Irregular verbs  Regular verbs

ring, rings, ringing, rung, rang
Synonyms: encircle, surround, enclose, encompass, border

Antonyms: open, release, break, separate, unfasten

The Verb Ring – Definition, Usage, and Clarification


The word 'ring' functions as two different verbs with separate meanings and forms. The most common is an irregular verb meaning to produce a clear, resonant sound. The second is a regular verb meaning to surround or encircle something.


VERB FORMS (FOR SOUND)


■ Base Form: ring
■ Past Simple: rang
■ Past Participle: rung
■ Present Participle/Gerund: ringing


USAGE AND CONTEXT (FOR SOUND)


1. Bells, Alarms, and Phones
This is the most direct meaning of the verb.


■ Sound: 'The phone is ringing—can you answer it?'
■ Action: 'Ring the bell if nobody answers the door.'
■ Tinnitus: 'After the loud concert, my ears were ringing.'


2. Sounding with a Quality
Figuratively, it means to be filled with or expressive of a certain quality.


■ Emotion: 'Her voice rang with confidence.'
■ Ideas: 'The story rings true.' (Meaning, it seems true).


USAGE AND CONTEXT (TO SURROUND)


This meaning is less common but is used to describe encirclement. The verb forms are regular (ringed, ringed).


■ Encircle: 'The ancient stone circle is ringed by a protective fence.'
■ Police/Military: 'The soldiers ringed the enemy camp.'


ℹ IMPORTANT: TWO DIFFERENT VERBS


■ Two Verbs, Two Forms: It is crucial to remember that these are separate verbs.
■ Sound (Irregular): 'The bell has rung.'
■ Surround (Regular): 'The police have ringed the building.'


■ Regional Usage (To Call): In British English, 'to ring someone' is a very common way to say you will call them on the phone ('I'll ring you tonight.'). In American English, 'call' is almost always used instead.

