What’s the past tense of “shake”?
To shake, as in the verb, refers to the action of ‘holding something and move it quickly backwards and forwards or up and down. You can also shake a person, for example, because you are angry with them or because you want them to wake up.’ For example, one might say, ”Shake the rugs well and hang them for a few hours before replacing on the floor.”
The old man shook his cane at the noisy children.
The whole building was shaken by the sudden tremor.
He has shook the contents of the box out.
Yesterday, she shake her fist in anger.
To feel or be shaken (by something or some event), has a different meaning from the verb shake described above by Collin’s dictionary. In this sense, to feel shaken is to be disturbed or deeply upset from something that may have happened.
Forms of the verb “shake”
| Present | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | I shake | I shook | I will shake |
| Continuous | I am shaking | I was shaking | I will be shaking |
| Perfect | I have shaken | I had shaken | I will have shaken |
| Perfect Continuous | I have been shaking | I had been shaking | I will have been shaking |
When should you use “shook” vs. “shaken”?
Compare the following:
My voice shook because I was nervous.
I had firmly shaken his hand before introducing myself.
The first sentence, ”shook”, is in the simple past. The second sentence, which uses ‘had shaken‘, forms its own tense in grammar: the past perfect.
The formula for the past perfect tense is to pair the past tense auxiliary, (i.e., had) with the past participle verb form, shaken)—et voilà, you have created the past perfect tense. If you prefer formulas, it’s as easy as 1 + 2.
Past perfect = past tense auxiliary had + past participle verb form shaken.
That’s the difference between shook and shaken in terms of tense, but you may be wondering when it makes sense to use one form over the other. The answer here is it really depends on what it is you’re trying to communicate. Generally speaking, we use the past perfect when we want to stress the sequence of past events that occurred in succession. True to its name, the simple past is much simpler. The simple past doesn’t require an auxiliary verb, and it simply mentions something that took place in the past. When in doubt, stick to the simple past.
Shake, shook, and have/has/had shaken (in sentences)
Associate “shake, shook, shaken” with verbs following a similar pattern like “take, took, taken” to recall the correct past tense and past participle forms.
| Verb: shake | Example sentences |
|---|---|
| Shake (shakes/shaking) |
I am shaking the container before opening. I thought I felt the floor shake. |
| Shook/shaken |
The ground shook from the booming thunder. She had been shaken by the whole situation. Her novels have shaken the status quo. |
| Word | Similar words |
|---|---|
| shake | wiggle, bounce, jiggle, tremble, shiver, quiver, shudder |
Idioms with shake
| Phrase | Meaning | Sentence example |
|---|---|---|
| to shake a leg | to hurry up, move quickly or start doing something quickly. | “Come on, shake a leg or we’ll be late for the movie.” |
| shake things up | to make changes to a situation or routine to create interest or excitement. | The new manager wants to shake things up and introduce some fresh ideas to the company. |
| shake a stick at | to have an abundant or excessive amount of something. | “There were so many people at the concert, you couldn’t shake a stick at them.” |
| to shake like a leaf | to tremble or shake uncontrollably due to fear, cold or excitement | “When she got the news that she had won the lottery, she was shaking like a leaf.” |
The origin of “shake”
Middle English shaken, from Old English sceacan “move (something) quickly to and fro, cause to move with quick vibrations; brandish; move the body or a part of it rapidly back and forth;” also “go, glide, hasten, flee, depart” This is reconstructed to be from Proto-Germanic *skakanan “to shake, swing,” also “to escape”.
Practice: shake (verb forms)
The loud thunder ______ the entire house during the storm.
The startling news had clearly ______ him to his core.
She always ______ her head when she disagrees with a point.
He stood there, ______ with fear after seeing the shadow move.
Before you open the bottle, you should ______ it well.
FAQs
What is the simple past tense form of shake?
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What is the past participle of shake?
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When should I use ‘shook’ vs ‘shaken’?
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Can ‘shook’ be used as a past participle?
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How is the past perfect tense of shake formed?
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Sources
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Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of shake.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/shake. Accessed 7 March, 2023.
Yash, D. "How to Use Shook or Shaken (Irregular Verb Forms)." Grammarflex, Sep 2, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/shook-or-shaken/.
