drug vs dragged

[jehane]

Question for people: I've been reading a lot of freebies recently and noticed the use of the word "drug" in the context of "dragged". I have never seen this before, but recently I've come across it in several (self-published) works by different authors. Is this accepted usage in the US, or anywhere else? Or is it just plain wrong?

[HarryT]

It sounds wrong to me.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by jehane

Is this accepted usage in the US, or anywhere else? Or is it just plain wrong?

Drug instead of Dragged sounds wrong to me (British).

Dialecticon suggests that it's only really found in US and Canada, and is rare even there.
http://www.chaucery.com/fun/dialecti...rase2=was+drug

Looking at the plural, it may have originated in Canada:
http://www.chaucery.com/fun/dialecti...ase2=were+drug

And looking at the plain word suggests the same. (Obviously, most uses of the word "drug" are not in this form, but the ratio to dragged is useful.)
http://www.chaucery.com/fun/dialecti...d&phrase2=drug

[jamadams]

Definately not right.

[queentess]

I'm from Ohio in the US. I grew up with "drug", but both are considered acceptable here.

[wayrad]

Originally Posted by jehane

Question for people: I've been reading a lot of freebies recently and noticed the use of the word "drug" in the context of "dragged". I have never seen this before, but recently I've come across it in several (self-published) works by different authors. Is this accepted usage in the US, or anywhere else? Or is it just plain wrong?

No, it's not accepted written usage (at least on the East and West Coasts). I've seen it in in dialogue intended to demonstrate a character's lack of education and rural background. Spoken English is of course a bit more flexible, but it's still the sort of thing my teachers would not have allowed.

[mr ploppy]

I wouldn't see it as wrong if it was in dialogue but it would make me pause if it was in narration. "Brung" instead of "brought" is a similar one. "He brung me a cup of tea".

I still have a problem with "shined" instead of "shone" however it is used.

[queentess]

Originally Posted by queentess

I'm from Ohio in the US. I grew up with "drug", but both are considered acceptable here.

Originally Posted by wayrad

I've seen it in in dialogue intended to demonstrate a character's lack of education and rural background.

Thanks, you're so kind. Just so's you know, using regional dialect does not make one less edumacated. It is also perfectly acceptable in my region to end sentences in a preposition. For example, instead of "Where is my coat?", people around here will ask "Where is my coat at?" It's just the way things are.


I have had people around here correct me for saying "dived" instead of "dove".

I did, however, recently come across the word "leant"... that one threw me. I honestly thought it should have been "leaned".

[HarryT]

"Learnt" is a lot more common in British English than "learned".

Strong verb forms do tend to go out of usage as time passes. Eg, I read a lot of Victorian novels, and "clomb" (instead of "climbed") is pretty common in those. You'd never (to the best of my knowledge) see that used today.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by queentess

I did, however, recently come across the word "leant"... that one threw me. I honestly thought it should have been "leaned".

Both leant and leaned are used in the UK. Dialecticon shows it's much more common in British and Australian English than in American or Canadian English.

I suspect that leant is actually more common in the UK than leaned. UK web sites often carry text from US sources, which affects Dialecticon's results.

http://www.chaucery.com/fun/dialecti...phrase2=leaned

[Worldwalker]

Note that you're finding it in self-published works and freebies. You'll also see greengrocers' apostrophes there (that is, apostrophes used to make plural's). That doesn't make them correct, either; it makes the writers wrong.

This is why there are editors -- or, for indies, paid editing services.

[joycedb]

I agree with those who said it was improper if used in the narrative but okay if used by the character speaking.

I'd also like to say that I never heard of the term "greengrocers' apostrophes" before today. I know exactly what he means by it, but I didn't know it had a name. That also drives me up a wall when I see it in published work.

So I continue to get an education in writing.

Joyce

[TGS]

It sounds wrong to my ears, but it appears to be well attested, so to say it is incorrect is, itself, incorrect.

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

You'll also see greengrocers' apostrophes there (that is, apostrophes used to make plural's). That doesn't make them correct, either; it makes the writers wrong.

This is why there are editors -- or, for indies, paid editing services.

You see those a lot in traditional publishing too, so I don't think it's a lack of editors that are to blame.

http://www.killtheapostrophe.com/

[wayrad]

Originally Posted by queentess

Thanks, you're so kind. Just so's you know, using regional dialect does not make one less edumacated. It is also perfectly acceptable in my region to end sentences in a preposition. For example, instead of "Where is my coat?", people around here will ask "Where is my coat at?" It's just the way things are.

I was apparently typing my post when yours appeared; no personal reference was intended. I apologize for any offence caused by my ill-chosen words, which were meant in reference to stereotypical authorial cues rather than conclusions I would draw in real life. (Especially considering how many regionalisms I use in conversation myself.) Please accept my apologies.