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 |
1. Shake is in the present tense: Please give the salad a shake.
2. Shakes is the third-person present singular: Henry shakes when he gets nervous.
3. Shaking is the present participle form: We were amazed, shocked, dumbfounded, shaking our heads in disbelief.
4. Shook is the simple past tense: The nurse shook the thermometer and put it under my armpit.
5. Shaken is the past participle: The incident had shaken her faith in him.
When should you use “shook” vs. “shaken”?
Compare the following:
Past tense: He shook his hands to warm them up.
Past participle: The news of Tandy’s escape had shaken them all.
The first sentence, ”He shook his hands”, is in the simple past. The second sentence, which uses ‘had shaken‘, forms its own tense in grammar: the past perfect, also known as pluperfect. To form the past perfect tense, simply pair auxiliaries (i.e., had) with the past participle form of the verb (e.g., shaken), et voilà, you have just formed the past perfect tense. If you prefer formulas, it’s as easy as 1 + 1 = 2:
Past perfect tense = had (auxiliary) + shaken (past participle verb form)
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.
Examples of shake in the present tense (in sentences)
1. She picked up the bag of salad and gave it a shake.
2. Shake the rugs well and hang them for a few hours before replacing on the floor.
3. Take some slow, deep breaths and give your body a bit of a shake.
4. Palmer gave a sad shake of his head.
5. Shake off any excess flour before putting the liver in the pan.
Examples of shook in the past tense (in sentences)
1. The nurse shook the thermometer and put it under my armpit.
2. He shook his hands to warm them up.
3. As soon as he got inside, the dog shook himself.
4. ‘Anything else?’ Colum asked. Kathryn shook her head wearily.
5. The explosion shook windows miles from the site.
Associate “shake, shook, shaken” with verbs following a similar pattern like “take, took, taken” to recall the correct past tense and past participle forms.
Examples of the past participle shaken (in sentences)
1. The news of Tandy’s escape had shaken them all.
2. Your optimism has been badly shaken over the past months.
3. She was close to both of her parents and was undeniably shaken by their divorce.
4. She must have shaken the baby quite violently to inflict such severe injuries.
5. The incident had shaken her faith in him.
Synonyms of 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”
From etymology online on shake (v.):
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”.
Other commonly confused verb tenses
- What’s the past tense of spread?
- What’s the past tense of lead?
- What’s the past tense of choose?
- What’s the past tense of fly?
- What’s the past tense of lay?
- What’s the past tense of drive?
- What’s the past tense of draw?
Learn more about verbs
- What are regular and irregular verbs?
- Transitive and intransitive verbs?
- What are verbs?
- What’s the present perfect tense?
Work Sheet
According to the blog post, what is the simple past tense form of the verb “shake”?
What is the past participle form of the verb “shake”?
Which sentence correctly uses the simple past tense form of “shake”?
Which sentence correctly uses the past participle form of “shake” as described in the post?
According to the blog post, which of the following is an incorrect usage?
She her umbrella to dry it off after the rain.
The tragic news had the entire community.
The bridge was severely by the high winds.
He nervously his leg during the interview.
Her confidence had been by the negative feedback.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the simple past tense form 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?
+
Yash, D. "Shook or Shaken: What’s the Past Tense of Shake?." Grammarflex, Jun 6, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/shook-or-shaken-which-is-the-past-tense-and-past-participle-of-shake/.
Sources
-
Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of shake.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/shake. Accessed 7 March, 2023.
