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A-Z grammar terms A-Z confused pairs "parts of speech" lists

Punctuation Lessons

using apostrophes using colons using commas using dashes using hyphens using brackets using semicolons using quotation marks

English Idioms

50 common idioms 50 funny idioms 50 clever idioms 50 sarcastic idioms

Vocabulary Lessons

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Bought or Brought?

Bought

Bought is the simple past tense and past participle of the verb to buy.

Examples:

• I bought a seven-dollar pen because I always lose pens and I got sick of not caring. (Mitch Hedberg)
(Here, bought is in the simple past tense.)

• Men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage - they have experienced pain and have bought jewelry. (Rita Rudner)
(Here, bought is a past participle.)

Brought

Brought is the simple past tense and past participle of the verb to bring.

Examples:

• I brought the film like a flower to the world. (Claude Chabrol)
(Here, brought is in the simple past tense.)
• Great things are done by a series of small things that have been brought together. (Vincent Van Gogh)
(Here, brought is a past participle.)

A Quick Test

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