[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Perhaps the big difference is that, as far as my experience goes, nobody, in those days, would have dreamed of using them in formal English, whereas txt speak is even used in job applications now.

'Dreamed' is one word that I'm always confused with. I'd learnt in school to use 'dreamt' in such a context. Is 'dreamed' an older usage or is it an American version? Or was I taught wrong?

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

'Dreamed' is one word that I'm always confused with. I'd learnt in school to use 'dreamt' in such a context. Is 'dreamed' an older usage or is it an American version? Or was I taught wrong?

Interchangeable, I believe. In fact, you've used another one in your post which causes the same confusion. I believe the usage varies, again, due to US and UK differences.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by mayankk

Interchangeable, I believe. In fact, you've used another one in your post which causes the same confusion.

'Learnt' vs 'learned'. Right?

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

'Learnt' vs 'learned'. Right?

Yep.
And I'm not talking about a wise man there.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Confession: I just don't know about dreamed and dreamt! My spelling checker (British English Dictionary) accepts them both. Further research required, which, for me, would include getting the big physical dictionary down from the physical shelf. It's a bit too near bed time for that!

(I suspect that it only really matters to poets!)

[luvDriving]

These are two conflicting guides on dreamt vs dreamed:

http://grammarist.com/usage/dreamed-dreamt/

http://www.gingersoftware.com/englis...dreamt-dreamed

However I feel 'dreamt' being the past participle has more to do with the completed past rather than something like "she will have dreamed of castles and fairies" which has something to do with the future.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by luvDriving

.... "she will have dreamed of castles and fairies" ....

'will have dreamed/dreamt' doesn't sound right to me.
Maybe it should be 'would have dreamed', 'should have dreamed' or 'must have dreamed', depending on what is being conveyed.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by luvDriving

These are two conflicting guides on dreamt vs dreamed:

http://grammarist.com/usage/dreamed-dreamt/

http://www.gingersoftware.com/englis...dreamt-dreamed

However I feel 'dreamt' being the past participle has more to do with the completed past rather than something like "she will have dreamed of castles and fairies" which has something to do with the future.

I go for the first: they are the same, except maybe to poets.

I don't agree with your analysis. English is rich in tenses, and I can't list them, but dreamed and dreamt are not different tenses.

[luvDriving]

Sure, I agree that they are not different tenses.

I was merely commenting on the connotation part of these words, well at least to me

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

'will have dreamed/dreamt' doesn't sound right to me.
Maybe it should be 'would have dreamed', 'should have dreamed' or 'must have dreamed', depending on what is being conveyed.

When she wakes up from this spell, she will have dreamed of fairies and castles, and will yearn for them.


When she wakes up from this spell, she will have dreamt of fairies and castles, and will yearn for them.

No difference.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by mayankk

....
No difference.

Indeed they are both correct.

[Thad E Ginathom]

English has so many odd idioms and subtleties of usage it is easy to see them even where they don't exist!

[faustus77]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Indeed they are both correct.

Anupmathur saheb
Hi.
When I read the sentence aloud to myself I would rather go with dreamt. Sounds better.
Regards

[Thad E Ginathom]

When I read the sentence aloud to myself I would rather go with dreamt. Sounds better.

Does it even sound different?

I think so, which is why I keep saying that it matters only to poets. I read dreamt as "drempt," and dreamed as "dreeemed."

So, you are certainly entitled to your personal choice, but they both mean the same.

I wouldn't argue with someone who pronounced them both the same! Unless it was in a poem, and the pronunciation was dictated by the rhyme or metre.

[rohanjf]

I found this sentence in another thread in Team BHP:

I had read up on this article in Mumbai mirror on this guy, who is a driver for a lady part of some NGO, who does not use his horn on his Indica at all.

I had a good laugh after reading this sentence. What about you guys?