As my wife, kids, and friends will tell you, I sometimes rant about grammar. I'm going to do that now, so excuse yourself now if that kind of thing bothers you.

Don't worry. I'm not going to lecture you on splitting infinitives or beginning sentences with conjunctions (neither of which is improper, by the way, but never mind . . . ). My latest concern is not a technical grammatical point, but a simple question of proper English usage.

The past tense of the verb "lead" is spelled "led," not "lead."

Napoleon leads the troops into battle. (Present tense)

Napoleon led the troops into battle last week. (Past tense). NOT Napoleon lead the troops into battle last week.

People seem to be using "lead" as the past tense more and more. I have seen it not just in student drafts and blog posts, but in newspapers, books, and other sources edited by people who ought to know better. I'm not sure what the problem is; perhaps people are analogizing to the verb "read." The present tense and past tense of that verb are the same. Or perhaps they are comparing it to the element "lead," which is also pronounced "led."

Whatever, the reason, it's not proper English.

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Photo of Joshua Fershee Joshua Fershee

Joshua Fershée, JD, became the 11th dean of the Creighton University School of Law on July 1, 2019. Fershée previously served as associate dean for faculty research and development, professor of law, and director of LLM programs at West Virginia University College of…

Joshua Fershée, JD, became the 11th dean of the Creighton University School of Law on July 1, 2019. Fershée previously served as associate dean for faculty research and development, professor of law, and director of LLM programs at West Virginia University College of Law.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in social science from Michigan State University in 1995, Fershée began his career in public relations and media outreach before attending the Tulane University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude in 2003 and serving as editor in chief of the Tulane Law Review. He worked in private practice at the firms of Davis Polk & Wardell in New York and Hogan & Hartson, LLP, in Washington, D.C., before joining the legal academy. Read More