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Angliholic Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

the whole world awakes/awakens from a long winter's sleep

With the coming of spring, the whole world awakes/awakens from a long winter's sleep.

Hi,

I think both "awakes" and "awakens" both fit in the above and mean about the same, but I need your confirmation. Thanks.
  

Top answer

the whole world wakes up /awakes / awakens / wakes / wakens from.... From the Am Heritage Dictionary: The pairs wake, waken and awake, awaken have formed a bewildering array since the Middle English period. All four words have similar meanings, though there are some differences in use.

— Mister Micawber

  • the whole world wakes up /awakes / awakens / wakes / wakens from....
  • From the Am Heritage Dictionary: The pairs wake, waken and awake, awaken have formed a bewildering array since the Middle English period.
  • All four words have similar meanings, though there are some differences in use.
  • Only wake is used in the sense “to be awake,” as in expressions like waking (not wakening ) and sleeping, every waking hour.
  • Wake is also more common than waken when used together with up, and awake and awaken never occur in this context: She woke up (rarely wakened up; never awakened up or awoke up ).
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1 Answers
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Yes, those verbs are all confused in speaker's minds:

...the whole world wakes up /awakes / awakens / wakes / wakens from....

From the Am Heritage Dictionary:

The pairs wake, waken and awake, awaken have formed a bewildering array since the Middle English period. All four words have similar meanings, though there are some differences in
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