Certain sets of words in the English language tend to confuse people. I have found the following to be among them:
SHRANK / SHRUNK
I am still finding the verb shrunk used to mean shrank,even in a remarkably well written literary novel. Remember your elementary school English lessons:
SHRINK, SHRANK, SHRUNK
Present: I often shrink t-shirts in the wash. T-shirts shrink today just as easily as they did years ago.
Past: I shrank a t-shirt in the wash yesterday. T-shirts shrank in the wash years ago, too.
Perfect: I have shrunk many t-shirts in the wash over the past few years. This t-shirt has shrunk so much it no longer fits me.
NOTE: My Merriam-Webster dictionary now lists “shrunk” as an alternative to “shrank” as the past-tense form of the verb “to shrink.” However, especially for more formal writing or speaking, “shrank” is still the preferred form.
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