A note for English learners (4): led, lead
By John Welford
@indexer (4852)
Leicester, England
November 5, 2018 5:49am CST
A lot of people seem to be getting this wrong these days, usually by writing “lead” when it should be “led” – as in “the path lead me in the wrong direction”.
The confusion comes because “lead” can be pronounced either as “ledd” or “leed”, depending on its meaning. The “ledd” sound is only used when “lead” refers to the grey metal of that name. The “leed” sound is the present tense of “led”.
So correct usages would be:
The lead on the church roof has been stolen.
Does this road lead to Leicester?
He led me astray.
6 people like this
4 responses
@vandana7 (102698)
• India
5 Nov 18
I am good with this one as well. I want to know about "to" and "for". The other day Pony came up with a sentence that read something like "I am going to band practice". If I were he, I would have said I am going for band practice. I am going to a party or going to some place. But if it involves some activity...I slip into for. Which one is correct...please clarify. Thanks in advance.
While on this, I also had a related doubt.
Why do we say I am going home. Not I am going to home.
Why can't it then be, I am going band practice. Evil Grin.
I can confuse you in English...
3 people like this
@indexer (4852)
• Leicester, England
5 Nov 18
That's a good suggestion for a future piece. In short, you go to a place for a purpose. You can't just "go for" something. In this case, "band practice" is being used as a place, although you could say "I am going to the hall for band practice".
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@vandana7 (102698)
• India
5 Nov 18
@indexer Please tag me when you are coming up with that post. I have many doubts on this one. How can band practice be used as a place. It is some activity right..so some purpose. Pony's father was English teacher, so I know that he would not be wrong. That said, I need to clarify the doubt. Thanks again. :)
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@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
5 Nov 18
Why should you ever have assumed that English was logical?
I only go to my home (or your home, were you to invite me). If the ownership is unspecified (but always assumed to be my home), then the 'to' is unnecessary!.
What about "The violinist should have been bowing his instrument but the audience applauded so much that he had to keep bowing!"
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@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
5 Nov 18
it's the same with read. i want to read this book. i read this book yesterday.
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@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
5 Nov 18
Unfortunately, although 'read' (in the present tense) and 'read' (in the past tense) are pronounced differently, they are spelled the same, which is NOT the case with 'lead' and 'led'.
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
5 Nov 18
To further confuse people, when the noun 'lead' means the heavy metal from which plumbing, roofs and bullets are sometimes made, it is pronounced /led/ but when it means a possible clue to a mystery or a possible line of enquiry for a journalist or a cable for connecting a guitar to an amplifier, it is pronounced /leed/.
Of course, if that were the only problem with the pronunciation of 'ea' it might really be simple to list those which we hear as /ee/ and those which bear the sound /e/. It gets more complex when the 'ea' is followed by an 'l' or an 'r' and any rules you might have thought of tend to go pear-shaped!
