Word
taught
US/ˈtɔt/
UK/tˈɔːt/
Definition
v. the past form of 'teach', used to say that you helped someone learn a subject or skill.
v. the past tense and past participle of 'teach', denoting the completed action of providing instruction or training.
Examples
“She taught me how to play the piano last year.”
“The professor taught history at the university for over thirty years before retiring last spring.”
“Having taught the introductory course for a decade, the lecturer possessed an intuitive understanding of the specific concepts that students typically found most challenging.”
Examples
simple
“She taught me how to play the piano last year.”
contextual
“The professor taught history at the university for over thirty years before retiring last spring.”
complex
“Having taught the introductory course for a decade, the lecturer possessed an intuitive understanding of the specific concepts that students typically found most challenging.”
Usage
As a past participle, it can be used in passive structures or perfect tenses.
Teaching tip
Learners often confuse the spelling with 'thought' (past of think) or 'bought' (past of buy).
Pitfall
He teached me how to drive.
He taught me how to drive.
The verb 'teach' is irregular; do not add '-ed' to make the past tense.
Etymology
From Middle English taught(e), tau(h)t(e), from Old English tāhte, tǣhte, from Proto-Germanic *taihtē.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/taught