Mary Jean asked about the past tense of shine: Is it shined or shone?

Shined and shone are two competing past tense forms of the verb shine. Some (but not all) sources recommend using shined when the verb has an object and shone when it does not:

Aardvark shined the light in Squiggly's eyes. (The light is the object of the verb shined. It is the thing being shined by Aardvark.)

The light shone brightly. (The verb shone has no object in this sentence. In this sentence the light is the thing taking the action of shining.)

The rhyme It's shone when alone will help you remember to use shone when the verb is alone (i.e., has no object).

source: Grammar Girl