taught

taught — verb

1. the form the verb 'teach' takes when the teaching happened in the past — used fo

1.動詞及物 / 不及物A1
釋義

the form the verb 'teach' takes when the teaching happened in the past — used for both the simple past tense and the past participle in perfect tenses

例句

Tuan taught English at a school in Hanoi for five years.

past simple: taught + at [place] + for [duration]

The children were taught by Ms. Ritu Patel, who used songs to help them learn.

passive voice: were taught by [person]

文法句型

taught + noun phrase

taught + noun phrase + to-infinitive

用法筆記

The form 'taught' is irregular — it does not follow the regular -ed past tense pattern. It is the only past form for both simple past and all perfect tenses. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 identifies the grammatical form, while sense 2 describes the act of giving instruction.

常見錯誤

❌He teached the class yesterday.
✅He taught the class yesterday.
💡'teach' is an irregular verb; its past form is 'taught', not 'teached'.
❌She has teached at that school for a decade.
✅She has taught at that school for a decade.
💡after 'has' or 'have', you need the past participle 'taught', not the base form with -ed.

2. to give someone the knowledge, understanding, or ability to do something through

2.動詞及物 / 不及物A1
釋義

to give someone the knowledge, understanding, or ability to do something through instruction, explanation, or repeated experience — for example, showing a child how to read, explaining a historical event, or gradually shaping a habit or attitude

例句

Roya taught her little brother how to tie his shoelaces with a double knot.

taught + [person] + how to + [verb]

The communication workshop taught Samir that listening carefully matters more than talking a lot.

taught + [person] + that-clause (lesson learned)

同義詞
  • instructed

    more formal and focused on step-by-step directions, especially in workplace or military settings

  • trained

    emphasises practice and skill development over a period of time

  • educated

    broader and more formal, often about a range of subjects rather than one skill

  • tutored

    implies one-to-one private teaching, often outside a regular classroom

反義詞
  • learned

    the receiving side of teaching; what the student does

  • studied

    the learner's own effort to gain knowledge, without a teacher

文法句型

taught + person + to-infinitive

taught + person + how + to-infinitive

taught + person + that-clause

taught + person + about + topic

taught + reflexive pronoun + topic

用法筆記

Frequently used with an indirect object (the person learning) before the skill or knowledge: 'taught us mathematics', NOT 'taught to us mathematics'. The pattern 'taught + person + to-infinitive' can describe both practical skills ('taught him to ride a bike') and moral or behavioural lessons ('taught her to be honest'). For the gradual shaping of habits or attitudes, the object is typically followed by 'to' plus an infinitive expressing the desired behaviour.

常見錯誤

❌The professor taught to us the history of Taiwan.
✅The professor taught us the history of Taiwan.
💡'teach' takes a direct indirect object before the direct object, without 'to'.
❌The course taught me how can I fix a car.
✅The course taught me how to fix a car.
💡after 'how', use 'to + infinitive', not a question word order.