Irregular verbs Regular verbs
wake, wakes, waking, woken, woke
Synonyms: awaken, rouse, stir, arise, get up
Antonyms: sleep, doze, slumber, rest, nap
The Verb Wake – Definition, Usage, and Clarification
The verb wake is a common irregular verb that means to stop sleeping, or to cause someone to stop sleeping. It can be used both transitively (with an object) and intransitively (without an object).
VERB FORMS
■ Base Form: wake
■ Past Simple: woke
■ Past Participle: woken
■ Present Participle/Gerund: waking
USAGE AND CONTEXT
'Wake' is used for the literal act of ending sleep and for the figurative act of becoming aware.
1. Stopping Sleep (Intransitive)
This is when the subject stops sleeping on their own.
■ Action: 'I usually wake up at 7 a.m. without an alarm.'
■ Past Event: 'I woke in the middle of the night.'
2. Causing Someone to Stop Sleeping (Transitive)
This is when an external force or person causes the subject to stop sleeping.
■ Action: 'Can you wake me up before you leave?'
■ Past Event: 'The loud thunder woke the entire family.'
3. Becoming Aware (Figurative)
The phrasal verb 'wake up to' means to finally realize or become aware of a situation.
■ Realization: 'He finally woke up to the fact that he was being taken for granted.'
ℹ IMPORTANT: 'WAKE' VS. 'AWAKE' AND THE WORD 'WOKE'
■ 'Wake' vs. 'Awake':
■ Wake: The verb for the action of ending sleep. ('Please don't wake the baby.')
■ Awake: The adjective for the state of not being asleep. ('Is the baby awake yet?')
■ 'Woke' vs. 'Woken': This is a common point of confusion.
■ Woke is the simple past tense. ('I woke up late.')
■ Woken is the past participle, used with 'have,' 'has,' or 'had.' ('The storm has woken everyone in the house.')
■ The Modern Meaning of 'Woke': In modern slang, 'woke' is used as an adjective to describe someone who is aware of social and political issues, such as racism and inequality. This is a separate meaning from the past tense of the verb.
■ Example: 'The documentary is very woke and explores important social themes.'
| WAKE - PRESENT SIMPLE | |
|---|---|
| ★ I | wake |
| ★ you | wake |
| ★ he/she/it | wakes |
| ★ we | wake |
| ★ you (plural) | wake |
| ★ they | wake |
| Examples of the verb 'wake' in the Present Simple |
|---|
| - I wake up at 7 AM every day. |
| - You wake the entire house when you leave for work. |
| - He wakes with a positive attitude. | The loud noise wakes the baby. |
| - We wake up to the sound of birds singing. |
| - You (plural) wake up early to go hiking. |
| - They wake their children for school. |
| WAKE - PRESENT CONTINUOUS | |
|---|---|
| ★ I am | waking |
| ★ you are | waking |
| ★ he/she/it is | waking |
| ★ we are | waking |
| ★ you are | waking |
| ★ they are | waking |
| Examples of the verb 'wake' in the Present Continuous |
|---|
| - I am waking up earlier than usual this week. |
| - You are waking the baby, please be quiet. |
| - He is waking from a long nap. | A new sense of hope is waking within the community. |
| - We are waking up to the reality of the situation. |
| - You (plural) are waking the sleeping giant with your actions. |
| - They are waking up to a beautiful morning. |
| WAKE - PRESENT PERFECT | |
|---|---|
| ★ I have | woken |
| ★ you have | woken |
| ★ he/she/it has | woken |
| ★ we have | woken |
| ★ you have | woken |
| ★ they have | woken |
| Examples of the verb 'wake' in the Present Perfect |
|---|
| - I have woken up three times during the night. |
| - You have woken the beast. |
| - He has woken from his coma. | She has woken the whole neighborhood with her car alarm. |
| - We have woken up to a world of new possibilities. |
| - You (plural) have woken up on the wrong side of the bed. |
| - They have woken the spirits of the forest. |
| WAKE - PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
|---|---|
| ★ I have been | waking |
| ★ you have been | waking |
| ★ he/she/it has been | waking |
| ★ we have been | waking |
| ★ you have been | waking |
| ★ they have been | waking |
| Examples of the verb 'wake' in the Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| - I have been waking up with a headache all week. |
| - You have been waking me up with your snoring. |
| - He has been waking up early to train for the marathon. | The city has been waking up slowly. |
| - We have been waking up to the same news every day. |
| - You (plural) have been waking up late. |
| - They have been waking up the neighbours with their loud parties. |
| WAKE - PAST SIMPLE | |
|---|---|
| ★ I | woke |
| ★ you | woke |
| ★ he/she/it | woke |
| ★ we | woke |
| ★ you (plural) | woke |
