Cambridge lists shrink, shrank, shrunk: shrank is the simple past and shrunk the past participle. The guide keeps tense, participle, regional, and sense boundaries explicit rather than reducing the pair to a blanket substitution rule.
ReviewedEvidence1 sourceSectionEnglish Usage
Quick answer
Use “shrank” for the simple past and “shrunk” after an auxiliary such as has/have/had or in passive/adjectival uses.
Key details
Confusion Familyverb-form-variation
Rule Familyinflection-and-usage
TermsShrank, Shrunk
Variant ScopeCambridge lists shrink, shrank, shrunk: shrank is the simple past and shrunk the past participle.
Further guidance
Core difference
Use “shrank” for the simple past and “shrunk” after an auxiliary such as has/have/had or in passive/adjectival uses.
Usage Boundary
Choose the form that matches tense, participle role, meaning, region, or lexicalized use; do not treat the pair as freely interchangeable in every sentence.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
Cambridge lists fitted as the general past form and fit as an additional US past form; fitted also remains standard in installation senses. The guide keeps tense, participle, regional, and sense boundaries explicit rather than reducing the pair to a blanket substitution rule.
Cambridge lists got as the past tense; the past participle is got, with gotten usual in many US uses. The guide keeps tense, participle, regional, and sense boundaries explicit rather than reducing the pair to a blanket substitution rule.
Hung is the usual past form of hang in most senses; hanged is used especially for execution by hanging. The guide keeps tense, participle, regional, and sense boundaries explicit rather than reducing the pair to a blanket substitution rule.
Cambridge lists pleaded, with pled also used in US English, for both past tense and past participle. The guide keeps tense, participle, regional, and sense boundaries explicit rather than reducing the pair to a blanket substitution rule.
Prove has past tense proved; past participles proved and proven are both documented, with proven also established as an adjective. The guide keeps tense, participle, regional, and sense boundaries explicit rather than reducing the pair to a blanket substitution rule.
Cambridge documents shone and shined, with shone common for emitting/reflected light and shined especially natural for making something bright by polishing or directing a light. The guide keeps tense, participle, regional, and sense boundaries explicit rather than reducing the pair to a blanket substitution rule.
