What happened to English grammar?

Ooh Bags! Envious!

The important fact being that we do not know, on an open forum, if the subject matter, even if it was not the point of the post, could be hugely upsetting for some posters. How do we know that no-one here, or their close relatives or friends, was/were involved as army personnel in the Falklands war, and met their demise or severe injury there??? Totally irrespective of what we thought about said war. And yes, totally irrespective of the poster, insensitive.

Well, as said, we were always taught that the past simple is 'sank' and that the perfect tense is used with the auxiliary 'to have' + past participle 'sunk'.
But I agree that foreign languages teachers are often more nit picking than native ones

"and don't throw stones at the pot."

Totally now!

" it was not thought to be at all suitable to the subject. "

I can imagine.

I never said it was deleted (the thread) Elegran.

Do you not know what the words "I remember it was horrific" mean Greatnan?

Bags, sunken is an adjective, describing a ship - only verbs are considered to be transitive (taking an object) or intransitive (not taking an object). Shall I go back into pedants' corner!
Is it worth my while repeating that I did not say anything disrespectful about this man, nor about my views on the rightness or otherwise of the War.?
Nor was I making a joke - I consider bad grammar in newspapers to be a serious matter.

And I am called insensitive!

Well, as I can't remember it it is hard to comment. It sounds like I got distracted. I must admit the people concerned in that case were not personally k nown to me and so, though I remember it was horrific, it would not have had me completely on the floor personally. Well, you'd go mad would n't you'

bags why would you sink a shop?

The Annecy thread was not deleted, J08, but your post was, at your request. You posted a little further on, when people had protested :-

"Yes. It was inappropriate. I should not have got sidetracked like that.

I will ask Gransnet to delete those posts." That is still there. you also commented later that you had been joking.

I can't remember now what you originally said, but I remember that it was not thought to be at all suitable to the subject.

#nowtransparentaswellasthick

#talented

I especially respect RAF Rescue helicopter pilots because I've been lifted off a mountain by one of them. Awesome.

I respect the work of the British navy in protecting British interests as ordered from the government.

Will that do?

Fowler says sunken is idiomatic. I like idiom

Also that sunken is intransitive (the sunken ship) and sunk is transitive (the shop has been sunk).

Love it!

Yes. But I can see straight you.

I was against the Falklands war. But you can't not respect this man.

And we aren't repsonsible for the spin you put on ours either, jings. Works both ways. AGAIN.

Just checked and Fowler says sank and sunk are both Past Tense of sink, not past participles. Sorry. So, I think that means either Woodward sunk the Belgrano or Woodward sank the Belgrano are both correct.

What about the thread about the murders near Annecy? There is no way I would have been anything less than sympathetic to the victims in that case. I am not responsible for the spin you might have put on any of my remarks.

Whatever you want to use Bags. But perhaps its use for a ship which has been sunk would be more "the sunk ship" - but then again you would say "the sunken ship". Getting a bit too theoretical here.

We were taught that 'go/went/gone', or 'see/saw/seen' or indeed 'sink/sank/sunk'

where 'present/past simple/past participle of perfect tense', and cannot be interchanged or else!

Well Fowler's Modern English Usage (ancient edition from 1965 admittedly!) says 'sunk' and 'sank' are both pp but with sank now prevailing especially in intransitive senses. To quote: " sunk is used of what has been sunk especially by human agency".

I'm happy with either. Also happy to be told my edition of Fowler is way out of date! Though I may well use sunk anyhow. #naturallywickedaswellasthick

Oh , didn't read far enough , excuse me !!!