I seem to have located another couple of words that divide USAians and the UKians. I speak of the evil “wet” and “got.” Not as in “got wet,” which is something else.
“Wet” in past tense is either “wetted” or “wet”. Really. Both are acceptable. I like past tense words to differ from the infinitive, which to my feeble mind should always be a present tense. Hence:
- To love — I love, I loved, I will love, I have loved, &c.
- To wet — I wet, I wetted, I will wet, &c.
That “I wet” for both present and past tenses — it ain’t right, man. I like the trochee, too. Wet’ed. It appears the preference in scientific usage is “wetted,” as in, “I wetted the slide.” (I see that WordPress’s spell check has a problem with “wetted.”)
In the end, I take issue with irregular verbs. I never liked them in Latin or German, either, so at least I’m consistent.
Now then. “Got.” Past tense of “to get,” which itself is full of fun. Did you obtain? Or did you impregnate? I got you! HAH! Now, I see that the trend is that UKians think “gotten” is the misbegotten phrase of us lost colonials, but historically “gotten” was the preferred form when we got free of the Crown. My personal preference for more syllables rather than fewer, but at least it’s easy to recall. All I have to do is remember Sexy Rexy declaring, “She’s got it!” from My Fair Lady (which I realize is still present tense, but hey — mnemonic). Wait. I do say “I got the milk,” but “I’ve gotten the milk.” Hm.
Language. Go figure. (Bonus on poetic feet after the jump.)
Poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge that I memorized when I was 11 or 12 to keep these feet straight. Who knows why. I still quote it when stressed, sort of my own version of Ave Maria.
Trochee trips from long to short.
From long to long in solemn sort
Slow Spondee stalks; strong foot! yet ill able
Ever to come up with Dactyl trisyllable.
Iambics march from short to long;
With a leap and a bound the swift Anapests throng.
I’ll probably end up with “wet” over “wetted,” even though I think it sounds and looks wrong. Unless I can find a good argument or a rewrite, I just accept what my beta reader tells me. Mostly.