Questions about past participle forms of verbs.
42
votes
5answers
3k views
What we've gelost — why doesn't English use the prefix “ge-”?
The Germanic languages that I'm familiar with all use a prefix similar to ge- on past participles:
German: Ich habe mir den Fuß gebrochen.
Dutch: Ik heb mijn voet gebroken.
But English ...
23
votes
2answers
890 views
Why are clothes hung and men hanged?
I've heard it said that clothes can be 'hung' but men are 'hanged'. Is this correct, and, if so, why?
15
votes
4answers
729 views
Are the verbs that are conjugated to end in “-n” in the past related?
There are many words that in English are conjugated in the past tense to end in "-n": grow goes to grown, sew goes to sewn, throw goes to thrown, etc.. I'm guessing it was probably the regular ...
14
votes
3answers
2k views
“Focussed” or “focused”? The double consonant
Initially, my question was: is "focussed" or "focused" the correct past tense of "focus", but since this applies to a lot of words, I would like to generalize and ask: is there supposed to be a rule ...
13
votes
2answers
11k views
Is it “quit” or “quitted”?
What is the correct (grammatical) simple past and past participle form of the verb quit? Is it quit or quitted?
She quitted her job. (She has quitted her job.)
or
She quit her job. (She has ...
13
votes
2answers
5k views
Why is the phrase “should have went” so widely used?
Rarely do we hear "should have gone" in common speech.
Some background: My father immigrated to the US in the late 60s. He learned English first overseas, British English. Then he studied extensively ...
12
votes
5answers
1k views
Word for “left alone and to die”?
Is there a word that means "left alone and to die"?
Edit: I believe there is such a word. I think I'm looking for abandoned and alone. Others expectations are that you'll die.
11
votes
5answers
7k views
“To be subject to” vs. “to be subjected to”
I read an article from Toronto Star today which stated:
TTC workers are subject to alcohol and drug testing.
A later paragraph of the same article repeated it, except it used subjected to ...
11
votes
5answers
3k views
What does the term “86'd” relate to?
What does it mean when someone or something is referred to as being "86'd"?
10
votes
6answers
1k views
“Don't got” — how common is it in American usage?
I often hear the usage "don't got" in American English as spoken on TV programmes. Recently I was watching season four of "Prison Break" and one character, an Asian computer wizard, repeatedly used ...
10
votes
4answers
2k views
Why is “to get” sometimes used where “to be” could be used?
Why is "to get" sometimes used where "to be" could be used?
Examples:
"The video got uploaded to the web site." vs. "The video was uploaded to the web site."
"He got thrown in the pool." vs. "He ...
10
votes
3answers
2k views
“Spelt” vs. “spelled”
In the following sentence, should I say spelled or spelt:
You spelt/spelled "Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis" wrong.
9
votes
3answers
11k views
Is “misconfigured” a word?
I use the word "misconfigured" all the time, but MS Word, Chrome, and the two dictionaries I checked don't list it as a word.
I'm going to keep using it instead of "configured incorrectly" because I ...
9
votes
4answers
595 views
Is this correct grammar: “[…] cash can't be beat.”
I found the following phrase in a NYTimes article and I was pretty surprised that it wasn't corrected or edited out: "But when it comes to privacy and freedom, cash can't be beat.".
I am under the ...
9
votes
1answer
2k views
“Broadcast” or “broadcasted”
I'm not a native English speaker, so sorry if this is a very basic question. Is broadcast a verb? If it is, what is the simple past and past participle: broadcasted?
8
votes
1answer
397 views
“Overrode” vs “Overridden”
I got into an argument about the sentence "Have you overrode SomeThingamajig?"
I thought that "have overrode" is incorrect, and should be "overrode" or "have overridden", or perhaps "did override".
...
8
votes
3answers
23k views
“Inputted” or “input”
I have used the word inputted in an assignment and am being forced to change it to input. However, both the Oxford English Dictionary (I am in New Zealand so this is most relevant) and MS Word list ...
7
votes
4answers
644 views
Past participle used as a noun?
Some examples include:
We fear the damned.
He honored our fallen.
This is a given.
You are the chosen.
The lost were among us.
They obey the venerated.
My beloved kissed me. (TIL ...
7
votes
6answers
944 views
Using -ed vs. -ing in the “needs washed” construction
I'm from Central Pennsylvania, and apparently, we have a strange language construct in this area. I was recently talking about how "my car needs washed" to a friend from NJ, and she told me that my ...
7
votes
2answers
555 views
Obama's use of “bemused”
I generally see the definition of "bemused" to be synonymous with "confused" or "puzzled", and that it is wrong to use it as a synonym of "amused". However I tend to see it used — as Obama did ...
6
votes
5answers
3k views
How to use “text” as a verb
–verb (used without object) Digital Technology.
15.
to send a text message: Texting while driving is an accident asking to happen.
Can I use:
I text to her but she didn't text me back.
...
6
votes
3answers
780 views
What is more appropriate — “hanged” or “hung”?
Say that you are using some software, and it hangs. In this case, what should I say:
... when we execute this command, software X gets hanged [or simply hangs].
... when we execute this ...
6
votes
4answers
6k views
Which is more correct: “burgled” or “burglarized”?
Which is more correct:
We were burgled yesterday.
or
We were burglarized yesterday.
I'm from the U.K. and never use burglarized but my friend from the U.S.A. seems to think it's OK.
6
votes
2answers
3k views
Would you use the word “swum” these days?
Would you use the word "swum" these days? I mean, grammatically, it is the past participle of the verb "to swim", but it seems to me that no one uses it anymore. If it's the case, how would You ...
