
It is the past tense of lead and means guided, directed, or went through. The president led the country out of a deep recession. Led (which rhymes with red) is ALWAYS a past tense verb. Looking to sharpen your knowledge of American English or gain more grammar tips? Visit our blog again soon or leave a comment below to ask a question or share thoughts. Led (pronounced led rhymes with bed) is the past tense of lead (pronounced leed) and is defined as to show the way by going in advance to guide or direct in a course.
Making the wrong friends can cause you to be ledto poor choices.Ĭome Back for More Grammar Articles and Tips. Who will lead (verb) our department if the manager leaves?. My cat was hungry, but she would not be led to her bowl of food. The bag was so heavy we thought there were lead (noun) bars inside. I will lead (verb) our group to the summit of the mountain after dawn. Making the wrong friends can cause you to _ to poor choices. Who will _ our department if the manager leaves?. My cat was hungry, but she would not _ to her bowl of food. The bag was so heavy we thought there were _ bars inside. I will _ our group to the summit of the mountain after dawn. Using what you’ve learned in this article, fill in the blanks below with lead (noun or verb) or be led. We followed a path that led us up the mountain. To be led by such an accomplished business executive is a joy. verb uk / lid / us past tense and past participle led / led / lead verb (TAKE SOMEONE) Add to word list B1 to show someone where to go, usually by taking them to a place or by going in front of them: She led them down the hall.
We will be led to the conference center by our local association contact. A horse cannot be led forward without at least a rope. The country will be led by a new leader after the election. Be LedĪnother nuance can be found in the verb phrase be led, which you’ll find in an infinitive phrase or in the passive voice of either the present or future tense. In the case of lead, you would spell it differently to be grammatically correct: “Our captain is going to lead us to victory in softball” and “We were led by our manager on this project.” Lead vs. In this case, the similar word is pronounced differently but spelled the same way. “I will read that book tomorrow” or “I read that book last week.” This isn’t always consistent with other similar English words. However, things can get more confusing when we consider that the past tense of lead (the verb) is led.
Most native speakers of American English understand that difference well enough, particularly because lead the noun (metal) and lead the verb (action of being a leader) sound different. Lead (pronounced leed) is also a verb that means “to cause others to move to action.” That’s where the noun leader comes from leaders are those who inspire others to act. It is pronounced with a short e as in red and set. Let’s look at why that is, and how you can use lead correctly in its different forms. With just four simple letters, it can have different pronunciations and distinctive meanings based on use and context.
The English language is filled with tricky words.