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To use 'Gotten' or not...

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  • 07-07-2019 1:23am
    #1
    Curious Scot
    Closed Accounts Posts: 61 ✭✭


    What are your views on the use of the word 'Gotten'?

    **See Poll above - it should be 'Gotten' instead of 'Cotten'(fixed)! **

    'Got' or 'Gotten'? 11 votes

    Got
    90% 10 votes
    Gotten
    9% 1 vote


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,046 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    While on the face of it, gotten is the American alternative to got, it's not quite as clear-cut as that. I do not use 'gotten' but it does make sense and in the appropriate sentence is a better 'fit', the main objection is that it sounds 'American'. Someone else can explain past participles and stuff.


  • Options
    #3
    Harry Palmr
    Closed Accounts Posts: 40,061 ✭✭✭✭Harry Palmr


    It's an abomination.


  • Options
    #4
    is_that_so
    Registered Users Posts: 32,136 ✭✭✭✭is_that_so


    Yeah it's that past participle favoured by Americans but it does come from Middle English and American English contains quite a few remnants of old forms and grammar. They also see a difference between the two, with gotten being this part participle and got is to do with possession.

    EDIT: Here's a longish piece on the history of it!

    https://stroppyeditor.wordpress.com/2017/03/27/the-us-has-gotten-this-word-back-and-the-uk-probably-will-too/


  • Options
    #5
    looksee
    Registered Users Posts: 28,046 ✭✭✭✭looksee


    Alfred Ayres in The Verbalist (1881) agreed: “If we say eaten, written, striven, forgotten, why not say gotten, where this form of the participle is more euphonious – as it often is – than got?”

    Quote from the link above, yes, agreed, and what I was vaguely thinking. I like that word euphonious, I should remember to use it.


  • Options
    #6
    Curious Scot
    Closed Accounts Posts: 61 ✭✭Curious Scot


    **See Poll above - it should be 'Gotten' instead of 'Cotten'(fixed)! **

    Thanks, Looksee!:)


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