I heard Tazewell County State’s Attorney Stu Umholtz use “pled” in a soundbite on WMBD news the other morning, and to me it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard.
I’ve talked about it before, but “pleaded” is the proper term. “Pled” has now crept into “accepted” vernacular not because it’s correct, but simply because it’s used all the time. If anyone should know the proper usage, it should be a State’s Attorney, eh?
Before the next time you say “pled”, though, think about these:
Property is “deeded,†not “dedâ€.
The Cat “kneaded,†not “knedâ€.
Plants are “seeded,†not “sedâ€
Gardens are “weeded,†not “wed”
And this argument from the “pled” crowd should be “conceded”, not “conced”.
19 responses so far ↓
1
Anon E. Mouse
// Feb 10, 2008 at 11:46 pm
seeds are sown, not “seeded”
Your example of “conceded” while correct, needs to keep in mind that the root is “cede”
While it is “bled” and not “bleeded” I wonder of the “ee” and the “ea” make a difference. I hated studying grammar.
Also, the root word involved is “plea” which does not end in a consonant – another difference maker, I bet.
IIRC, I think “flied” ended up as acceptable, not because it’s correct, but simply because it was used all the time. I *believe* that “flied” is grammatically acceptable now – when speaking about baseball.
Also, gardens are not “weeded” (at least not mine after June – its to hot to pull weeds)
2
reno
// Feb 11, 2008 at 12:06 am
Haha, owned.
3
BJ Stone
// Feb 11, 2008 at 9:06 am
v. seed·ed, seed·ing, seeds
v. tr.
1. To plant seeds in (land, for example); sow.
2. To plant in soil.
seeded
adjective
1. (of the more skilled contestants) selectively arranged in the draw for position in a tournament so that they meet each other in later rounds [ant: unseeded]
2. having the seeds extracted; “seeded raisins”
3. having seeds as specified; “many-seeded”; “black-seeded”
4. having or supplied with seeds; “a seeded breadfruit”; “seeded rolls”
5. sprinkled with seed; “a seeded lawn”
4
BJ Stone
// Feb 11, 2008 at 9:07 am
v. weed·ed, weed·ing, weeds
v. tr.
1. To clear of weeds.
2. To remove (weeds). Often used with out: weed out dandelions.
3. To eliminate as unsuitable or unwanted. Often used with out: weed out unqualified applicants.
5
BJ Stone
// Feb 11, 2008 at 9:08 am
Not owned.
6
BJ Stone
// Feb 11, 2008 at 9:14 am
From APStylebook.com:
“Is the correct word “pled guilty” or “pleaded guilty?” We are writing for radio. Are they interchangeable? – from Dayton, Ohio on Tue, Dec 19, 2006
They are interchangeable (also, “plead”), with “pleaded” a preference.”
Which, BTW, was exactly what I said above.
7
reno
// Feb 11, 2008 at 3:05 pm
actually, I was referring to the original post.
8
Anon E. Mouse
// Feb 13, 2008 at 7:13 pm
I shouldn’t be, but I am surprised.
I sez earlier: “Also, gardens are not “weeded†(at least not mine after June – its to hot to pull weeds)”
That was a joke. I was mixing the grammatical with the literal. MY garden is not weeded because I am too lazy to do so.
—————-
As far as “seed” – now that I think about it, there is a lettuce variety called the Black-seeded Simpson.
O course, I didn’t even consider the sports connotation (duh!) of being a top-seeded team (but wouldn’t that have really been “seated”). As far as planting, I am wondering if that was just misused so much ’seeded’ just became acceptable.
9
mortonmalaise
// Feb 17, 2008 at 3:37 pm
The one that bothers me is “irregardless”. I cringe whenever anyone says it.
10
reno
// Feb 18, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Agreed. Extra ir’s at the beginning of words are irirritating.
11
kurt
// Apr 16, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Pled can be found in continuous, written, use in for hundreds of years. It has been in common use in American English for at least 200 years! It is accepted as a correct, if more colloquial, past tense of plead. If you don’t like it, too bad! “That horse has leaved the barn.” Or, if you prefer, “That tree has leaved the barn.”
12
bjstone
// Apr 18, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Kurt, as I said earlier:
From APStylebook.com:
“Is the correct word “pled guilty†or “pleaded guilty?†We are writing for radio. Are they interchangeable? – from Dayton, Ohio on Tue, Dec 19, 2006
They are interchangeable (also, “pleadâ€), with “pleaded†a preference.â€
“Pleaded” is PREFERRED. If you don’t like it, too bad!
13
Nidja
// Jun 19, 2008 at 3:01 pm
I find this very interesting. I have recently noticed pleaded used often as past tense of plea. I was taught that plead was the past tense of plea and it was pronounced as pled. Thanks for sharing.
14
Pirate Ninja
// Aug 13, 2008 at 5:05 pm
I get irritated every time I hear “pleaded” because the extra “-ed” sounds redundant.
15
Tanya
// Nov 4, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I just read on Yahoo today that Jose Canseco “has pleaded” guilty to a misdemeanor drug charge. I cringed. Minutes later, I found this blog. On one hand, I guess it is good that the English language is so malleable. On the other, the past tense of “plead” is “pled.” Period. The nonsensical use of “has pleaded” only serves to demonstrate the point.
16
BJ Stone
// Nov 4, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Sorry, Tanya, you are wrong. The past tense of “plead” is “pleaded”, according to the “bible” of journalism, the AP Stylebook. Please see it referenced above.
17
Linda
// Nov 5, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Sorry, BJ. Normally I agree with everything you blog about. But this time, you are wrong and Umholz was correct. In the law, it is ‘pled guilty’ or ‘plead (pronounced pled) guilty’, not pleaded guilty, despite what the APStylebook says. Legal jargon is a different beast.
http://www.bartleby.com/68/32/4632.html
http://www.cjr.org/resources/lc/pleadguilty.php
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0104/dictionary_men123103.asp
18
bjstone
// Nov 5, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Linda, thanks for the comment and the links. But the first two links ultimately prefer “pleaded” and the third one rates them equal.
Mr. Umholtz wasn’t wrong, per se, as the term “pled”, as I’ve linked to and been reading, is acceptable. It’s just that the other one is preferred.
Since this horse is now taking a dirt nap, how about another one that bothered one of my heroes, Mr. George Carlin: “chomping” at the bit. It’s supposed to be “champing”.
I used to say “pled” and “chomping” as I was growing up. Until I read Carlin. I’m not trying to come off “superior” as a now-deleted comment suggests, I’m just trying to help people get things right, or at least to acknowledge the preferred usage of certain words.
19
postsimian
// Nov 5, 2008 at 8:54 pm
Teh chomping whors pleded 4 thi’s thred 2 dye, plz.
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