The noun that derives from the verb “acknowledge” is spelled differently in British English and American English. The spelling is almost identical; the only difference is what happens to the final “e” in “acknowledge.” The pronunciation and meaning remain the same.
British English keeps the “e” and uses acknowledgement, while American English drops the final “e” and uses acknowledgment.
Acknowledgement/acknowledgment in a sentence examplesBella didn’t do it for the thanks, but nonetheless, it was nice to receive an acknowledgement/acknowledgmentof her efforts.
Jenny’s first rule of management was to make sure her colleagues received due acknowledgement/acknowledgmentfor their hard work.
Along with the email came an acknowledgement/acknowledgmentof receipt of my payment.
Cheque and check are two words that sound the same and have the same meaning (i.e., a slip of paper issued by a bank that can be used as a means of payment) but are spelled differently in American and British English.
Check has quite a number of meanings, both as a verb and a noun, and it is only in this one specific meaning where the spelling is different.
Cheque vs check in a sentence examples
American English
British English
I gave the builder a checkfor the full amount.
I gave the builder a chequefor the full amount.
Stan had to go for a health checkfor his new job.
Stan had to go for a health checkfor his new job.
Sian always carries out a final checkbefore leaving work.
Sian always carries out a final checkbefore leaving work.
The past tense of the verblay, meaning “place something in a horizontal position,” is laid. Laid is both the simple past tense form of the verb and the past participle.
The simple past tense is used to describe actions that have taken place in the past. The past participle is used for forming the perfect tenses and the passive voice.
Lay is a transitive verb, so it always takes a direct object. It can also be used figuratively (e.g., “The principal laid down the law at the start of the new year”) or more abstractly (e.g., “After a full day in the studio, we had laid down only two tracks”).
Laid in a sentence examples
Laid as simple past tense
Laid as past participle
I laid the clothes out on the bed, ready for the morning.
Exhausted, Marie finally laid the baby down to sleep.
The camp leader laid out the rules for us.
The free-range hens had laid many more eggs than the caged birds.
The past tense of the verbteach, meaning “help someone learn, impart knowledge,” is taught. Teach is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t add “-ed” to form the past tenses.
Because it is an irregular verb, read doesn’t follow the regular pattern of adding “-ed” to form the past tenses.
Read in a sentence examples
Read as simple past tense
Read as past participle
Celina read the timetable carefully to make sure she didn’t miss her bus.
It’s exciting to know how many people have read your books.
You could hear a pin drop as Tom read the poem to the class.
You could see by the pages that this book had been read by dozens of people.
My children loved it when we read to them at bedtime.
Gilly had read the contracts and annotated them for the rest of the team.
NoteAlthough the spelling doesn’t change, the pronunciation of read does change for the past tense and past participle. The infinitive is pronounced [reed], but the past tense and past participle are pronounced [red].
This follows a similar pattern to the irregular verb lead, meaning “go in front,” as the past tense of lead is led.
The two verbsbought and brought are spelled and pronounced almost identically, and they are both the past tenses of irregular verbs. However, they are completely different words and cannot be used interchangeably.
Bought is the simple past tense form and past participle of buy, meaning “purchase.”
Brought is the simple past tense form and past participle of bring, meaning “carry or cause something to come with you.”
Sometimes the difference is not completely clear (e.g., in the sentence “Ali brought a new hat for everyone when she arrived,” we infer that Ali also bought the new hats). But that doesn’t mean that the words are synonyms.
Bought vs brought
Bought in a sentence examples
Brought in a sentence examples
Yesterday I bought a new car.
The clear skies brought out all the sun worshippers!
Simone had bought the laptop 5 years ago, and it seemed very old now.
Bite is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t add “-ed” to form the past tenses. In American English, you can also use bit as the past participle.
Past tense of bite in a sentence examples
Simple past of bite
Past participle of bite
The girth was too tight and bit into the horse’s flank.
The cake was so delicious that Mo had bitten off too much for one mouthful.
As night fell, the bugs bit us like crazy.
If I hadn’t shut the door, the dog would have bitten me.
The moment you bit into the steak you could taste its perfection.
Jean had been bitten by the marathon bug and was about to take part in her fifth race.
NoteBit is also a noun, meaning “part of something,” or “metal bar in a horse’s mouth used to control its head.” Bite is a noun too, meaning the “part of something that has been bitten,” the “act of biting,” or the “smallest unit of data in computing.”
The past tense of sweat in most cases is sweated, although some dictionaries also allow sweat.
Sweat is a verb and noun, both of which refer to the bodily function of perspiration. As a verb sweat sometimes also describes any process that releases water from an object (e.g., “First, sweat the onions and garlic in a pan”). It can have a negative connotation when used figuratively (e.g., “The river sweats oil and tar” from T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land).
Because sweat is associated with strenuous exercise, it has come to be a synonym for hard, sustained effort even when there is no actual perspiration (e.g., “You’ll have to sweat it out to pass your exams”).
Past tense of sweat in a sentence examplesThe riders sweated their way through the hottest day of the year.
Everyone was nervous and sweated as they waited for their results.
I admired Gill for the way she really sweated her exams.
The simple past tense is used to describe actions that have taken place in the past (e.g., “Phil chose the most expensive dish on the menu”). The past participle is used for the perfect tenses and the passive voice (e.g., “They had been chosen for the team, and that was all that mattered”).
Past tense of choose in a sentence examplesI was so glad we chose to stay in that day and avoid the terrible storm.
Stella had chosen, and she wasn’t one for changing her mind too easily.
As the saying goes, “Many are called, few are chosen.”
The simple past tense form and past participle of the verbmeet is met.
Meet has several meanings, including “come together with someone” (e.g., “We met at the café”) and “achieve something” (e.g., “The targets were met by the sales team”).
Past tense of meet in a sentence examplesYesterday, the board met to discuss appointing a new CEO.
By the time you read this, I will have met my future in-laws!
Gabi was delighted because she had met her annual targets yet again.
