The word “overcome’’ deals with the meaning defeat, or excel can be applied in the present, past, and future tense. Now, we will explain the usage of “overcome’’ in three tenses.
The “s’’ must be added with the root word “overcome’’ to form “overcomes’’ in order to frame a sentence with the third person and singular number subject. The continuous form of the verb “overcome’’ is formed “overcoming’’. We take the verb “overcame’’ as past and “overcome’’ is taken as the past participle form.
Now, let us discuss some related facts with the usage of “overcome” in the various forms of tenses along with examples and detailed explanations.
“Overcome’’ in the present tense.
The present tense is the verb form that basically explains the action that happens or happening now. Let us check how “overcome’’ works in the present tense.
The transitive verb “overcome’’ is used to refer to dealing with or controlling a situation and get success.
When can we use “overcome’’ in the present tense?
The verb “overcome’’ is used in the present tense when it needs to cite an action to succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty. We must use overcomes, governing along with am/is/are, has/have, has/have been to show the act of showing defeat.
Sentence structure or formation with “overcome’’ in the present tense-
| Type of present tense | Rules of formation of a sentence with “overcome’’ in the present tense- |
| 1. Present indefinite tense/ Simple present tense | a. Subject + overcome or overcomes + object + remaining part (assertive sentence) b. Do or does + Subject + overcome + object +? ( interrogative sentence) c. Overcome (base form)+ object + rest of the sentence (making imperative sentence) |
| 2. Present continuous tense/ Present progressive tense | a. Subject + am/is/are(helping verb) + (overcome)verb + ing + object + rest of the sentence (assertive sentence) b. Am/is/are + subject + (overcome) verb + ing + object + rest (interrogative sentence) |
| 3. Present perfect tense | a. Subject + has/have + overcame (past participle form) + object + rest (assertive sentence) b. Has/have + subject + overcame + object + rest +?(question formation sentence) |
| 4. Present perfect continuous tense/ Present perfect progressive tense | a. Subject + has/have been + (overcome) verb+ ing + object + rest (statement) b. Has/have + been + subject + overcoming + object + rest (question) |
Examples and explanations with the usage of “overcome’’ in the present tense-
| Type of present tense | Example | Explanation |
| 1. Present indefinite tense/ Simple present tense | The newly appointed woman eventually overcomes her shyness before the other employees. | Here the verb “overcomes’’ shows the gradual success of someone from shyness in a general way. We see that the newly appointed woman eventually overcomes her shyness before the other employees. |
| 2. Present continuous tense/ Present progressive tense | Santanu is overcoming the injury on his leg now in a slow manner. | The verb “is overcoming’’ is used in a question to refer to citing ongoing success. We find the fact Santanu is overcoming the injury on his leg now in a slow manner. |
| 3. Present perfect tense | Jayanta has overcome his difficulty in arranging money and secured a good position in the list of results. | Here the verb “has overcome’’ acts as an example of winning obstacles and securing success. We find that Jayanta has overcome his difficulty in arranging money and secured a good position in the list of results. |
| 4. Present perfect continuous tense/ Present perfect progressive tense | The workers have been overcoming with smoke for several hours being confined to a locked room. | The sentence shows that the verb “has been overcoming’’ clearly shows an ongoing action of being unconscious that began early and continues till now. We see that The workers have been overcoming smoke for several hours while being confined to a locked room. |
“Overcome’’ in the past tense.
A verb that shows the executed action of the past . Now, we will get the discussion of the function of “overcome’’ in the past tense.
We can certainly use the verb “overcome’’ in the past tense in reference to the action in which we show our feeling or emotion in terms of overpowering or overwhelming.
When do we use “overcome’’ in the past tense?
The verb “overcome’’ in the form “overcame” can be applied in a sentence in the past tense when we need to show the prevention of someone from being able to act or think in the usual way.
