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Anonymous Posted 17 years ago
Grammar

"Turnt" over "turned"

Can you say "turnt" instead of "turned" for the past of "turn"? (like burn/burnt)
I can't find that written in any grammar and it doesn't show up in any irregular verbs list I've checked.

So does it really exist? And if it does, is it different in that it is a more/less formal/unformal/archaic form?

Thanks.
  

Top answer

No, it is not in use. Only a few verbs still have dual regular/irregular alternatives: learned/learnt, spelled/spelt, burned/burnt, lighted/lit, proved/proven, shaved/shaven, and a few more that slip my mind at the moment. The trend is for the irregular form to disappear.

— Mister Micawber

  • No, it is not in use.
  • Only a few verbs still have dual regular/irregular alternatives: learned/learnt, spelled/spelt, burned/burnt, lighted/lit, proved/proven, shaved/shaven, and a few more that slip my mind at the moment.
  • The trend is for the irregular form to disappear.
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3 Answers
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No, it is not in use. Only a few verbs still have dual regular/irregular alternatives: learned/learnt, spelled/spelt, burned/burnt, lighted/lit, proved/proven, shaved/shaven, and a few more that slip my mind at the moment. The trend is for the irregular form to disappear.
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Thanks.

But, say, could you ever find "turnt" on old texts like poems? Or in modern poetry with an archaic nuance to it...?

Just curious.
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I doubt it, although spelling was rather free and easy 700 years ago. There is no reason to think that 'turn' conjugates like 'burn', however.
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