Anyone notice the banishment of “pled” about 5 years or so ago? The newspapers used to say “The defendant pled not guilty.” Suddenly, everything became “pleaded.” I contend that this is an improper imposition of some kind of twisted “grammar correctness,” except it is incorrect. “Pled” is a less emotional word than “pleaded”. I plead when I am begging for something. Unless the defendant is on his knees weeping, he is not pleading, he is entering a plea. In the past tense, he pled, not pleaded.
What do you think?
Pled versus pleaded
July 24th, 2009 by Stan
2 Responses to “Pled versus pleaded”
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Here’s a poll taken among working lawyers:
http://www.abovethelaw.com/2008/01/a_random_friday_poll_pleaded_o.php
I don’t agree that “pled” is less emotional than “pleaded.” I think they carry equal “emotional” weight, if any. Only context can increase or decrease the emotional impact of either, as in your on-his-knees example.
In the context of legal defense, Merriam-Webster defines “plea” as:
(1) : a defendant’s answer to a plaintiff’s declaration in common-law practice
(2) : an accused person’s answer to a charge or indictment in criminal practice
To plead, in this sense, is simply to enter a plea. No begging is implied. Regarding the past tense of “plead,” Bryan A. Garner, in his excellent A Dictionary of Modern American Usage, has the following to say:
“Traditionally speaking, ‘pleaded’ is the best past-tense and past participle form.”
Also:
“‘Pled,’ dating from the 16th century, is nearly obsolete in British English, except as a dialectical word. Nor is it considered quite standard in American English, though it is a common variant in legal usage.”
That the word “pled” has fallen out of favor is unlikely part of some “grammar correctness” putsch. It seems far more likely that American news organizations are simply adapting to the global marketplace by adopting the more widely accepted usage.