Sentence structure or pattern with the verb “overcome’’ in the past tense-
| Type of past tense | How to form a sentence with “overcome’’ in the past tense |
| 1. Past indefinite tense/ Simple past tense | a. Subject(any person) + overcame (past form) + object + rest of the sentence b. Did + subject (any person) + overcome (root form) + object + rest |
| 2. Past continuous tense/ Past progressive tense | a. Subject(any person) + was/were + (overcome)verb +ing + object + remaining part b. Was/were + subject(any person) +( overcome)verb+ ing + object + remaining portion |
| 3. Past perfect tense | a. Subject (any person) + had overcome (past participle form) + object + rest(descriptive sentence) b. Had + subject +overcome (past participle form) + object + rest(question) |
| 4. Past perfect continuous tense/ past progressive tense | a. Subject(any person) + had + been + (overcome)verb + ing + object + rest(assertive sentence) b. Had + subject (any person) + been + (overcome)verb + ing + object + rest +?(to make question) |
Examples and explanations of “overcome’’ in the past tense-
| Type of past tense | Example | Explanation |
| 1. Past indefinite tense/ Simple past tense | After the eldest son’s demise, the entire family was overcome with extreme sorrow and grief. | Here the verb “was overcome’’ is used to show that a feeling of grief was successful in making a family sorrowful in the past. We see that after the eldest son’s demise the entire family was overcome with extreme sorrow and grief. |
| 2. Past continuous tense/ Past progressive tense | The defender of our team was overcoming a leg injury and would play the next match. | In this scenario, the usage of the verb “was overcoming’’ indicates the action of securing success from an injury in the past. We come to know that the defender of our team was overcoming the leg injury and would play the next match. |
| 3. Past perfect tense | The country had overcome the opponent before they engaged in huge strength. | Here the verb “had overcome’’ is used to show the success of a country before engaging much power. We get to know that the country had overcome the opponent before they engaged huge strength. |
| 4. Past perfect continuous tense/ Past perfect progressive tense | The headmaster had been overcoming the hearts of the guardians for several years. | In this sentence, the verb “had been overcoming’’ is used to refer to a continuing action of success in the past tense. It is seen that the headmaster had been overcoming the hearts of the guardians for several years. |
“Overcome’’ in the future tense.
The future tense shows the form of the verb that deals with future actions. Let us check how the verb “overcome’’ plays its role in the future tense.
The verb “overcome’’ can undoubtedly be used in the future tense to display the act of being successful in winning the heart or anything.
When do we apply “overcome’’ in the future tense?
The verb “overcome’’ is used in the future tense when we wish to show the defeat of someone in the future. We can use the verb “overcome” along with shall/will, shall /will be, shall/will have, shall/will have been to present the action of excelling others.
Sentence structure of “overcome’’ in the future tense-
| Type of future tense | How to form a sentence with “overcome’’ in the future tense |
| 1. Future indefinite tense/ Simple future tense | a. Subject(any person) + shall/will + overcome (base form) + object + remaining part b. Shall/will + subject (any person) + overcome (root word) + object + remaining part +? |
| 2. Future continuous tense/ Future progressive tense | a. Subject(any person) + shall/will + be+ (overcome)verb +ing + object + remaining part(statement or descriptive sentence) b. Shall/will + subject + be + (overcome) verb +ing + object + remaining part +? |
| 3. Future perfect tense | a. Subject(any person) + shall/will + have overcome (3rd form) + object + remaining part b. Shall/will + subject (any person) + have overcome (3rd form) + object + remaining part +? |
| 4. Future perfect continuous tense/ Future perfect progressive tense | a. Subject (any person) + shall/will + have + been + (overcome)verb +ing + object + remaining part(for making assertive sentence) b. Shall/will + subject + have + been + (overcome)verb +ing + object + remaining part(for making inquiry) |
Examples and explanations of “overcome’’ in the future tense-
| Type of future tense | Example | Explanation |
| Future indefinite tense/ Simple future tense | We hope that our team will surely overcome the team of class xi in the next week. | In this example, the verb “will overcome’’ is used to indicate the action being successful in the match in the future. We find out that we hope that our team will surely overcome the team of class xi in the next week. |
| Future continuous tense/ Future progressive tense | The two parties will be overcoming their differences in opinion in no time. | Here it is seen that an action of being successful in the future is mentioned. It is seen that the two parties will be overcoming their differences in opinion in no time. |
| Future perfect tense | An experienced football team of Balichak will have overcome in the tournament next month. | In this example, we see that the verb “will have overcome’’ provides us with the sense of getting success in the future. We see that the experienced football team of Balichak will have overcome in the tournament next month. |
| Future perfect continuous tense/ Future perfect progressive tense | My sister will have been overcoming difficulties for the next month to secure a good place in her class. | Here the verb “will have been overcoming’’ is used to show an act of being successful in achieving in the future for some time. We see that My sister will have been overcoming difficulties for the next month to secure a good place in her class. |
Conclusion
The article will certainly enable us to learn the usage of the action word “overcome’’ in different types of tenses. It will undoubtedly be helpful to us while constructing sentences with this term. We cannot use the verb form as any other part of speech.
Hi…. I am Goutam Datta. I have completed a double M. A. in English and B. Ed. I am a creative writer. Currently, I am a part of the LambdaGeeks.
