Choose vs Chose
Published January 18, 2023. Updated January 18, 2023.
Choose and chose look similar, but they have different meanings and uses. Both words mean to pick out someone or something. Choose is the present tense of the verb. In contrast, chose is the past tense of the verb.
Here are some definitions and examples to help make the use of these words clearer.
Choose (verb)
pick out someone or something as being the best or most appropriate of two or more alternatives.
Examples:
When it’s raining, I choose a rain jacket over a hoodie.
We will choose a movie to watch after dinner.
In the first example, choose is used to describe a choice made in the present. Choose is used with the subject I, but it can also be used with other subjects like you, he, she, it, they, and we. Notice that with the auxiliary verb will, choose can be used to describe a choice to be made in the future.
Chose (verb)
pick out someone or something as being the best or most appropriate of two or more alternatives.
Examples:
I chose to study before playing video games.
He chose to walk instead of taking the bus.
In both examples, the event being described happened in the past. Choose is an irregular verb, meaning its past tense is not made by adding -ed but instead changes to chose.
Main Points
- Choose means picking out someone or something as the best or most appropriate of two or more alternatives.
- Chose is the past tense of choose.
- If what you are writing about happened in the past, use chose. If it is happening in the present, use chose. If it will happen in the future, use will choose.