What's the past tense of "shake"?
The simple past tense of shake is shook, and the past participle is shaken. Use shook for simple past and shaken for past participle forms.
Definition of shake
The Oxford English Dictionary defines shake as "to move or cause to move with quick, short movements from side to side or up and down; to tremble or cause to tremble." It's used in both literal and figurative senses, from physical movements to emotional experiences.
- The past tense of shake is shook.
- The past participle of shake is shaken.
Verb forms of 'shake'
Is "shake" a regular or irregular verb?
Note: Regular verbs end in -ed in the past tense. Any other verb ending is considered irregular.
While an irregular verb, 'shake' shows a highly common verb-conjugation pattern. Similar to other verbs like take/took/taken, break/broke/broken, and wake/woke/woken, shake uses different forms for past tense and past participle.
When to use "shook" vs. "shaken"
My voice shook because I was nervous.
I had firmly shaken his hand before introducing myself.
The first sentence uses shook in the simple past. The second sentence uses shaken as a past participle with the auxiliary verb had to form the past perfect tense.
The participle form of a verb (shown in the second sentence) uses the auxiliary verb had to form the past perfect tense.
When auxiliaries like have or had appear in the same sentence as a past participle verb form, this indicates that the verb's aspect is in the present or past perfect, and not the simple past tense.
Remember, a participle always uses a helper verb to form the complete tense or aspect. Simple tenses, on the other hand, can stand on their own.
Similar irregular verbs
While an irregular verb, 'shake' shows a highly common verb-conjugation pattern. Similar to other verbs like take/took/taken, break/broke/broken, and wake/woke/woken, shake uses different forms for past tense and past participle.
Sentence examples: shake, shook, shaken
• I shake my head when I disagree.
• She shakes the bottle before opening it.
• They shake hands when they meet.
• The old man shook his cane at the noisy children.
• My voice shook because I was nervous.
• The ground shook from the earthquake.
• I have shaken his hand before.
• The whole building was shaken by the tremor.
• She has been shaken by the news.
Synonyms & nearby words
Synonyms for shake
Nearby phrases
Common idioms with "shake"
What does "shake a leg" mean?
Example: "Come on, shake a leg or we'll be late for the movie."
What does "shake things up" mean?
Example: "The new manager wants to shake things up and introduce some fresh ideas to the company."
What does "shake a stick at" mean?
Example: "There were so many people at the concert, you couldn't shake a stick at them."
What does "shake like a leaf" mean?
Example: "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 past tense of "shake"?
What is the past participle of "shake"?
When should I use "shook" vs "shaken"?
Can "shook" be used as a past participle?
How is the past perfect tense of shake formed?
Sources
-
Oxford English Dictionary. "shake, v." OED Online. Oxford University Press. Date of access 15 Jan. 2025.
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Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of shake." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/shake. Accessed 7 March, 2023.
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