Lit or lighted

[netibiza]

Which is the correct use please. I lit the fire, or I lighted the fire?

[jno]

lit. But the past tense of alight is usually alighted.

[Quizmonkey]

Not quite as clear-cut as that, Jno. Both lit and lighted are perfectly acceptable for the past tense of the transitive verb - it's just that lit's usage is more widespread than lighted.

[netibiza]

Phew that's a relief as I personally prefer lighted and all my friends shouted me down. Now I can hold my head up. Thank you both.

[jno]

whoops, I bow to QM's expertise. 'I lighted a candle' sounds all wrong to me, possibly because I'm not English.

[netibiza]

jno I like to think that us posher folk use lighted. he he

[mimififi]

I use lighted the candle/fire/blue touch paper etc, because I like to reserve lit for talking about getting on and off things such as trains/buses/ high horses etc..... but then again, I do like to think of myself as posh, despite a North kent origin (hehehehehehehe)

[jno]

oh dear <scurries away back into the underclass>

[stevie_c2it]

jno don't believe a word of it, they are 'having you on'!

'I lighted the fire'. Indeed you may have, but five year olds shouldn't be playing with matches!

[netibiza]

......nor should they be using a computer unsupervised.........