Correct spelling, explanation: the correct form is stepped. The verb step follows regular verb conjugation rules in English, where the past tense and past participle are formed by adding -ed to the base verb (present: step, past tense: stepped, past participle: stepped). English spelling rules dictate that when a verb ends in a single consonant after a short vowel (like in step), you double the consonant before adding -ed. Hence, step becomes stepped, not steped.
Definition of stepped:
Past simple and past participle of step, lift and set down one’s foot or one foot after the other in order to walk somewhere or move to a new position
She carefully stepped onto the icy sidewalk, trying not to slip.
He stepped forward to get a better view of the stage.
Definition of stepped:
Some of the most commonly used collocations include:
1. Stepped forward: moved ahead, often to take action or volunteer.
She stepped forward to accept the award.
2. Stepped back: moved backward physically or withdrew from a situation.
He stepped back to let others pass.
3. Stepped aside: moved out of the way or gave up a position for someone else.
The manager stepped aside to allow a younger leader to take over.
4. Stepped in: intervened or got involved in a situation.
The teacher stepped in to stop the argument between students.
Incorrect spelling, explanation: steped is a mistake because it does not follow the correct spelling rule for forming the past tense of step. When a verb ends in a single consonant preceded by a short vowel sound, we double the consonant before adding -ed. Step has a short vowel (-e) followed by a single consonant (-p), so we double the -p: step → stepped. If we wrote steped, it would break this rule and be inconsistent with other similar verbs.
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