Okay, past ense of "plead" as in "the suspect pleaded guilty at a recent court appearance." Shouldn't it be "pled?" Pleaded just doesn't sound correct, but that's the way it's always spelled it seems. Sorry but I say pled. What say you WF? We don't say "I bleaded a lot when I got cut" do we?
But it just sounds so wrong! Then we should have to say "bleeded" as the past tense to bleed. Damn English language with your inconsistencies! Thanks for nothing!
Bleed isn't the same. Plead itself means "to plea" and therefore is derived from the latter. There is no such word as "blee", is there?
@oldfella1962: Think about the word in other settings. He pleaded with her to give him a blowjob. Would pled sound right?
Legal usage "entered a plea" = pleaded. In American English pled is colloquial but common enough to be acceptable.
Both pleaded and pled are in common usage, including common legal usage, and neither form has any undesirable ambiguities to it, so they should both be regarded as correct.
Now in that setting pleaded sounds right to me. But I'm still sticking with "pled guilty." There a word that explains the difference between these two - definitive past, perfect past, or conditional, or describing an ongoing action that is likely to occur again or somesuch grammar term. I know what I'm trying to say but I can't remember the term applying to this situation.
Thank you! Now I won't be thought of as wrong by saying that I pled guilty as to the charge of having pleaded for a Mila Kunis blowjob. YES! That's the grammer term I was aiming at. The word having thows it into "recent past, remote past, imperfect past, etc." territory.
Sorry @Liet, but as much as pled has become common usage it isn't the correct English anymore than spelt is over spelled.
Here's a helpful hint! If you are taking any kind of law classes, better find out if your prof thinks both are correct.
No I'm not, but it would be funny if on day #1 I go over my list of grammar stipulations with the professor.
And I'll bet if you could translate his filmed speeches he dropped the "P" word a few times. Well enjoy that pineapple enema Adolph!
You've never noticed that? Gotta lean own and get your ear real close to hear it. If you're ever awake in the middle of the night, and it's real quiet, and you suddenly hear a tiny "blee," it means you have mice. And are gonna have more.