When it stinks, things take a different turn. It’s not like the cases of “walked,” “talked,” and their -ed buddies. “stink” dances to it’s funky tune.
So, when something has offended your nose in the past, you have two choices for the past tense: “stank” and “stunk.”
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Contents
Take a closer look at the differences
Now think of it like this: “Stank” is the cool kid on the block, showing up solo to tell the story.
- “The gym bag stank of last week’s workout,” it declares, without any help from fancy helping verbs. “Stunk,” on the other hand, likes to hang out with its pals. It partners up with the “has” and “have” gang to form the present perfect tense.
- “The trash has stunk for days!”
Now, which one should you choose?
Stank is your go-to for simple past tense, where the smell is temporary and isolated.
Think of it as a snapshot of a particularly pungent moment. Remember that time your gym bag stank after a particularly grueling workout? That’s a “stank” moment.
Stunk comes into play when the smell is more persistent, lingering like a bad odor ghost.
It’s used in present perfect tense (e.g., “The trash has stunk for days!”) and past perfect tense (e.g., “By the time we arrived, the room had already stunk for hours”). Think of it as the smell that just won’t quit, like a forgotten cheese sandwich in the back of the fridge.
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How to use both “stink” and “stunk” in your sentences
Both “stank” and “stunk” are acceptable past tense forms of “stink,” but they have slightly different uses in a sentence.
Examples of using “stank” in the simple past:
“The socks I wore hiking yesterday stank. I can’t believe I put them back on this morning.”
“That meeting stank of bad planning. Every decision felt rushed and chaotic.”
“We stank like fish after all that time playing volleyball on the beach.”
Examples of Using “stunk” with helping verbs:
“The wastebasket has stunk in the garage all day. I need to take it out.”
“By the time they returned, the food had stunk up the whole house. It was almost unbearable.”
“The dirty gym bags were stunk out on the balcony to air out.”
So, there you have it, folks! The complete guide to navigating the stinky alleyways of past tense “stink.”
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Final Thoughts
Remember, when something has offended your nostrils in the past, you have two trusty verb detectives in your arsenal. “stank” and “stunk.” are grammatically correct.
It’s only a case of choosing the one that best fits the sentence structure and your desired emphasis. Granted, “stank” is more common in simple past descriptions, while “stunk” is preferred with helping verbs and passive voice.