Spit Spat Sputter
- Thread starter amyashley
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Hi Amy,
According to this reference: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/spat
spat might be a better choice because of "Howard's lips twitched . . ." that came before.
I'm sure the grammar gurus might be able to give you a clearer answer.
According to this reference: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/spat
spat might be a better choice because of "Howard's lips twitched . . ." that came before.
I'm sure the grammar gurus might be able to give you a clearer answer.
Thanks!
That's what I went with. I figured that was the past tense. I think "spit" felt okay at first because it was right after "he" and my brain is only half functional today. OH and I have not had any chocolate. Must get some...
That's what I went with. I figured that was the past tense. I think "spit" felt okay at first because it was right after "he" and my brain is only half functional today. OH and I have not had any chocolate. Must get some...
Along the same lines: i recently saw where someone use "shited" as a replacement for "shat". I hadn't thought about it before, but most one syllable verbs that end in "it" use "at" as the past tense. The only other one I can think of right now is "to sit" and "sat".
'Spat' is the past tense form, I think, but my ear says that it's a word perhaps on its way out of American English. It has an old-fashioned (odd) feel to it, at least for me.
In other words, all my buddies would say, "I didn't swallow! I spit it out as soon as I tasted that it was Bubba's spit cup instead of my coke!"
Even my educated friends would rarely say 'spat.' It's a word I myself would only use among my literary buds.
In other words, all my buddies would say, "I didn't swallow! I spit it out as soon as I tasted that it was Bubba's spit cup instead of my coke!"
Even my educated friends would rarely say 'spat.' It's a word I myself would only use among my literary buds.
You probably think of it being old-fashioned, because you don't know anyone who wears spats. "Spats" are different from "spat". The reason why your educated friends don't say "spat"is because they do not discuss expectoration.
A replacement for shat? Wow.
I'm quite sure spat is correct. I was having an off moment. Happens multiple times a day.
Thank goodness for editing, my darling proofreader, AW, my agent, my betas, and all future editors.
Otherwise, my work would be spittle. Or shite. Or something.
I'm quite sure spat is correct. I was having an off moment. Happens multiple times a day.
Thank goodness for editing, my darling proofreader, AW, my agent, my betas, and all future editors.
Otherwise, my work would be spittle. Or shite. Or something.
You're probably right. The last guy I heard talking about spats was Scott Fitzgerald.
I can't remember the last time I heard 'spat', but I haven't been reading much lately.
Well, they talk about ejaculation a lot, which could be seen as a sub-species of expectoration, I guess. And they always use the proper tense form.
By the way, I've been meaning to ask, is it 'snicked' or 'snack'.
Today I Snick him... yesterday I Snack him?
Sorry. Weird stuff inhabits my head sometimes.
By the way, I've been meaning to ask, is it 'snicked' or 'snack'.
Today I Snick him... yesterday I Snack him?
Sorry. Weird stuff inhabits my head sometimes.
It follows like "sneak" and "snuck." It is rather strange, but my spell checker seems not to know that "snuck" is a properly spelled word.
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Kidding, right?
Though I use and defend "snuck," I know it's, ahem, technically incorrect. Somehow, it snuck into the language. Are we headed for:
I lick the candy. I luck the candy.
He dicks around. He duck around.
I pick her up. I puck her up.
I see nothing wrong with snuck. It has been around for a long time, and it is relatively euphonious.
snuck
/snʌk/
Show Spelled[snuhk]
Show IPAa past participle and simple past tense of sneak.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/snuck
While a few entries indicate it as being non-standard, most do not. The form that I like the best is "sniken".
I believe that the initial "sn" make the difference, rather tan how words end; al though there is no real reason for any of those forms that you mentioned not to be used, except that they are in use already.
I'm hoping that one day soon, I'll become smart enough to start a new thread on the whole business of language change. Linguistics students have prescription vs. description pounded into their heads from first course to last. You are describers! the profs insist... so we tend to have a laid back attitude toward what is correct in language. But I've noticed that 'writers' sometimes lean toward defending to the death their favored forms and usages.
Me, I think we should learn the rules and then break the hell out of them whenever our mood moves us to it. If we break them without knowing them, we're likely to sound incoherent. But if we break them knowingly, we can sound like James Freaking Joyce!
OK, bad example. But I hope you're feeling my flavor here.
I really like 'snuck' for 'sneak'. To add to the list we're headed for (one that I really like)-
'think' to 'thunk'
English has the strong verb and weak verb. A word made as a verb originally will often have the ablaut (the changing vowel.) A word that derives from a noun will not have the ablaut.
Pick is onomatopoeic, as is lick. Dick comes from the noun, dick. Bring is not onomatopoeic nor does it come from a noun, so it has the ablaut.
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I really like 'snuck' for 'sneak'. To add to the list we're headed for (one that I really like)-
'think' to 'thunk'
I wonder how many changes in language come, not from something's being easier, but just from that--"I like the way it sounds."