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What’s the Past Tense of Shut? Shut or Shutted?

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'Shut' used in text conversation.
Irregular verb, ‘shut‘ used in text conversation.

What’s the past tense of “shut”?

‘To shut belongs to the category of irregular verbs with only one form. This means that shut stays as shut in the present tense, past tense and as a past participle. This makes shut an easy irregular verb to remember, relatively speaking.

✔️ Usage Note
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I shut the door.
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It shuts automatically.

Verb forms of shut

Let’s define the topic first. The verb shut, as described by Collins Dictionary, is when we “close something; to become closed.” Synonyms for shut include close or fasten.

present past future
simple I shut I shut I will shut
continuous I am shutting I was shutting I will be shutting
perfect I have shut I had shut I will have shut
perfect continuous I have been shutting I had been shutting I will have been shutting
💡Pro Grammar Tip

Remember to always pair participles with auxiliaries to create perfect and continuous tenses! Use ‘have’, ‘has’, or ‘had’ to form perfect tenses, and a form of ‘to be’ for continuous.

Sentences in the present

Sentence Form/Notes
The bank shuts at 4. present simple
The window won’t shut. present simple
The doors open and shut automatically. present simple
It shuts automatically. present simple

Shut in the past tense

Sentence Form/Notes
Philip went into his room and shut the door behind him. past simple
She shut her eyes and fell asleep immediately. past simple
He shut his book and looked up. past simple
She decided to shut her ears to all the rumours. past simple (infinitive + shut)

Shut as a past participle

Sentence Form/Notes
They have warned residents to stay inside and keep their doors and windows shut. present perfect passive
The exit doors were locked shut. past participle (adjective use)
I’ve made this trip so often, I could do it with my eyes shut. modal + past participle
He had shut his book and looked up at her into her eyes. past perfect

Irregular verbs (with one past tense conjugation)

base verb past tense past participle
cut cut cut
burst burst burst
bet bet bet
shut shut shut
hit hit hit
set set set

Origin of the word shut

Origin Middle English shitten, sheten, “close (a door, window, gate, etc.); lock, fasten closed,” from Old English scyttan “to put (a bolt) in place so as to fasten a door or gate, bolt, shut to; discharge, pay off,” from West Germanic *skutjan.

Commonly confused verbs

Worksheet

Question 1 of 10

According to the blog post, what is the simple past tense of the verb “shut”?



What category of verb does “shut” belong to, as discussed in the post?



Which of these verbs is mentioned in the post as following the same irregular pattern as “shut” (one form for base, past, and past participle)?



What form of “shut” is used as the past participle?



How can you often identify the past participle form of “shut” in a sentence, according to the post?



Fill in the blank with the correct simple past form of “shut”: She _______ her eyes and fell asleep immediately.



Fill in the blank with the correct past participle form of “shut”: By the time I arrived, they had already _______ the store.



Fill in the blank with the correct simple past form of “shut”: He quickly _______ the window to keep the rain out.



Fill in the blank with the correct past participle form of “shut”: She couldn’t open the box because someone had _______ it tightly.



Fill in the blank with the correct form: I wish I hadn’t _______ my mouth! (using the past participle form of “shut”)





FAQs

What is the past tense of ‘shut’?
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According to this grammar post, ‘shut’ is an irregular verb. Its past tense form is ‘shut’, which is the same as its present tense and past participle forms. It does not change.

Is ‘shut’ a regular or irregular verb?
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This post classifies ‘shut’ as an irregular verb. Unlike regular verbs that add ‘-ed’ in the past tense, ‘shut’ is irregular because it maintains the same form for the present, past, and past.

What are the verb forms of ‘shut’?
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The post explains that ‘shut’ has only one form for all main uses. The present tense, simple past tense, and past participle are all ‘shut’. The third person singular present is ‘shuts’.

How is ‘shut’ used in past tense examples?
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In the simple past, you use ‘shut’ directly, like “She shut her eyes.” For the past perfect, you use an auxiliary verb before ‘shut’, such as “He had shut his book,” using the past participle.

Is ‘shutted’ the past tense of ‘shut’?
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Based on this post, the past tense of ‘shut’ is ‘shut’. ‘Shut’ is identified as an irregular verb with only one form for past and past participle, meaning ‘shutted’ is not the correct past tense.

Sources

  1. “Shut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shut. Accessed 21 Feb. 2023.

Yash, D. "What’s the Past Tense of Shut? Shut or Shutted?." Grammarflex, Jun 25, 2025, https://www.grammarflex.com/whats-the-past-tense-of-shut-shut-or-shutted/.

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