Example Sentences in All Tenses of the Verb Catch

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

The verb catch is often used with ball sports:

• See if you can catch this ball.
  I'll throw you the ball and you catch it. 

It is also used to express a transfer from one person to another:

• I caught the bug at school
  She caught a cold from Tim. 

As well as transportation:

• I caught the subway on 34th Street.
  I'll catch a plane for Denver tonight.

Catch can also be used for discovering people doing something wrong:

• I've caught my boy stealing cookies a number of times.
  Let's catch the thief. 

Common phrasal verbs with catch include: catch up, catch on.

• Base Form: catch (used in simple forms)
• Past Simple: caught (used in the past)
• Past Participle: caught
• Gerund: catching

He catches the train at nine o'clock.
I often catch students' colds. 

The ball is caught by the player at first base.
The flu is caught by many during the winter. 

They are catching on fast!
He's catching up with me. Run faster!

The train is being caught by a number of fans.
The fish are being caught in the thousands this month.

He has caught a cold.
I've caught up with my work. 

That train has been caught by more than one million travelers.
That fish as already been caught!

He has been catching on slowly.
We have been catching up this week.

Peter caught the ball.
Did you catch the train to New York last week?

The ball was caught by Peter.
His meaning was caught be all. 

He was catching the train when he bumped into her.
We were catching up when she walked in the door. 

The train was being caught by hundreds of travelers when the announcement rang out.
The ball was being caught as the runner started for home. 

I had caught twenty butterflies by the time she arrived.
They had caught the bus before I called them to cancel the meeting. 

Twenty butterflies had been caught by the time she arrived.
Thirty fly balls had been caught by the outfielder before he won the award. 

She had been catching butterflies when they arrived.
We'd been catching up on our lives for three hours when we left.

Anna will catch the next train to Boston.
Throw the ball. I'll catch it!

That fish will be caught soon.
This ball will be caught by the outfielder. 

Michael is going to catch the ball!
He's going to catch a flight this afternoon. 

The ball is going to be caught by Michael!
The flu is going to be caught be everybody if we don't do something. 

This time next week I will be catching the train to Boston.
He will be catching up with Peter this time tomorrow. 

By the end, he will have caught more than 50 butterflies.
He will have caught more than 300 pitches by the end of the game. 

She may catch a cold.
He might catch the ball. 

If she catches a cold, she should see a doctor.
Unless he catches the ball, we'll lose the game.

If she caught on faster, she would do better in school.
If he caught more balls, they'd win more games. 

If they had caught the early train, they would have arrived on time.
If he had caught the ball, they would have won the game. 

I can catch the next train.
You should catch a show on Broadway.

He can't have caught the wrong train!
He shouldn't have caught a cold.