It can be both. As a verb, it’s the past tense or past participle of “worry”. As an adjective, it describes a state of concern.
  3. How do you form the past continuous of “worry”?
    Use was/were + worrying. Example: “She was worrying.”
  4. When should I use “had worried” instead of “worried”?
    Use “had worried” to show the worry happened before another past event.
  5. Why do we change “y” to “i” in “worried”?
    Because “worry” ends in consonant + y, the spelling rule is to change “y” to “i” before adding -ed.
  6. Can “worried” be passive voice?
    Sometimes. For example, “She was worried by the news.” Often, it’s just an adjective.
  7. How do I make negative sentences in the past tense with “worry”?
    Use the auxiliary (did, was/were, had) + not + main verb. Example: “She did not worry.”
  8. What is the difference between “was worrying” and “worried”?
    “Worried” is past simple (completed event). “Was worrying” describes an ongoing action in the past.
  9. Are there irregular past forms of “worry”?
    No, “worry” is a regular verb.
  10. How do I avoid common spelling mistakes with “worried”?
    Remember to change “y” to “i” before adding -ed. Mnemonic: “Cry becomes cried, worry becomes worried.”
  11. Can “worry” be used as a noun in the past tense?
    No, nouns don’t have tense. But you can say “My worry was gone.”
  12. How do I use “worry” in reported speech?
    Change present to past forms:
    Direct: “I worry about you.” → Reported: He said he worried about me.

12. CONCLUSION

We’ve explored the verb “worry” in depth: its meaning, forms, different past tense structures, and their correct usage. You’ve seen over 50 examples, learned rules for conjugation, practiced through exercises, and discovered common mistakes to avoid.

Mastering these forms will help you express past feelings and events with clarity and precision. Consistent practice and applying these forms in your speaking and writing will greatly enhance your English fluency.

Keep this guide as a reference, revisit it for review, and continue to explore other verbs and tense forms to further strengthen your grammar skills. Happy learning!

Leave a Comment