It’s “pleaded”, not “pled”.

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 “ded”.

The Cat “kneaded,” not “kned”.

Plants are “seeded,” not “sed”

Gardens are “weeded,” not “wed”

And this argument from the “pled” crowd should be “conceded”,  not “conced”.

“Funny” blog

Making fun of bad punctuation has always been a pastime of mine, and apparently this blog’s owner as well.

One For The Wordsmiths

Today on ESPN, I heard a reporter use the term “pled guilty”, and to me it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard. It did not used to bother me, but then an editor - and he was a good one - at the newspaper I wrote for in Carson City, NV, explained to me why it should bother me.

I said “I think he pled guilty,” one day in the newsroom in response to a question, and was quickly admonished by the aforementioned editor.  He said that “pleaded” was the proper legal term, that “pled” was another of those lazy versions of words that, while incorrect, were becoming accepted simply because people used them and those advocating correct usage were being outnumbered.

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