5
votes
3answers
151 views
Better term to put on a label of a bottle of milk to describe that it's 'made' in a particular geographic location
While waiting for the kettle to boil this morning, I was idling and reading the label on the bottle of milk and was struck by the declaration: "Permeate free, made in WA". Here's a shot of the label ...
5
votes
4answers
318 views
“Passed” vs “past”: Usage in an error message
I wrote code to detect a problem where live video playout of a file had moved beyond the end of the clip on disk. The clip itself may be growing due to an ongoing recording or a transfer of the file ...
5
votes
1answer
1k views
“Awoken” vs. “awaked”
I understand that the verb awake has two different past participle forms, awoken and awaked. Checking Google Ngram I saw that the former has become more popular than the latter in the last century. I ...
5
votes
2answers
289 views
Is “dispreferred” a mainstream word in English?
I just recently came across the word dispreferred in a linguistic document. I have never heard the word used before, rather I generally hear something like "preferred something else" in everyday ...
4
votes
6answers
268 views
A word for the job a cashier does for each customer
A cashier in a grocery store has __ 80 customers today.
Expedited?
Served?
Handled?
I have a feeling there's a better word.
4
votes
3answers
9k views
“Show,” “shown,” and “showed”
I need advice on the best use of the verb show.
When do you use showed?
I find myself substituting has shown, even when I meant to use the preterit in my sentence.
I prefer "she has shown" over "she ...
4
votes
2answers
1k views
“Forgotten” or “forgot” as past participle of “forget”
In US and in UK respectively, which is more popular as the past participle of forget: forgotten or forgot? Which is more formal/informal?
Examples:
I haven't forgot(ten) you.
You will not ...
4
votes
2answers
203 views
“Favored” vs. “favorited”
We're making a website in which users can mark some objects as objects they like. Since we're not native English speakers here, a dispute evolved around what's the correct way to call this user-object ...
4
votes
1answer
136 views
How widely-accepted is “What do you got?” to Americans?
Watching A Stranger Among Us, I noticed that Melanie Griffith twice asked
"What do you got?"
I recognise this as an American construction which sounds strange to me — Brits invariably say either ...
4
votes
4answers
3k views
Proper usage of the word 'thunk'
What is the proper usage of the word thunk? According to Merriam-Webster, it is
dialect past and past participle of think
Can it be used in a formal context? Is "Who would have thunk?" different ...
4
votes
1answer
427 views
“Experimentally determined” vs. “determined experimentally”
Which of the following sentences is correct?
The numbers are experimentally determined.
The numbers are determined experimentally.
Are both (not) correct and if only one of them is ...
4
votes
3answers
261 views
What's going on in “I have been to the store many times”?
I thought been was the past participle of to be, but it seems to behave like the past participle of to go in this case:
I go to the store every Wednesday.
I have been/gone to the store many ...
4
votes
1answer
507 views
Generalised rule for verb usage in simple present tense using participle
I'm doing a school exercise where I have to give an explanation of the underlined (or in this case bold) verb usage in given sentences, following this format:
I was waiting.
past continuous ...
3
votes
2answers
215 views
“Perverse interest” vs. “perverted interest”
Does anybody recognize differences between the following sentences?
She took a perverse interest in photos of boys.
She took a perverted interest in photos of boys.
3
votes
5answers
125 views
Synonym for “engrooved”
Engrooved isn't a word, so I'm looking for something that carries its meaning. Engraved, accustomed, and other synonyms don't express the same meaning. I'm looking for a word that carries the meaning ...
3
votes
4answers
518 views
What does “plenaried” mean in this phrase?
A recently-asked question, since deleted by its author, prompts the following question.
In a 12 March 2013 New York Times column called The Axis of Ennui, David Brooks concluded with:
What are ...
3
votes
3answers
266 views
Confused with Present Participle + Noun pattern, does the “copied file” refer to the “original file”?
Patterns: Past Participle + Noun
In my understanding Past Participle + noun means the action applied to the noun as follows:
He murdered a little girl = The little girl was murdered by him. The ...
3
votes
3answers
376 views
Why are the present and the past participles of “submit” spelled with double t?
Why are the present and the past participles of submit spelled with two t's?
3
votes
2answers
395 views
Irregular past tense confusion with compound noun/verb. More examples?
Students of martial arts may be familiar with a breakfall, which can (depending on the situation) be treated as a noun or a verb.
I am often amused when speakers, even native English speakers (myself ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Weaved or woven
Is weaved an acceptable past-tense form of the word weave? Does it have to be wove/woven or are both acceptable like hung/hanged?
3
votes
1answer
175 views
The original usage of past participles
I have heard that the origin of the present perfect construction is that sentences like "I have it done" (passive) changed to "I have done it" (present perfect).
Is that true at all?
If that's the ...
3
votes
1answer
264 views
Is using past participle instead of present one more polite?
On christianity.stackexchange.com I asked this question:
"Is it true that John Paul the Second restored the practice of selling indulgences in 2000?"
and one supporter suggested that I replace ...
2
votes
3answers
442 views
Past participle of “flaw”
According to Wiktionary, the past participle of "flaw" is flawed, and flawn is not mentioned as being a valid alternative. However, the past participle of "draw" is drawn. I know that Modern English ...
2
votes
4answers
262 views
“when I clicked on video file nothing has happened”
when I clicked on video file nothing
has happened.
Is that correct?
2
votes
7answers
3k views
“Situated” vs. “located”
I found the following example in my vocabulary:
The town is situated on a plateau high up among the mountains of the north.
Can I replace situated with located for the example above? What's the ...
2
votes
2answers
485 views
Is “put” imperative in this sentence?
In a writing exercise I sent to my English teacher, she wrote some comments evaluating my writing. Some comments were about what I did, and others were about what I should do. In the sentences about ...
