pat pet patted?

Question

is patted a real word able to be use properally in a sentance?
for exampel i was in a store and my daughter who was patting every fake dog she could find and i said to her "ok i think you have patted every dog in the store!" how could i have said that properly?

Answer 1

Your answer was quite correct. "Patted" is the past tense of the verb 'to pat'.

Answer 2

"Pat" and "pet" are two different words -- it's not like "see" and "saw." They're different actions.

To pat means to raise and lower the hand repeatedly, lightly, without rubbing it. "He patted the couch to invite the cat to sit beside him." "She put her hand on the crying girl's shoulder and patted it lightly to soothe her injured feelings."

To pet means to stroke lightly. "He petted the cat gently, stroking its silky fur from its shoulders to the base of its tail." "He comforted the crying child, making soothing sounds and petting her hair as it cascaded down her back."

So the question is whether your daughter patted every dog, lightly tapping it with her open palm and fingers, or petted every dog, stroking it with her hand as if she was trying to smooth its fur. In either case, the verb form is correct...

(By the way, my kids used to do the same thing. Then there was the boy, who HAD to drink from ANY and EVERY water fountain he saw, anywhere we went... but that's another story. :-)

Answer 3

Patting means something different than petting...

I was patting your head.
I was petting the dog.

Same with patted and petted

I have patted your head.
I have petted the dog.

Answer 4

sounds fine to me

Answer 5

no, its petted.