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Writing Tip: Grammar Rodeo #5

Renee Stevens

Entry posted by Renee Stevens in Writing Tips - Skills

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I hope everyone is having a great week so far! As you can see, Cia has provided us with another Grammar Rodeo. Ever been confused by Present Tense Verbs vs. Past Tense Verbs? Cia gives us a guideline to help out with those pesky issues. In addition to Tense Verbs, Cia also helps out a bit with That vs. Who.

 

Past Tense Verbs
While there are a variety of tenses to write in, I think the most common method is to use past tense. So today we’re going to talk about past tense verbs. For the most part, verbs are pretty easy to write in past tense. The majority of them are regular verbs and simply require you add a d or ed to the word, and voila! Pick becomes picked and finish becomes finished.

 

But what about those irregular verbs? You know, the ones that have to screw with the system?

 

Drive becomes drove. Eat becomes ate.
Have becomes had. Break becomes broke.

 

Unfortunately, there’s no way I can share to guarantee you know which words are regular or irregular and how to tell the difference beyond just knowing them. The dictionary is definitely your friend. But… what about when the rules are bent or broken? C’mon, well know the English language is rife with “exceptions” and tenses are no different. Usually these exist due to dialect, or in other words, common usage in a region.

 

Drug vs. Dragged
While many of you might drug is correct, if you follow the rules, dragged is the past tense word for ‘drag’ and drug only refers to pharmaceuticals. However, in the southern region of the United States, drug is commonly used.

 

**Another little tidbit. When a verb has the emphasis on the ending syllable, you add repeat the consonant letter, as in dragged adding ged to drag.**

 

Snuck vs. Sneaked
Once again, the traditional ed form to make sneak past tense by using sneaked is correct. However, through common dialect usage in widespread regions, snuck has now become an accepted alternative.

 

Dove vs. Dived
This time again, both are not considered correct, but dived is the grammatically preferred past term use for dive. Outside the US, some even consider the use of dove to be incorrect, though popular usage in many areas does allow for it.

 

So what do you think about the use of verbs common in local dialect versus the grammatically correct version? Is there a common use of a verb, regular or irregular, that you’re not sure is correct?

 

That vs. Who
Earlier we visited who vs. whom. Today I want to share a quick reminder about a grammar issue I see pretty often: that vs. who in a sentence. And I do have a quick way to help you remember! The use of that or who in a sentence depends on the subject. If you’re writing a person, it’s insulting to use that because they’re a person—not a thing.

 

So remember, if you’re writing about a thing, use that. If you’re writing about a person, use who, or whom, as grammatically correct!

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J.HunterDunn

Thanks, Renee. Although I'm no author I always like the grammar features on GA.

 

In school we had to learn the English irregular verbs by heart, so they were more or less pumped into our heads.

 

Because I noticed quite often that in stories here the past participle of "to get" is used as "gotten", I was intrigued, because I learned: to get-got-got.

 

Only recently I discovered that "gotten" is the correct form in American and Canadian English and "got" the correct form in British English.

I was also surprised to find that "gotten" was till well into the 18th century the correct use in British English.

 

It shows that language is alive and what is considered correct can change with time.

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Tara00
Only recently I discovered that "gotten" is the correct form in American and Canadian English and "got" the correct form in British English.

I was also surprised to find that "gotten" was till well into the 18th century the correct use in British English.

 

I had not heard the word 'gotten' until very recently. It was always to get-got-got. But I see it being used in modern American literature a lot. Thanks for explaining.

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Aditus

My problem isn't that vs who, but that vs this. I can read about it on grammar sites, Lisa explains it to me, Zombie explains it to me, I understand everything and still I do it wrong sometimes. *shrugs*

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Zombie

that / who

 

May help to clarify that this is about the relative pronoun - "the guy that served me" v "the guy who served me"

 

Fact is both are fine in these examples. Like so much else in English, rather than "rules" of grammar this is about usage and preference. The idea that it's demeaning to use "that" for a person is probably a modern sensibility that it might be perceived as causing offence. But "that" has long established historical usage going right back to the 11th century - that's before Chaucer :P To bring things up to date, the OED's definition of "that" is very clear - it includes "denoting a thing or person" :)
 

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Lisa

I am constantly changing 'drug' to 'dragged' for my Cali and mid-western authors.

