adjective
1
BAD : My father is dead when I was still a baby.
GOOD : My father died when I was still a baby.
BAD : The doctor said that she dead because the wound became infected.
GOOD : The doctor said that she died because the wound became infected.
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Dead is an adjective and describes a state: 'I can't tell whether that plant is dead or alive.' 'Some of the fish were dead and were floating on the surface.'
Died is the past tense and past participle of die : 'I think she died from a heart attack.' 'He died on the way to hospital.'
See also note at DIED
2
BAD : The purpose of this ceremony is to honour the dead people.
GOOD : The purpose of this ceremony is to honour the dead.
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When you mean 'dead people', use the dead : 'At this time of the year the villages make offerings to the spirits of the dead.'
3
See BODY (↑ body )