Sank / Sunk

Certain sets of words in the English language tend to confuse people. I have found the following to be among them:

SANK / SUNK

Far too many times I have heard or read the word sunk used to mean sank. Think back to the third grade and try to remember:

SINK, SANK, SUNK

Present: Now we sink the enemy ships and watch as they sink into the sea.

Past: Yesterday we sank the enemy ships and watched as they sank into the sea.

Perfect: We have sunk many enemy ships. I wonder just how many ships have sunk in this sea.

INCORRECT: The soap slipped out of my hand and sunk to the bottom of the tub.

CORRECT: The soap slipped out of my hand and sank to the bottom of the tub.

© 2022 Ann Henry. All Rights Reserved.

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