RING - PRESENT SIMPLE
★ Iring
★ youring
★ he/she/itrings
★ wering
★ you (plural)ring
★ theyring
Examples of the verb 'ring' in the Present Simple
- I ring the bell for service.
- You ring your parents every weekend.
- The church bell rings every hour. | Her voice rings with authority.
- We ring in the New Year with a celebration.
- You (plural) ring the alarm if you see smoke.
- They ring the school bell to signal the end of class.
RING - PRESENT CONTINUOUS
★ I amringing
★ you areringing
★ he/she/it isringing
★ we areringing
★ you areringing
★ they areringing
Examples of the verb 'ring' in the Present Continuous
- I am ringing the doorbell now.
- You are ringing your friend to ask for directions.
- My phone is ringing, can you please answer it? | The bells are ringing for the wedding.
- We are ringing the customer to confirm the order.
- You (plural) are ringing the alarm.
- They are ringing the final bell for the day.
RING - PRESENT PERFECT
★ I haverung
★ you haverung
★ he/she/it hasrung
★ we haverung
★ you haverung
★ they haverung
Examples of the verb 'ring' in the Present Perfect
- I have rung the doorbell three times, but no one is home.
- You have rung the wrong number.
- He has rung the bell to start the race. | She has rung me twice this morning.
- We have rung the emergency services.
- You (plural) have rung the bell, now you must wait.
- They have rung the victory bell.
RING - PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
★ I have beenringing
★ you have beenringing
★ he/she/it has beenringing
★ we have beenringing
★ you have beenringing
★ they have beenringing
Examples of the verb 'ring' in the Present Perfect Continuous
- I have been ringing your number for the past hour.
- You have been ringing that bell non-stop.
- My ears have been ringing ever since the loud concert. | The phone has been ringing off the hook.
- We have been ringing potential clients all day.
- You (plural) have been ringing the bell for service.
- They have been ringing the alarm.
RING - PAST SIMPLE
★ Irang
★ yourang
★ he/she/itrang
★ werang
★ you (plural)rang
★ theyrang
Examples of the verb 'ring' in the Past Simple
- I rang you earlier, but you didn't pick up.
- You rang the bell and a butler opened the door.
- The alarm clock rang at 6 AM sharp. | She rang the shop to see if they were open.
- We rang in the new year with fireworks.
- You (plural) rang the fire alarm.
- They rang the church bells to announce the news.
RING - PAST CONTINUOUS
★ I wasringing
★ you wereringing
★ he/she/it wasringing
★ we wereringing
★ you wereringing
★ they wereringing
Examples of the verb 'ring' in the Past Continuous
- I was ringing the bell when I saw you through the window.
- You were ringing your mom when I walked in.
- The bells were ringing to celebrate the victory. | The phone was ringing when I got out of the shower.
- We were ringing the final lap bell.
- You (plural) were ringing the help desk.
- They were ringing the bells for the evening service.
RING - PAST PERFECT
★ I hadrung
★ you hadrung
★ he/she/it hadrung
★ we hadrung
★ you hadrung
★ they hadrung
Examples of the verb 'ring' in the Past Perfect
- I had rung the wrong apartment by mistake.
- You had rung the number before you realized it was disconnected.
- He had rung the fire alarm before evacuating the building. | She had already rung the police.
- We had rung the bell, but nobody answered.
- You (plural) had rung the school to report an absence.
- They had rung the final bell.
RING - PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS
★ I had beenringing
★ you had beenringing
★ he/she/it had beenringing
★ we had beenringing
★ you had beenringing
★ they had beenringing
Examples of the verb 'ring' in the Past Perfect Continuous
- I had been ringing your phone for ten minutes straight.
- You had been ringing the doorbell.
- The telephone had been ringing for a minute before she finally answered it. | His ears had been ringing for hours.
- We had been ringing all the suppliers.
- You (plural) had been ringing the alarm.
- They had been ringing the bells all day.
RING - FUTURE SIMPLE
★ I willring
★ you willring
★ he/she/it willring
★ we willring
★ you willring
★ they willring
Examples of the verb 'ring' in the Future Simple
- I will ring the school to let them know I'll be late.
- You will ring the bell when you arrive.
- He will ring you back as soon as he is free. | The bell will ring at noon.
- We will ring the reception for more towels.
- You (plural) will ring the authorities if you see anything suspicious.
- They will ring the bells to start the festival.
RING - FUTURE CONTINUOUS
★ I will beringing
★ you will beringing
★ he/she/it will beringing
★ we will beringing
★ you will beringing
★ they will beringing
Examples of the verb 'ring' in the Future Continuous
- I will be ringing you at 3 PM to discuss the plan.
- You will be ringing the bell.
- The Salvation Army will be ringing their bells for donations all December. | My ears will be ringing after that concert.
- We will be ringing clients for feedback.
- You (plural) will be ringing the bell to get attention.
- They will be ringing the church bells.
RING - FUTURE PERFECT
★ I will haverung
★ you will haverung
★ he/she/it will haverung
★ we will haverung
★ you will haverung
★ they will haverung
Examples of the verb 'ring' in the Future Perfect
- I will have rung you five times by the time you finally wake up.
- You will have rung every number on the list by the end of the day.
- He will have rung the bell for the last time. | The alarm will have rung.
- We will have rung the client back by then.
- You (plural) will have rung the emergency line.
- They will have rung the final bell.
RING - FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS
★ I will have beenringing
★ you will have beenringing
★ he/she/it will have beenringing
★ we will have beenringing
★ you will have beenringing
★ they will have beenringing
Examples of the verb 'ring' in the Future Perfect Continuous
- By 5 PM, I will have been ringing customers for four hours.
- You will have been ringing that doorbell for a long time.
- By the time the service starts, the church bells will have been ringing for half an hour. | His ears will have been ringing.
- We will have been ringing for support.
- You (plural) will have been ringing the bell.
- They will have been ringing the phones off the hook.

Conjugation of the verb To Ring