Classroom Thoughts

Past Participles:

Participles can be used as a verb, an adjective, an adverb or a clause.

We have a few exceptions with certain verbs e.g. Dream

As it can be 'dreamed' or 'dreamt':

They're both grammatically correct. "Dreamt" is usually more commonly used in British English' whereas 'Dreamed' is normally used in American English.

As an adjective you can say for example:

- it was dreamt-up  or...
- it was dreamed-up.

Although I would use 'dreamt-up'.

Be careful as there are some special past-participle forms:

drunken driving
a shrunken head
a sunken ship
rotten fruit.

spread

Related dictionary definitions

• spread noun
• middle-aged spread noun
• middle-age spread noun
• spread out phrasal verb
• spread betting noun
• spread like wildfire
• spread/stretch/try your wings

Menu

1. affect larger area
2. disease affects many
3. open something folded
4. cover with soft food
5. divide/reduce something
6. be present in wide area
7. give information to many
8. move parts of body apart
9. cause feeling in many
10. +phrase

1. [intransitive] to gradually affect or cover a larger area
   

   UN leaders hope to prevent the fighting from spreading.

   Rain will spread from the west this evening.

   Anti-globalization protests spread rapidly across the globe.

   Within less than an hour, the fire had spread to the fuel stores.

   She heard a shot, then saw a dark-red stain spreading across his shirt.

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread

   1. a.

      if a smile or other expression spreads across or over your face, it becomes gradually bigger or more obvious
      

      He let a slow smile spread across his face.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread
2. [intransitive/transitive] if a disease spreads, or if something spreads it, it affects more people as it is passed from one person to another
   

   Cholera spread quickly through the refugee camp.

   Soldiers returning from the war soon spread the disease through most of the region.

   a computer virus that spread rapidly through users’ email systems

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread
3. or
   

   spread out

   [transitive] to open something that is folded so that it covers a surface
   

   spread something on/over something:
   

   We spread the blanket on the grass and sat down on it.

   The map was spread on the floor.

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread

   
   

   spread

4. [intransitive/transitive] to cover a surface with a thin layer of a soft food
   

   Butter spreads more easily when it hasn’t been in the fridge.

   spread something on something:
   

   Maureen spread jam on her toast.

   spread something with something:
   

   First, spread the bread with mayonnaise.

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread
5. [transitive] to divide and share work or obligations among several people
   

   We will bring in extra staff to spread the workload.

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread

   1. a.

      [transitive] to divide an amount of money that you owe into parts and pay it in several instalments instead of all at one time
      

      spread something over something:
      

      You can spread your payments over two, three, or five years.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread
   2. b.

      or
      

      spread out

      [transitive] [usually passive] to make something happen at several times during a long period instead of all at once
      

      Attacks of the illness were spread over a three-year period.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread

      
      

      spread

   3. c.

      [transitive] if you spread a risk, you invest in several different things so that if one fails, you do not lose everything
      

      Smythe spread his financial risk by investing in a wide range of businesses.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread
6. [intransitive/transitive] [usually passive] to be present in many parts of a large area
   

   be spread over/across something:
   

   There are 54 community colleges spread across California.

   Indonesia is a nation of over 200 million people, spread over 17,000 islands.

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread
7. [transitive] to give information to many people
   

   Someone has been spreading nasty rumours about Stella’s private life.

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread

   1. a.

      [intransitive] if information spreads, it becomes known by more people than before
      

      spread to:
      

      News of the attack has already spread to the islands.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread
8. or
   

   spread out

   [transitive] to move your arms, legs, or hands so that they are far apart
   

   First, lie on the floor with your arms spread wide.

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread

   1. a.

      to open something wide
      

      The bird spread its wings and flew away.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread

   
   

   spread

9. [transitive] to cause a lot of people to have a particular feeling
   

   Smiling at people was Debra’s way of spreading a little happiness.

   A gang of drug dealers was spreading terror in the neighbourhood.

   Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread

phrase

• spread the word/gospel/message

  to tell a lot of people about an idea that you believe in
  

  They are spreading the word on the need for healthy eating.

  Campaigners worked tirelessly to spread the environmentalist message.

  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of spread