英语语法：170 Dragged Versus Drug

Grammar Girl here.

Today's topic is “dragged” versus¹ “drug.”

I've been renovating² a condo, and last week I posted a message on Twitter that started out with the sentence “I drug myself over to the condo.” I was sharing this bit of information to get to the next part of the story, which was that I was so happy to see drywall installed I thought I would cry. But that bit of joy was lost because I'd used the wrong word in my sentence and people kindly³ let me know.

That's one danger of sending text messages when you're exhausted⁴, at least it is when you're Grammar Girl. I might not have been so careless if I wasn't dissolving into tears over drywall, but the truth is that I actually thought it was OK to use the word “drug” that way. The whole experience was instructive because I learned that I'm not the only one who's confused about “dragged” versus “drug.”

First, let me be clear – the correct form of the word is “dragged.” I should have said, “I dragged myself over to the condo.” “Drag” is a regular verb, which means you add “d,” “ed,” or in this case “ged” to make it past tense. “Drag” becomes “dragged.”

“Drug” is Dialect

But it turns out that treating “drag” as an irregular verb and using “drug” as the past tense is common in some parts of America. Linguists⁵ call it dialect, which essentially⁶ means it's a language quirk⁷ shared by a group of people. Dialect can be shared by any group of people; for example, quirks⁸ can be shared by people who live in the same region, were educated by the same system, or inhabit the same social class.

Using “drug” as the past tense of “drag” is a dialect common to people who live in the southern United States, but linguists have noted⁹ that it is used frequently in states as far west as Nebraska. Strangely, they don't say anything about it being used widely in the West, where I've lived my whole life, so I can't explain why I was confused.

Just Say No to “Drug”

The quick and dirty tip is to just say no to “drug.” Its only standard meaning has to do with illegal drugs or pharmaceuticals¹⁰. “Dragged” is the proper past tense form of the word “drag” when you're using it to talk about having pulled something across the floor. And when you're tired and stumbling into a room like a half-dead mouse, people who want to give you a hard time can say, “Look what the cat dragged in.”

Happy 2009, everyone. If you're like I am, you eat too many chocolates in December and spend a lot of time thinking about vegetables in January. This year I'm excited about The Nutrition Diva podcast. Go check it out right now at quickanddirtytips.com. She has great tips about flax, soy, superfruits, and things like that. She also has a free weekly email newsletter that will send tips for healthy eating right to your inbox. Easy as pie. Or should I say “Easy as carrots”?

 

1 versus   

prep.以…为对手，对；与…相比之下

参考例句：

• The big match tonight is England versus Spain.今晚的大赛是英格兰对西班牙。
• The most exciting game was Harvard versus Yale.最富紧张刺激的球赛是哈佛队对耶鲁队。

2 renovating   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The increased production was largely attained by renovating old orchards and vineyards. 通过更新老果园和葡萄园，使生产大大增加。
• Renovating that house will cost you a pretty penny. 为了整修那所房子，你得花很多钱。

3 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

4 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

5 linguists   

n.通晓数国语言的人( linguist的名词复数 )；语言学家

参考例句：

• The linguists went to study tribal languages in the field. 语言学家们去实地研究部落语言了。 来自辞典例句
• The linguists' main interest has been to analyze and describe languages. 语言学家的主要兴趣一直在于分析并描述语言。 来自辞典例句

6 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

7 quirk   

n.奇事，巧合；古怪的举动

参考例句：

• He had a strange quirk of addressing his wife as Mrs Smith.他很怪，把自己的妻子称作史密斯夫人。
• The most annoying quirk of his is wearing a cap all the time.他最令人感到厌恶的怪癖就是无论何时都戴著帽子。

8 quirks   

n.奇事，巧合( quirk的名词复数 )；怪癖

参考例句：

• One of his quirks is that he refuses to travel by train. 他的怪癖之一是不愿乘火车旅行。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All men have their own quirks and twists. 人人都有他们自己的怪癖和奇想。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 pharmaceuticals   

n.医药品；药物( pharmaceutical的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the development of new pharmaceuticals 新药的开发
• The companies are pouring trillions of yen into biotechnology research,especially for pharmaceuticals and new seeds. 这些公司将大量资金投入生物工艺学研究，尤其是药品和新种子方面。 来自《简明英汉词典》