 

As for the words 'got' and 'gotten', I hate them both! :P  Sometimes I can't help but use them, but I always try to find alternative words.

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MikeL

 


Only recently I discovered that "gotten" is the correct form in American and Canadian English and "got" the correct form in British English.

I was also surprised to find that "gotten" was till well into the 18th century the correct use in British English.

 

It shows that language is alive and what is considered correct can change with time.

 

I think the British version of English has changed much more since the 17th century than has the North American version.  There are a lot of words we use in the US that are more like the earlier British usage than the current British usage.  Early Scots/Irish immigrants settled first in Pennsylvania, then migrated south and west.  Due to several centuries of American isolation, we missed the linguistic changes in the mother country.



 

 

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MikeL
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"Snuck" grates on my nerves.  That's because it is not correct.  I know you find it in some modern dictionaries because it is used by people who slept through English class.

 

Another misused word is "hung" rather than "hanged".  It's a bit more challenging because, unlike "snuck", "hung" is not always wrong.  Both "hung" and "hanged" are the past tense of "hang".  People (murderers, suicides) are hanged; everything else is hung.

 

Examples:

 

The farmer hung the tobacco up to dry.

 

The sheriff hanged the condemned man.

 

The despondent man hanged himself.



 

 

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Zombie
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I think the British version of English has changed much more since the 17th century than has the North American version.  There are a lot of words we use in the US that are more like the earlier British usage than the current British usage.  Early Scots/Irish immigrants settled first in Pennsylvania, then migrated south and west.  Due to several centuries of American isolation, we missed the linguistic changes in the mother country.

 

You're right but it works both ways. The US has clung on to gotten while the UK now prefers got - though we still use the old word in the form "ill-gotten" - while the US has evidently moved away from "that" for people whereas in the UK we're quite happy retaining it :P

 

...unlike "snuck", "hung" is not always wrong.  Both "hung" and "hanged" are the past tense of "hang".  People (murderers, suicides) are hanged; everything else is hung.

 

Examples:

 

The farmer hung the tobacco up to dry.

 

You overlooked one, Mike...

 

"Jeeze that guy's well hung." :lol::gikkle::funny:

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Aditus

Dialects...very bad for us, who try to learn/speak/write 'correct' English, especially when we unknowingly mix the regions. Never had problems with the hanged/hung part...had always the right um associations in mind.

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Valkyrie
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"saw" vs "seen" is an error I commonly see :gikkle:  It's "I saw him." not "I seen him."  "Seen" does not stand on its own, but needs another verb along with it. "He was seen going into the store." 

 

I love these grammar rodeos and the discussion they spark.  I'm such a grammar nerd. lol

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Lisa

I love these grammar rodeos and the discussion they spark.  I'm such a grammar nerd. lol

Right? Me too, Val! When I have to look up only one thing, I wind up spending hours perusing all sorts of grammar sites. :)

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MikeL

 

 

You overlooked one, Mike...

 

"Jeeze that guy's well hung." :lol::gikkle::funny:

 

We were having a relatively dignified discussion about a verb, Zombie.

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Cole Matthews

I love dialects because they give us vernacular and thus diversity. I'm a big fan.  Therefore, I also add these little tidbits. In Minnesota, we pronounce a small stream of water in the country a Crick, not a creek. We also teach kindergarteners Duck, Duck, Gray Duck, and not Duck, Duck, Goose. These regional differences are really endearing things, at least to me. :)

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Avangelion

I was recommended by my beta to go and ask my question here:

 

Punctuation issue, here goes:

 

Sometimes there are   ,    in front of as/then/and/but and sometimes the word in itself are enough as a pause, how to know when and when not to? I suppose it is to be used if the sentence is too long without, but I found it used in shorter sentences as well... I find punctuation very confusing at times.

 

I did try looking it up myself but did seem to find anything on this particular issue of mine :)

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