Shrink is actually a regular verb. From present, through past, and past perfect, it is
- shrink
- shrank
- shrunk
Conjugated in the same way, we find
- sink
- sank
- sunk
- drink
- drank
- drunk
- clink
- clank
- clunk
- stink
- stank
- stunk
However, a few other -ink verbs are not regular. That is, it isn't
- think
- thank
- thunk
although it makes perfect sense, and sometimes one encounters "thunk" in dialect or comic writing. The proper conjugation is
- think
- thought
- thought
Similarly, we find
- blink
- blinked
- blinked
- wink
- winked
- winked
and
- link
- linked
- linked
Unless you have delved into verb conjugation while studying another language, you probably don't give verb tenses as much thought as you should. It's easy to get lazy and write in the vernacular. While this is proper in conversation for conveying character (although, in the above film/TV case, a supposedly well-educated scientist should know how to conjugate a verb!), in our descriptions and action beats, we should never let our verbs get the best of us!
Do you have a verb usage question? Feel free to ask in the comment box, or just leave a comment if this series is helpful to you! Thanks!
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