| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| born, borne (past participle, adj.) |
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| The verb bear has two past participle forms, born and borne. Born is used in the passive voice and as a participial adjective whenever the topic is birth: She was born in Ohio. We are New England-born, all of us. When the topic is birth, use borne as the past participle, as in She has borne three sons—but only in the active voice (i.e., do not say The baby was borne to a very young woman). In the senses of bear that involve carrying, enduring, proving, and the like, the past participle is always borne, whether the verb is active or passive: He had borne his guilt for many years. It was an insult not to be borne even by a placid person. Spelling errors are frequent, particularly borne for born when the topic is birth but the use is passive or adjectival. See BARE. | 1 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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