Past Tense of Fall: Learn to Use Fell and Fallen

III.  Fall in IELTS: Practical Usage

The verb fall is frequently used in both IELTS and TOEIC, especially when describing changes in data (in Writing) or discussing personal experiences and opinions (in Speaking or Listening).

In IELTS Speaking Part 1 or Part 2, test-takers may be asked about personal experiences or physical settings—where the verb fall or fell can be used naturally.

Sample Questions and Suggested Answers

Part 1 – Topic: Weather or Daily Life

• Question: Do you like the rainy season?
• Answer: Not really. I often fall sick whenever the weather changes suddenly.

Part 2 – Cue card: Describe a time you hurt yourself

Sample response: Last winter, I slipped on the ice and fell in front of my apartment. It was a minor fall, but it taught me to be more careful in bad weather. After that, I’ve always worn shoes with good grip when going outside in winter.

Part 3 – Follow-up discussion

• Question: Why do accidents happen more frequently in some seasons?
• Answer: Because surfaces become slippery and people often fall due to lack of awareness.

In IELTS Writing Task 1, the verb fall is commonly used to describe downward trends in graphs, charts, or tables.

Examples of phrases:

• The number of tourists fell sharply between 2019 and 2020.
• Sales of smartphones fell slightly during the third quarter.
• After peaking in June, the figures fell gradually over the next four months.

These expressions show changes in data and help demonstrate your ability to vary vocabulary for reporting trends, which is essential for Band 6.5+.

In Task 2 (Essay writing), fall may appear when discussing economic decline, health issues, or population changes.

Example sentence: If investment in education continues to fall, the quality of the workforce may also decline.

IV. Practice Exercises: Test Your Understanding

To strengthen your understanding of short and long adjectives, it's important to apply the rules in context. The following exercises will guide you through common patterns, help correct typical mistakes, and support long-term retention.

Exercises

Exercise 1: Conjugate the verb Fall

1. Mona never (fall) _______ in love with those guys.
2. Look! The tree (fall) _______ over. 
3. Jack (fall) _______ behind since he lost his family.
4. I (fall) _______ down the stairs last month ago but I can feel the pain clearly now.
5. If you continue to build the house on this land, it (fall) _______ over soon.

Exercise 2: Fill in the appropriate phrasal verb with Fall that you have learned

1. Anna tripped over the rug and began to ______ the stairs.
2. Be careful, the paint on this old railing tends to ______ easily.
3. The coins ______ his pocket as he jumped over the fence.
4. I ______ my job quite by accident.
5. There is a lot of work to do, so they ______ immediately.

Answer

V. Take the First Step Towards IELTS Success

PREP hopes that after reading the article above, you have understood the meaning and various past forms of Fall in English, along with some common phrasal verbs with Fall. If you want guaranteed improvement in IELTS, don’t miss these game-changing courses below:

• IELTS full course: Unlock Your IELTS Success Story.