This post is pretty
self-explanatory. However, here is an important grammar fact that you’ll
need to know going forward: A past
participle is the form of a verb used for perfect tenses or the passive
voice. In other words, it is the form of the verb that you pair with “has/have”
or “had,” or possibly use as an adjective (e.g., to goà gone, to runà
run, to seeà
seen, to doà
done).
1. Lead/Lead:
Some of you may have already guessed where I’m going with this one. The past
tense and past participle of “to lead” is “led,” not “lead” (also pronounced
LED; a.k.a that metal that causes an uproar in the news whenever it’s found in
a toy shipped in from a country we outsourced American jobs to). It is such a
common mistake because “led” and “lead” (the metal) are homophones, meaning
they sound the same, but have different meanings. When people write, they tend
to transcribe what it is they are hearing in their heads at the time, and even
though you may be saying “led” in your head, you are conjuring up the letters
l-e-a-d. Also, the past tense and past participle of “to read” is read, and for
some reason, people tend to automatically assume that words that rhyme in the present
tense also rhyme in the past tense.
Incorrect: Last week I lead a hiking group up the Rocky
Mountains .
Correct: I led him to the right room yesterday so he asked
if I would lead him there again tomorrow.
2. Bring/Brang: Bring
it on, incorrect grammar! (Okay, so that one was lame). Anyway, “brang,” in the
spirit of yesterday’s post, is a non-existent word— at least in most English
dialects (some regions apparently use it). On a related note, “brung” is also
considered by some to be the past participle of “to bring,” though that, too,
is only in those few dialects. In the majority of English dialects, neither
word is acceptable. “Brought” is both the past tense and the past participle of
“to bring.”
Incorrect: I have brung an apple for lunch all year long, so
today brang something new.
Correct: I brought the wrong binder to class, only to realize
I had not even brought the correct binder to school that day.
3. Swim/Swimmed: This one is pretty
straightforward, so it should go quite swimmingly. Hah. Basically, despite the
fact that some say “swimmed” is the past tense of “to swim,” the correct word
is “swam.” The past participle is “swum.”
Incorrect: The dolphin swimmed past as I sat on the beach
shore.
Correct: I swam every day last week, but I haven’t swum yet
this week.
4. Hang/Hanged/Hung:
This one is confusing because, depending on the intended meaning of “hang,” the
past tense differs. So it isn’t that one form or the other is necessarily
incorrect in all cases, but that, if used in the wrong context, it is
considered incorrect.
If by hang you mean to “kill (someone) by tying a rope
attached from above around their neck”
[1], then both the past tense and the past participle are “hanged.”
Example: They
hanged the man for his crimes. They had hanged many others before him.
However, if you
intend to use the definition “to suspend or be suspended from above with the
lower part dangling free” [1], then both the past tense and the past participle
are “hung.”
Examples:
1. The pendant hung
from a chain around my neck.
2. I have hung
the picture on the wall.
5. Drag/Drug: This
one is similar to bring/brang/brung
in that some regional dialects differ from the majority. So some places use “drug” as the past tense
of “to drag,” although almost all dialects reject this use. The “proper” past tense
of “to drag” is “dragged,” and the past participle is the same.
Incorrect: I drug the sled behind me in the snow.
Correct: I have dragged this backpack around with me all
day. I’m still wondering why I dragged it to all the classes I didn’t need it
for.
References and other links for more information:
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