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Plead, pleaded, or pled

quizzical
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Joined: Dec 8 2011

which do you prefer?


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quizzical
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Joined: Dec 8 2011

read a couple books recently where the author used pleaded, where i felt it should be pled.

then on the news this morning the commentator used pleaded. where i would've used pled. sounded awkward.

i looked up plead and could find nothing as to how pleaded or pled should be used.

does anyone out there know the whys and stuff?


Unionist
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Joined: Dec 11 2005

Yes. There's no such word as "pled". The past tense of "plead" is "pleaded".

 

 


quizzical
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Joined: Dec 8 2011

lagatta
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Joined: Apr 17 2002

Webster's is Murrican.

Oxford says that pled is also used in North America, but I've rarely heard it in Canada. And while IANAL, I've interpreted in court and before boards (such as the CSST) and in conferences on such matters, so I've certainly heard "plead" and "pleaded" in English.


Unionist
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Joined: Dec 11 2005

quizzical wrote:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pleaded

they say pled is a word???

Well of course they do. Both Merriam and Webster are ded.

 


quizzical
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Joined: Dec 8 2011

so pleaded is the right word then?

 


Unionist
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Joined: Dec 11 2005

quizzical wrote:

so pleaded is the right word then?

 

Yes.


quizzical
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Joined: Dec 8 2011

Frown

it's a weird word imv.

does the double consonant at the beginning make the long e or does it fall into the lead and lead scenario?


Unionist
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Joined: Dec 11 2005

quizzical wrote:

it's a weird word imv.

It's English that's weird. Try to find a pattern here (present & past):

I lead. I led.

I read. I read.

I dread. I dreaded.

I head. I headed.

I bead. I beaded.

I tread. I trod.

Sheesh.

 


quizzical
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Joined: Dec 8 2011

lol, yup i guess it's english.

long e short e up for grabs


lagatta
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Joined: Apr 17 2002

Those are the remnants of earlier verb conjugations. Study some German or Dutch (or yes, Yiddish, but the German aspects, not the Slavic or Hebrew ones) to see.


Mr. Magoo
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Joined: Dec 13 2002

"Yes, English can be weird. It can be understood through tough thorough thought, though."

-- David Burge


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