Past and plural of "spit" in American English
Nicolas Verhaeghe
learned "spit, spat, sput".
I have been told by many people in the USA that they had never heard of such
past and plural forms for "spit" and that it was like "split": "I spit at
him when I saw him", "I have spit at him" (well, that's an example, I do not
spit at anybody).
Is this a dialectal variation?
Polar
It's just the usual ignorance in the mass media and schools.
I run into the same thing when I edit past tense of "spit" to
read "spat". Have to explain ad nauseum to the client.
Sigh! Raising minks is probably less stressful...
--
Polar
Robert de Vincy
> Have to explain ad nauseum [...]
"ad nauseam".
Okay, I know this isn't alt.usage.latin, I'll shut up.
--
BdeV
Pat Durkin
"Nicolas Verhaeghe" <nospam...@yahoo.com_nospam> wrote in message
news:QD3o8.763$HxK2.6...@news2.randori.com...
spit, spat, (have/has etc) spat.
to eject (as saliva) from the mouth : EXPECTORATE
and
(transitive verb= to impale)
spit, spitted, (have, etc.) spitted.
(as: to spit a bird for roasting over a fire
Martin Ambuhl
>
> As a child, I was told that "spit" was an irregular verb and by heart
> learned "spit, spat, sput".
You can choose between "spit" and "spat" for both the past and pasy
participle, although it is best to be consistent (spit, spit, spit or
spit, spat, spat). "sput" is not a choice apart from some obscure local
usage.
--
It is better that the grammarians should chide us
than that the people should not understand us.
- St. Augustine
Martin Ambuhl
> It's just the usual ignorance in the mass media and schools.
>
> I run into the same thing when I edit past tense of "spit" to
> read "spat". Have to explain ad nauseum to the client.
> Sigh! Raising minks is probably less stressful...
You may want to drop a note the Oxford lexicographers, who have both
"spit" and "spat" for both past and past participle, in that order, in
both their British and American dictionaries.
Mark Wallace
"Pat Durkin" <p...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ua1j1sm...@corp.supernews.com...
By George!
I think (thank, thunk) you've got it!
--
Mark Wallace
____________________________
Little girl lost?
http://humorpages.virtualave.net/m-pages/mother.htm
____________________________
Alan O'Brien
"Martin Ambuhl" <mam...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3CA0D58D...@earthlink.net...
> You can choose between "spit" and "spat" for both the past and pasy
> participle, although it is best to be consistent (spit, spit, spit or
> spit, spat, spat). "sput" is not a choice apart from some obscure local
> usage.
I remember the sequel to 'I Spit on Your Grave' as being 'I Sput on Your
Tomb'. Reviews bad. Production straight to video.
--
Alan O'Brien
"I haven't laughed so much since I crashed my autogyro."
-The Shadow
david56
>
> I run into the same thing when I edit past tense of "spit" to
> read "spat". Have to explain ad nauseum to the client.
> Sigh! Raising minks is probably less stressful...
To my ears the plural of mink is "mink".
--
David
just going through the motions
The address is valid today, but I will change it at to keep ahead of the
spammers.
Polar
<bass.a...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>Polar wrote:
>>
>> I run into the same thing when I edit past tense of "spit" to
>> read "spat". Have to explain ad nauseum to the client.
>> Sigh! Raising minks is probably less stressful...
>
>To my ears the plural of mink is "mink".
Maybe...if you're thinking strictly of the little critters as
incipient fur.
I was thinking of them as individual animals.
Anybody care to enlarge on this point?
--
Polar
Polar
wrote:
I make that same, identical mistake every damn time I trot out
the "n" word. Sigh!
--
Polar
Robert Lieblich
Mnemonic -- Write "nausea," then add the "m".
--
Bob Lieblich
No charge
Eric Walker
"Spit" is a verb with an irregular weak past. Both the simple
past and the past participle can be either "spit" or "spat"--
though those hunt in pairs (that is, it's spit/spit/spit or
it's spit/spat/spat, no mixing of past forms).
One manual refers to spit/spit/spit as the usual American form
and spit/spat/spat as the British form, but adds that the
British form is often used in literary writing in the U.S.
I have never heard of or seen a form "sput."
--
Cordially,
Eric Walker
Owlcroft House
Eric Walker
[...]
>>To my ears the plural of mink is "mink".
>
>Maybe...if you're thinking strictly of the little critters as
>incipient fur.
>
>I was thinking of them as individual animals.
>
>Anybody care to enlarge on this point?
The word is one of those that, like "fish," can be plural with
or without the <-s> ending. Such instances are usually
differentiated is use, the <-s> form denoting use as a noun of
quantity (countable--there were many fishes in the aquarium)
and the uninflected form as a mass noun ("all the fish in the
sea").
There are many minks being raised on this fur farm.
He liked hunting mink.
meirman
<alane...@blueyonder.co.uk> posted:
>
>"Martin Ambuhl" <mam...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>news:3CA0D58D...@earthlink.net...
>
>> You can choose between "spit" and "spat" for both the past and pasy
>> participle, although it is best to be consistent (spit, spit, spit or
>> spit, spat, spat). "sput" is not a choice apart from some obscure local
>> usage.
>
>
>I remember the sequel to 'I Spit on Your Grave' as being 'I Sput on Your
>Tomb'.
But if it's the past participle, it would have to be: I have sput.
I've never heard sput.
Only spit, spit, spit, and stit, spat, spat. Like sit.
s/ meirman If you are emailing me please
say if you are posting the same response.
Born west of Pittsburgh Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis, 7 years
Chicago, 6 years
Brooklyn NY 12 years
Baltimore 17 years
Bill Hawk
> > >> Have to explain ad nauseum [...]
> > >
> > >"ad nauseam".
> > >
> > >Okay, I know this isn't alt.usage.latin, I'll shut up.
> >
> > I make that same, identical mistake every damn time I trot out
> > the "n" word. Sigh!
And shouldn't that be "damned" (he said, ducking) ?
Polar
When I have finished dealing with the perps who post the
"handcap" parking signs, I will surely turn my attention to your
concerns.
--
Polar
RorysMusicCafe2
> Polar wrote:
> > Robert de Vincy <r...@talk21.com> wrote:
> > >Polar did write:
> > >> Have to explain ad nauseum [...]
> > >
> > >"ad nauseam".
> > >
> > >Okay, I know this isn't alt.usage.latin, I'll shut up.
> >
> > I make that same, identical mistake every damn time I trot out
> > the "n" word. Sigh!
"Bill Hawk" wha...@hotmail.nospam.com wrote:
>> And shouldn't that be "damned" (he said, ducking) >>
I asked my mother, and she claims it's "darn" or more formally "darned". I
think there was a Disney movie in the 1960's called "That Darn Cat".