To hate when people use "text" instead of "texted"?

[WhitePhantom]

It just really bugs me.

"I text my friend yesterday" - no, you TEXTED your friend yesterday!

That's all. Rant over.

PMSL @ TripTrapTripTrap

"YANBU. The basic principle is that any new verb should be regular. People presumably have no problem with "tested" or "nested" or "dented", so what on earth is awkward sounding or a mouthful about "texted"? It makes no difference that the penultimate letter is an x, since(a) the original word is not "tex" and (b) if it were the past tense would still be regular as in, for instance "faxed" or "boxed"."

The issue is that to some uneducated ears, "text" sounds like a form of the past tense, like your examples of faxt (faxed) or boxt (boxed). It's essentially what Olive is saying.

To anyone who understands that the word is text (not tex) and also understands the basic grammar involved, then texted is surely the logical option.

to Spunk for an early morning use of the word cromulent.

I'm wondering whether it's an age or (dare I say) class thing.

I'm a middle-aged, middle class harridan grammar nazi, so I'm Team Texted.

I suspect it's the yoof what say text.

I would have thought the middle aged, middle class grammar nazi would favour "to send a text".

I use text.

Don't like the look of texted.

Good to see the reappearance of yet another hardy Mumsnet perennial! (scone to rhyme with gone or bone, anyone? )

Threads like this confirm the Mumsnet penchant for discussions of a relentlessly circular variety!

I have no problem with a noun being used as a verb. There are countless examples which I suspect most people accept without question, e.g. "hoover", "phone", "type". One of my favourites is P G Wodehouse's "ankling".

But, as a new verb, the past tense simply has to be "texted", partly because that is what you do with new verbs, and partly for clarity. If someone writes "I text him" that reads to me as the present tense, i.e. they are doing it now. I then realise that doesn't go with anything else they are writing and have to re-read to make sense of it. If people have to read what you've written twice, you've totally failed to express yourself clearly.

venusandmars There ain't no noun that can't be verbed!

I think it should be a thoroughly irregular verb. Present tense, I text; past tense; I taxt; perfect tense, I have toxten.

Exactly what ElementaryMyDear said.

Also, things like whether scone rhymes with gone or stone are just people's opinions/accents/upbringings etc.

But 'I text him this morning' (for example) is just wrong. Just like it would be wrong to say 'Before I went out, I phone him' or 'I hoover the lounge yesterday'.

Oxford Dictionary backs up 'texted'.

It says:

'verb
[with object]

Send (someone) a text message: if she was going to go she would have texted us (as noun texting) his father banned him from texting and confiscated the phone

More example sentences

My ex-boyfriend wouldn't even answer his phone and he never texted me back.
Teenager Hina Khan likes loud music, chatting in class, watching TV and texting her school pals.
He started texting her and they talked on the telephone for about a month.'

:)

Right or wrong, I say Text not texted. Texted sounds daft.

blondegirl73 - the parallel I was making with this thread and the pronunciation of "scone" was that both topics are regulars on MN and neither ever reaches any resolution!

How can "texted" possibly sound daft? Do you think that "tested" or "posted" sound daft? What'so the difference?

I can't believe all the people saying 'texted' sounds silly. Why?

I think 'text' (in this context) sounds illiterate, as if the speaker/writer thinks that 'text' is what you have done when you have sent a 'tex' (like burnt is what you have done when you have made something burn).

spunk.

Your contribution embiggens the thread.

I can see there's no right or wrong here and there's a case to be made for either, but, to me, 'I text him yesterday' sounds as wrong and ugly as 'I test him yesterday' (on his spellings or whathaveyou.)

I can see though that to those who disagree, probably me saying 'texted' sounds as wrong to you as 'hitted'.

"I would have thought the middle aged, middle class grammar nazi would favour "to send a text"."

Actually I've probably oversold the pedantic bit. To use the lovely Psammead's expression I'm more ped-curious than anything, so have no problem with the verbing of nouns. (If it's good enough for Shakespeare and all that... )

I haven't read the whole thread because the post right at the top quoted exactly what I was thinking...

"I would have thought the middle aged, middle class grammar nazi would favour "to send a text".

Although I wouldn't have used the word nazi.

I'm really interested to prove or disprove my theory about age. Those who use "text" - roughly how old are you?

Also maybe there is a correlation with education levels.

N.b. this is totally non judgemental. I'm just intrigued as to why this provokes such debate on a regular basis.

For example: I'd say texted or sent a text. I'm pushing 50, and have a masters degree in a language-based field.

I say text I am 38, university educated, working class.

I was told there was no past tense for text. It stays the same. As text instead of texted. I prefer texted anyway. I can use it confidently knowing that it's not bad grammar.