Example Sentences of the Verb 'To Keep'

This page provides example sentences of the English verb "Keep" in all tenses including active and passive forms, as well as conditional and modal forms.

Base Form keep / Past Simple kept / Past Participle kept / Gerund keeping

Present Simple

She keeps all her birthday cards every year.

Present Simple Passive

The key is kept by the doorman.

Present Continuous

He is currently keeping up the house while his parents are away.

Present Continuous Passive

The house is being kept up by Jason while his parents are away.

Present Perfect

I'm afraid I haven't kept up with the news recently.

Present Perfect Passive

The information has been kept up to date by Alice.

Present Perfect Continuous

We have been keeping bees for the last few years.

Past Simple

She kept a diary while she was on holiday.

Past Simple Passive

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Example Sentences of the Verb Hold

By Kenneth Beare

A journal was kept by the teacher on each student.

Past Continuous

They were keeping watch over the house when it was broken into by thieves.

Past Continuous Passive

The house was being kept watch over by the Wilson's when it was broken into by thieves.

Past Perfect

The had kept an expense journal before they moved to New York.

Past Perfect Passive

An expense journal had been kept before they moved to New York.

Past Perfect Continuous

We had been keeping up with the Jones before they moved to Los Angeles.

Future (Will)

She will keep the children while we are away.

Future (Will) Passive

The children will be kept by Cheryl while we are away.

Future (Going to)

Cheryl is going to keep the children during the holidays.

Future (Going to) Passive

The children are going to be kept by Cheryl during the holidays.

Future Continuous

They will be keeping a record of the meeting tomorrow afternoon.

Future Perfect

Janice will have been kept up to date so you can ask her.

Future Possibility

She might keep that present.

Real Conditional

If she keeps up exercising, she will be in great shape.

Unreal Conditional

If she kept up exercising, she would be in great shape.

Past Unreal Conditional

If she had kept up exercising, she would have been in great shape.

Present Modal

She should keep up with the class.

Past Modal

Harry might have kept up with the developments.

Quiz: Conjugate With Keep

Use the verb "to keep" to conjugate the following sentences. Quiz answers are below. In some cases, more than one answer may be correct.

She _____ the children while we are away.
She _____ a diary while she was on holiday.
The_____ an expense journal before they moved to New York.
Janice _____ up to date so you can ask her.
If she _____ up exercising, she would have been in great shape.
The key _____ by the doorman.
We _____ bees for the last few years.
A journal _____ by the teacher on each student.
I'm afraid I _____ up with the news recently.
Cheryl _____ the children during the holidays. That's the plan.

Quiz Answers

will keep
kept
had kept
will have been kept
had kept
is kept
have been keeping
was kept
haven't kept
is going to keep