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.)
She quit her job. (She has quit her job.)
asked Mar 8, 2012 at 12:10
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1American English or British English?– David SchwartzMar 8, 2012 at 12:21
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If it differs, both.– Mehper C. PalavuzlarMar 8, 2012 at 13:10
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4"Quitted" as that simple past for "quit" is very rare in the United States.– David SchwartzMar 8, 2012 at 13:16
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2 Answers
I would use quit, as it is more readily understood by people. Dictionary.com indicates that both are plausible. Merriam Webster says the same.
Looking through Google books, quitted seems to be used synonymously with left, e.g.,
Plato quitted Athens, where he was adored as a god ...
I quitted Manchester, I quitted Mrs. ++++++++, I quitted ++++++++ hall ...
... you have not quitted the path of virtue ...
Although this usage seems to have declined markedly. This can be seen in a Google NGram, as found by FumbleFingers:
answered Mar 8, 2012 at 12:29
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5I think this chart for "had quitted/had quit" shows clearly that quitted was the standard past tense until the mid-1900s. It seems to be one of those relatively rare cases where a regular verb changes to become "irregular". Mar 8, 2012 at 15:39
The OED records both as alternatives for the past tense and the past participle.
answered Mar 8, 2012 at 12:28
