Answer: Contracted Verbs
saavikam77 asks, Is there any real difference between the full and contracted past tense forms of certain verbs (burned/burnt, leaped/leapt, etc.)? Are there particular situations in which it's not okay to use the contracted form?
As with many things, the answer depends on whether you're writing in American or British English.
Verbs like to burn, to dream, and to leap are all generally regular in American English -- they take the -ed ending in the past tense and as past participles. (For more on the past tense and past participles, see this post.)
Sam burned the zombie professor’s corpse before heading back to the Lonely Cowboy Motel.
Sam had burned zombies before, but he’d never seen one throw lively sparks in a Fourth-of-July manner like this one.
"Dude." Dean shook his head. "I just dreamed I was chased by a giant carnivorous bacon cheeseburger! No more pit-stops at 7-11, okay?"
The last time Dean had been hung over, he’d dreamed that the Trickster turned him into one of the creepy dolls from "It’s a Small World" at Disneyland.
Sam leaped over the fence, clearing it easily. Being a Sasquatch had its advantages.
Dean had leaped into the cave without a plan. He figured as long as he had the Colt, a plan was a needless waste of time -- especially for someone with his finely honed instincts.
Garner’s Modern American Usage notes that while leapt used to be more common in American English, both it and dreamt have steadily been replaced with the regular (-ed) forms. In fact, some current lists of irregular verbs no longer even mention burnt or leapt, and they consider dreamt to be less preferred than dreamed.
In British English, it’s a different story. Burnt is usually the past participle and, occasionally, the past tense.
Holmes held the letter over a candle. The corner caught fire and it burned/burnt quickly, turning all evidence of James Ryder’s ill-advised indiscretions into a fine, grey ash.
"The King of Bohemia’s hopes that the incriminating photo had been burnt with the rest of his correspondence to Irene Adler were dashed the moment he received her letter," said Holmes.
While to leap and to dream can be regular in British English, leapt and dreamt are more common as both the past tense and past participles.
"As a young man, Jefferson Hope dreamt of a happy future with Lucy Ferrier," wrote Watson. "Twenty years later, he dreamt only of revenge."
Watson had never dreamt it possible that anyone could get the better of Sherlock Holmes. Professor James Moriarty proved him wrong.
Holmes leapt from his chair. "The game’s afoot, Watson!" he cried, and raced for the door.
"The burglar had already leapt to the next rooftop," Holmes explained, "and none of Lestrade’s men bothered to look up or climb to the top of the building themselves."
I think it’s also worth mentioning the adjectival form of to burn. In American English, both burned and burnt are used adjectivally. That said, burnt seems to be more popular (think "burnt umber").
"Ah, I love the smell of burnt zombie in the morning," said Dean.
vs.
"Ah, I love the smell of burned zombie in the morning," said Dean.
In the above examples, either use is technically correct, but the first one looks and sounds better, even in American English.
In British English, burnt is the adjective of choice.
"Is Mrs. Hudson ill?" asked Watson. "I’ve never known her to serve burnt toast before."
Anyway, if you want to generalize about these kinds of verbs, stick with the regular (-ed) forms for American English, and feel free to use the irregular (-t) forms more often for British English. In any case, most dictionaries will tell you which form is preferred for the English you’re writing in.
Sources:
burn - Askoxford.com
burn - Dictionary.com
Garner’s Modern American Usage by Bryan A. Garner
leap - Askoxford.com
leap - Dictionary.com
Rules for Writers, 6th ed. by Diana Hacker
As with many things, the answer depends on whether you're writing in American or British English.
Verbs like to burn, to dream, and to leap are all generally regular in American English -- they take the -ed ending in the past tense and as past participles. (For more on the past tense and past participles, see this post.)
Sam burned the zombie professor’s corpse before heading back to the Lonely Cowboy Motel.
Sam had burned zombies before, but he’d never seen one throw lively sparks in a Fourth-of-July manner like this one.
"Dude." Dean shook his head. "I just dreamed I was chased by a giant carnivorous bacon cheeseburger! No more pit-stops at 7-11, okay?"
The last time Dean had been hung over, he’d dreamed that the Trickster turned him into one of the creepy dolls from "It’s a Small World" at Disneyland.
Sam leaped over the fence, clearing it easily. Being a Sasquatch had its advantages.
Dean had leaped into the cave without a plan. He figured as long as he had the Colt, a plan was a needless waste of time -- especially for someone with his finely honed instincts.
Garner’s Modern American Usage notes that while leapt used to be more common in American English, both it and dreamt have steadily been replaced with the regular (-ed) forms. In fact, some current lists of irregular verbs no longer even mention burnt or leapt, and they consider dreamt to be less preferred than dreamed.
In British English, it’s a different story. Burnt is usually the past participle and, occasionally, the past tense.
Holmes held the letter over a candle. The corner caught fire and it burned/burnt quickly, turning all evidence of James Ryder’s ill-advised indiscretions into a fine, grey ash.
"The King of Bohemia’s hopes that the incriminating photo had been burnt with the rest of his correspondence to Irene Adler were dashed the moment he received her letter," said Holmes.
While to leap and to dream can be regular in British English, leapt and dreamt are more common as both the past tense and past participles.
"As a young man, Jefferson Hope dreamt of a happy future with Lucy Ferrier," wrote Watson. "Twenty years later, he dreamt only of revenge."
Watson had never dreamt it possible that anyone could get the better of Sherlock Holmes. Professor James Moriarty proved him wrong.
Holmes leapt from his chair. "The game’s afoot, Watson!" he cried, and raced for the door.
"The burglar had already leapt to the next rooftop," Holmes explained, "and none of Lestrade’s men bothered to look up or climb to the top of the building themselves."
I think it’s also worth mentioning the adjectival form of to burn. In American English, both burned and burnt are used adjectivally. That said, burnt seems to be more popular (think "burnt umber").
"Ah, I love the smell of burnt zombie in the morning," said Dean.
vs.
"Ah, I love the smell of burned zombie in the morning," said Dean.
In the above examples, either use is technically correct, but the first one looks and sounds better, even in American English.
In British English, burnt is the adjective of choice.
"Is Mrs. Hudson ill?" asked Watson. "I’ve never known her to serve burnt toast before."
Anyway, if you want to generalize about these kinds of verbs, stick with the regular (-ed) forms for American English, and feel free to use the irregular (-t) forms more often for British English. In any case, most dictionaries will tell you which form is preferred for the English you’re writing in.
Sources:
burn - Askoxford.com
burn - Dictionary.com
Garner’s Modern American Usage by Bryan A. Garner
leap - Askoxford.com
leap - Dictionary.com
Rules for Writers, 6th ed. by Diana Hacker