32
Mrs. Bluezette's Grammar Guide
sink, sank, have sunk
Mrs. B has heard too many "sunks" lately that should have been
"sanks."
The past tense of "sink" is "sank."
v
The ferry SANK, and there are no survivors.
Repeat after Mrs. B: sink, SANK, have sunk.
The past participle "sunk" must be used with a helping verb.
v
So far this year four boats HAVE SUNK trying to cross the Gulf
Stream.
If you feel bad about using "sunk" when you should have used
"sank," take comfort in this.
A writer for The Christian Science Monitor made the same mistake
in an article about a Confederate built submarine:
"The secrets that sunk with the Hunley weren't devised again
until nearly 50 years later by the Germans."
As you now know, the secrets that sank with the Hunley weren't
devised again until nearly 50 years later by the Germans.
In the next sentence in the article, either the writer for one of Mrs.
B's favorite newspapers corrected himself, or the editor woke up:
"In the end, of course, the gambit failed: The Hunley sank only
one boat."
Mrs. B ends today's lesson with a friendly warning for her students:
Don't sink your grammar boat by using "sunk" when you need
SANK.
