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Posted By: tsuwm ron's usage notes: wreak - 04/04/07 03:20 PM
Wreak is sometimes confused with wreck, perhaps because the wreaking of damage may leave a wreck: The storm wreaked (not wrecked) havoc along the coast. The past tense and past participle of wreak is wreaked, not wrought, which is an alternative past tense and past participle of work. [AHD4]

-ron obvious
Posted By: dalehileman Re: ron's usage notes - 04/04/07 03:48 PM
The misuse is becoming very common indeed, enough to set the prescriptivist into conniptions
Posted By: AnnaStrophic Re: ron's usage notes - 04/04/07 04:35 PM
ron waxes wroth.
Posted By: tsuwm Re: ron's usage notes - 04/04/07 07:07 PM
(and I meant to add) wreak is pronounced reek!
-ron o.
Posted By: TEd Remington Re: ron's usage notes - 04/04/07 08:20 PM
Originally Posted By: AnnaStrophic
ron waxes wroth.


Tell Roth to wax Ron for a while.

With no apology to Groucho his own self.
Posted By: olly Re: ron's usage notes - 04/04/07 08:45 PM
Wax Ron, Wax Wroth. Wax Ron, Wax Wroth.
Posted By: Zed Re: ron's usage notes - 04/05/07 12:50 AM
LOL Olly
Posted By: Jackie Re: ron's usage notes - 04/05/07 01:39 AM
But, but...what if Ron would prefer to be waned?
Posted By: Faldage Re: ron's usage notes - 04/05/07 02:39 AM
Wreak is from the OE wrecan, which was a class 5 strong verb. This means that the 1st preterite (the standard past) was wręc. This suggests that the "proper" past tense in MnE should be 'wrack' if language weren't such a slippery thing.
Posted By: Zed Re: ron's usage notes - 04/05/07 07:22 PM
Aha! When you wreak havoc you bring things to wrack and ruin. I had wonderred what kink of rack.
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