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05-Jul-2009, 19:34
|  | Key Member | | Join Date: Mar 2009 Country: Canada
Posts: 2,629
Current Location: Toronto First Language: English Member Type: Academic | |  Re: "got bit by" and "got bitten by"
I think it's analogous to get/got/gotten vs get/got/got, the -ten form (called "strong" because it survived) is slowly ebbing out of the language for many verbs, and this has been going on for some time, being replaced by "weak" participles which merely mimic the preterite, unable to stand their ground in their original form.
But I agree it sounds more correct in the older form. |
06-Jul-2009, 06:54
|  | VIP Member | | Join Date: Apr 2008 Country: England
Posts: 6,132
Current Location: France First Language: English Member Type: English Teacher | | Re: "got bit by" and "got bitten by"
Quote:
Originally Posted by konungursvia  I think it's analogous to get/got/gotten vs get/got/got, the -ten form (called "strong" because it survived) is slowly ebbing out of the language for many verbs, and this has been going on for some time, being replaced by "weak" participles which merely mimic the preterite, unable to stand their ground in their original form.
| I suppose that you are referring to AmE. I haven't noticed any 'ebbing away' in BrE, in use or in dictionaries. |
06-Jul-2009, 12:06
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Mar 2009 Country: Canada
Posts: 2,629
Current Location: Toronto First Language: English Member Type: Academic | | Re: "got bit by" and "got bitten by"
Well, maybe you're not old enough. Many verbs for which the preterite and participle are the same exhibit the weak form, having had an older participle which has already passed out of usage.
I'll try and think of some examples. |
06-Jul-2009, 18:40
|  | VIP Member | | Join Date: Jun 2008 Country: Australia
Posts: 6,395
Current Location: Brisbane First Language: English Member Type: Academic | | Re: "got bit by" and "got bitten by"
Quote:
Originally Posted by konungursvia Well, maybe you're not old enough. | Doesn't bhaisahab, from his avatar, look old enough to have read every dictionary extant?
Sorry, bhai  |
07-Jul-2009, 18:45
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Mar 2009 Country: Canada
Posts: 2,629
Current Location: Toronto First Language: English Member Type: Academic | | Re: "got bit by" and "got bitten by"
He'd have to have a 25 ft beard to be old enough to remember the verbs I'm talking about. I believe the infinitive in Middle English (Chaucer's time) went like this:
to dronken (>to drink) and the participle was simply the bare infinitive, for most verbs.
Then some got shortened. |
07-Jul-2009, 19:10
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Country: Brazil
Posts: 1,429
Current Location: Brazil First Language: Portuguese Member Type: Student or Learner | | Re: "got bit by" and "got bitten by"
COCA says either 'got bit by' or 'got bitten by' is possible in AmE. BNC says that only 'got bitten by' is possible.
EDIT:
BUT... The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, and The Free Dictionary .com say that only 'bitten' is possible
Last edited by marciobarbalho; 07-Jul-2009 at 19:28.
Reason: multiple typos... and bad English... too.
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07-Jul-2009, 20:17
| | VIP Member | | Join Date: Jun 2008 Country: Australia
Posts: 6,395
Current Location: Brisbane First Language: English Member Type: Academic | | Re: "got bit by" and "got bitten by"
Quote:
Originally Posted by marciobarbalho COCA says either 'got bit by' or 'got bitten by' is possible in AmE. BNC says that only 'got bitten by' is possible.
EDIT:
BUT... The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, and The Free Dictionary .com say that only 'bitten' is possible | The Free Dictionary that I read says 'bit' is right too: bite - definition of bite by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.
I don't know about the other one, but it's very unlikely they'd go out of their way to say that only 'bitten' is possible. Do you mean that 'bit' is not listed as a past participle? |
07-Jul-2009, 20:37
| | Senior Member | | Join Date: Feb 2008 Country: Brazil
Posts: 1,429
Current Location: Brazil First Language: Portuguese Member Type: Student or Learner | | Re: "got bit by" and "got bitten by"
hmm... my bad. Sorry. 
So, sounds like both are possible in AmE and only 'bitten' in BrE.
Do you agree? |
07-Jul-2009, 21:01
|  | Junior Member | | Join Date: Jul 2009 Country: USA
Posts: 65
Current Location: USA First Language: English (American) Member Type: Other | | Re: "got bit by" and "got bitten by"
I AM NOT A TEACHER...
I recall my English teacher saying, "If the dictionary uses the word also, then that usage is NOT standard. If, however, the dictionary uses the word or, then either would be acceptable in standard usage."
bite/bit/bitten also bit (indicates that bit is not standard)
vs.
bite/bit/bitten or bit (indicates that either bit or bitten is acceptable in standard usage) | | |
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