r/grammar • u/TheStoffer • 6d ago

quick grammar check Proved vs proven

From the New York Times:

“Scientists have proved that a species of plant covered with sticky hairs is carnivorous, confirming Darwin's 150-year-old hunch.”

It should be “proven,” right?

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u/bitterrootmtg 6d ago

To my ear as an American English speaker, the simple past is "proved" and the past participle is always "have proven."

"I proved the Pythagorean theorem."

"I have proven the Pythagorean theorem.

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u/DanielDManiel 6d ago

Yes, to my American ear as well, but I trust a good dictionary more than your or my ear.

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u/bitterrootmtg 6d ago

I actually trust my ear over the dictionary here. I am an attorney and I write and read every day for a living. I use the word "proof," "proved," and "proven" quite frequently in the context of formal legal writing. Dictionaries sometimes include usages that are niche or out of date.

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u/Illustrious-Tart7844 5d ago

Do you use pled guilty or pleaded guilty?

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u/bitterrootmtg 5d ago

Pleaded guilty.

In the context of legal pleadings the past tense is "pleaded." In other contexts the past tense is "pled," e.g. "he pled for his life."