Keep and kept are fundamental verbs that describe holding, saving, or continuing something. Keep is the base form used for habitual actions, instructions, and general statements, while kept is the past and past participle form used for completed actions and when forming perfect tenses.
Keep
Use keep for present habits, general rules, and when you want to emphasize continuing an action. It appears in commands, questions, and with modifiers like on to show ongoing activity.
Kept
Use kept to describe an action that was completed in the past or when showing possession or storage of something at a specific time. It also appears in perfect tenses to link past actions to the present.
Examples
Phrases
Common phrases with keep and kept include idiomatic uses like keep calm, keep in touch, and kept safe. These set expressions help sound natural and convey specific meanings beyond the literal sense.
| English Phrase | English Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 🐻 Keep an eye on the pot. | Watch something carefully. | |
| 📅 Keep it on your calendar. | Remember a date or event. | |
| 🔒 Keep the door locked. | Secure something. | |
| 🧼 Keep your hands clean. | Maintain cleanliness. | |
| 🛑 Keep away from the stove. | Stay at a safe distance. | |
| 🗑️ Keep the kitchen tidy. | Stay organized and clean. |
Related Meaning
Verbs related to keep such as hold, save, store, and retain each highlight a different nuance, so choosing the right one depends on whether you mean physically carrying something, preserving it for later, or maintaining a condition.
Summary
Remember: use keep for general, habitual, or ongoing actions and kept for completed past actions or when emphasizing possession or storage. Learning common phrases and related verbs will make your use of keep more precise and natural.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025