sow
Base form
sow
/səʊ/
Past simple
sowed
/səʊd/
Past participle
sown / sowed
/səʊn/ /səʊd/
MeaningC1
to plant seeds in the ground
you reap what you sow
In use
- After a modal verb · Form 1You should sow the carrots in early spring.
- Imperative · Form 1Sow the seeds thinly and water them well.
- Past simple · Form 2Last April we sowed tomatoes in the greenhouse.
- Past simple · Form 2In the 1800s farmers sowed wheat by hand.
- Passive · Form 3The field was sown with barley this year.
- Present perfect · Form 3The new boss has sown doubt among the staff.
Watch out
Sowed, then sown /səʊn/, like showed, shown. Seeds are sown, not sewn (that is sew, with a needle). Sowen and sowned are wrong.
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