| ★ they | woke |
| Examples of the verb 'wake' in the Past Simple |
|---|
| - I woke up in the middle of the night. |
| - You woke me up when you came in. |
| - He woke up feeling refreshed. | The sound of thunder woke her. |
| - We woke up to find snow covering everything. |
| - You (plural) woke up before sunrise. |
| - They woke the sleeping dragon. |
| WAKE - PAST CONTINUOUS | |
|---|---|
| ★ I was | waking |
| ★ you were | waking |
| ★ he/she/it was | waking |
| ★ we were | waking |
| ★ you were | waking |
| ★ they were | waking |
| Examples of the verb 'wake' in the Past Continuous |
|---|
| - I was waking up when my alarm started ringing. |
| - You were waking everyone in the house. |
| - He was just waking up from a dream. | The city was waking up as we drove through it. |
| - We were waking up as the sun rose. |
| - You (plural) were waking from your slumber. |
| - They were waking up to the sounds of the market. |
| WAKE - PAST PERFECT | |
|---|---|
| ★ I had | woken |
| ★ you had | woken |
| ★ he/she/it had | woken |
| ★ we had | woken |
| ★ you had | woken |
| ★ they had | woken |
| Examples of the verb 'wake' in the Past Perfect |
|---|
| - I had woken up just before the alarm went off. |
| - You had woken the baby, so I had to put him back to sleep. |
| - He had woken up from his nap before the guests arrived. | She had woken before him. |
| - We had woken up early to catch the flight. |
| - You (plural) had woken before us. |
| - They had woken the entire castle. |
| WAKE - PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
|---|---|
| ★ I had been | waking |
| ★ you had been | waking |
| ★ he/she/it had been | waking |
| ★ we had been | waking |
| ★ you had been | waking |
| ★ they had been | waking |
| Examples of the verb 'wake' in the Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| - I had been waking up with nightmares for a month. |
| - You had been waking him up too early. |
| - He had been waking up at 5 AM for years. | The town had been waking up. |
| - We had been waking up to that noise for weeks. |
| - You (plural) had been waking up late. |
| - They had been waking up the residents. |
| WAKE - FUTURE SIMPLE | |
|---|---|
| ★ I will | wake |
| ★ you will | wake |
| ★ he/she/it will | wake |
| ★ we will | wake |
| ★ you will | wake |
| ★ they will | wake |
| Examples of the verb 'wake' in the Future Simple |
|---|
| - I will wake you up when it's time to leave. |
| - You will wake up feeling much better tomorrow. |
| - He will wake up if you make too much noise. | The music will wake everyone. |
| - We will wake up early for our trip. |
| - You (plural) will wake the children in an hour. |
| - They will wake up in a new city. |
| WAKE - FUTURE CONTINUOUS | |
|---|---|
| ★ I will be | waking |
| ★ you will be | waking |
| ★ he/she/it will be | waking |
| ★ we will be | waking |
| ★ you will be | waking |
| ★ they will be | waking |
| Examples of the verb 'wake' in the Future Continuous |
|---|
| - I will be waking up at 5 AM to go fishing. |
| - You will be waking up to a surprise. |
| - He will be waking from surgery around noon. | The city will be waking up when we land. |
| - We will be waking up in a different time zone. |
| - You (plural) will be waking up to good news. |
| - They will be waking up the campers at dawn. |
| WAKE - FUTURE PERFECT | |
|---|---|
| ★ I will have | woken |
| ★ you will have | woken |
| ★ he/she/it will have | woken |
| ★ we will have | woken |
| ★ you will have | woken |
| ★ they will have | woken |
| Examples of the verb 'wake' in the Future Perfect |
|---|
| - I will have woken up by the time you call me. |
| - You will have woken the entire house. |
| - He will have woken from his nap by then. | She will have woken up. |
| - We will have woken up, eaten breakfast, and left. |
| - You (plural) will have woken up. |
| - They will have woken the guard. |
| WAKE - FUTURE PERFECT CONTINUOUS | |
|---|---|
| ★ I will have been | waking |
| ★ you will have been | waking |
| ★ he/she/it will have been | waking |
| ★ we will have been | waking |
| ★ you will have been | waking |
| ★ they will have been | waking |
| Examples of the verb 'wake' in the Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| - By tomorrow, I will have been waking up at this time for a whole year. |
| - You will have been waking him up. |
| - He will have been waking up early for his entire career. | The city will have been waking up. |
| - We will have been waking up to this view. |
| - You (plural) will have been waking up. |
| - They will have been waking up the village. |