Grammar!

katiemac · Jun 21, 2005

Aren't you guys excited? Another grammar question!

For the past few months, I have seen this word everywhere: burnt. Magazine articles, newspapers, novels, poetry - everywhere. So here's my problem. I have always used burned. It seems like when I've seen them lately, they could be interchangeable.

Is it: "I burnt the toast" and "The toast is burned"?
Could it be "I burned the house down," and "The house is burnt"?

Personally, I don't like the sound of "burnt," so it seems awkward whenever I read it. What's up with these words?

scribbler1382 · Jun 21, 2005

Technically, it depends on whether it's a past participle or simple past tense. But really, this is one of those instances when you need to use your ear and not your Chicago.

James D. Macdonald · Jun 21, 2005

They're equivalent. Use the one that sounds right to you.

katiemac · Jun 21, 2005

Beautiful. That's what I thought, thanks!

Vomaxx · Jun 21, 2005

For some reason, I think of burnt as chiefly British and burned as chiefly U.S. usage. Like "whilst" and "while".

Patricia · Jun 21, 2005

To me, burned has always been associated as past tense for articles or flesh being destroyed. (scorched, blistered, smolder. ) Burnt has always been associated with cooking, as in overcooked, etc.

Interesting, when you think of it. No wonder we have such problems with grammar. Too many interchangeable or exchangeable words amid all the other mechanics.

reph · Jun 21, 2005

British English uses the -t past-tense ending for more verbs than American English does: burnt, leant, dreamt, learnt. Brits and Yanks agree on meant, slept, and swept.

To this pair of U.S. ears, the choice between "burnt" and "burned" depends on the context. These sentences sound right to me:

John burned the old newspapers in the fireplace.

The old newspapers burned quickly.

The house burned down.

The stove burned wood.

John burned the toast this morning.

This toast is burned OR burnt.

John threw out the burnt toast.

John burned his name into the plaque with a wood-burning tool.

PattiTheWicked · Jun 21, 2005

BURNT vs BURNED

I always looked at it as "burnt" being an adjective, "burned" being a verb.

I burned the toast. Now my toast is burnt.
The house burned down. All my crap is burnt.

Unless of course you're working for the fire department that formerly employed me in South Carolina, in which case you say things like "That house burnt slap up."

Euan H. · Jun 21, 2005

Dictionary.com says:

burn[size=-1]1[/size]
v. burned, or burnt (bûrnt) burn·ing, burns
v. tr.

(American Heritage Dictionary)

it also has a seperate entry for 'burnt', which is:

burnt
v.
A past tense and a past participle of burn[size=-1]1[/size].So...seems to me that it doesn't really matter which one you use. I'd be consistent though, unless it's appearing in dialog, in which case use whichever spelling your character would use.

Just my 2c.

A.REX · Jun 22, 2005

PattiTheWicked said:
Unless of course you're working for the fire department that formerly employed me in South Carolina, in which case you say things like "That house burnt slap up."

I love this place

Grammar!

katiemac

Five by Five

scribbler1382

Write For You, Edit For The Reader

James D. Macdonald

Your Genial Uncle

katiemac

Five by Five

Vomaxx

Patricia

California Dreaming

reph

Fig of authority

PattiTheWicked

Unleashing Hell.

Euan H.

Unspeakable

A.REX