Base
I keep my keys in my bag.
Keep means to have something and not lose it.
Past Tense of Keep: Kept and Kept
Keep is an irregular verb. Its past tense and past participle are both kept. Use kept for a finished action in the past and have kept after have or has.
Base
keep
Past
kept
Past participle
kept
Third person: keeps · -ing form: keeping
ABB: form patternExamples
Base
Please keep the door closed.
Keep plus an adjective means stay in that state.
Past
He kept his old phone for two years.
A finished period in the past uses kept.
Past
She kept calm during the meeting yesterday.
Yesterday marks a finished time.
Past participle
I have kept all your letters.
Have kept uses the participle.
Past participle
We have kept the receipt, so we can take it back.
The participle is kept, the same as the past.
Usage notes
Keep plus -ing
Keep plus an -ing verb means to continue doing something: She keeps asking questions. It rained, but we kept walking.
Keep plus adjective
Keep plus an adjective means stay that way: keep calm, keep warm, keep cool. In the past, say She kept calm.
Common mistakes
She keeped the letter.
She kept the letter.
Keep is irregular, so the past is kept, not keeped.
I have keeped the photo.
I have kept the photo.
After have, use the participle kept.
He keeps to ask me.
He keeps asking me.
After keep, use the -ing form to mean continue.
Practise this verb
0/8
Choose the correct form
Choose the form that completes each English sentence.
1.She ___ the old photo last year.
2.We have ___ the photos on the phone.
3.I always ___ my money in a box.
4.He keeps ___ to music all day.
Write the missing form
Type the correct form of keep in each sentence.
Correct the mistake
Replace the incorrect word in the English sentence.
8.Choose the mistake in this sentence.
Answer key
1. She ___ the old photo last year.
Answer: kept
Last year is finished, so use kept.
2. We have ___ the photos on the phone.
Answer: kept
After have, the participle is kept.
3. I always ___ my money in a box.
Answer: keep
Always describes a present habit.
4. He keeps ___ to music all day.
Answer: listening
Keep is followed by the -ing form.
5. Last year my brother ___ his old bike in the garage.
Answer: kept
Last year is finished, so the past is kept.
6. I have ___ your book safe.
Answer: kept
Have takes the participle kept.
7. She is ___ the window closed.
Answer: keeping
After is, use the -ing form keeping.
8. He keeped the money.
Answer: He kept the money.
The past of keep is kept.
Frequently asked questions
What is the past tense of keep?
The past tense of keep is kept: She kept the letter.
Is keeped a word?
No. Keep is irregular. The past and the past participle are both kept.
What does keep plus -ing mean?
It means to continue doing something: He keeps calling me.