Grammar and Punctuation The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation

Born, Borne

To be born is to be given birth to, as babies are born. Or it can mean "to be created": ideas are born the moment we think of them. It also means "to arise from": Timmy's stomachache was born of wolfing his food.

Borne is the past tense of bear, in the sense of "carry." To be borne is to be carried: a mosquito-borne disease; or to be endured: Timmy's stomachache had to be borne until it finally went away.


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