[email protected]

In a message dated 8/4/02 3:27:27 PM, nedvare@... writes:

<< In fairness to all, I think that because of usage (or evolution, if you
will), dove has come to be an acceptable (or accepted) form for the past
tense of dive. >>

I would like to say "invariably," but there might be a VERY few exceptions.
Almost invariably, when there's a useage in American English which is not in
England, it is because it has fallen out of use in England, but WAS standard,
common English three or four hundred years ago.

"Guess" as in "I guess so" is not used in England. They don't guess in such
cases, they reckon.

Here "I reckon" is granny-talk. But Chaucer used "y-guesse" for "I suppose."


American use the past participles "gotten" and "forgotten" in verb forms such
as "He had gotten tired of the discussion" or "We found we had forgotten our
backpacks." In England they don't.

Americans might say they have eaten already, but Brits have et.

I think it's cool. Like an antique shop.

Sandra