Dreamed or Dreamt??? Sleeped or Slept???

[Pete Hanlin]

Well, the trip from Florida to Pennsylvania is a long one (especially with a 7 and 5 year old in the back seat ;) ), and during one particularly long stretch in Virginia on I-81, the wife and I somehow became engaged in a debate over whether a dream that occurs on the previous night was "dreamed" or "dreamt." As it turns out, either seems to be acceptable according to Webster. What I want to know is which one is more commonly used! I won't bias you with which one is mine (aka, correct :) )...

[shanbaum]

While dreamt and dreamed are both valid forms, I'm pretty sure that sleeped is not.

[Pete Hanlin]

Coming from the North, I agree with you completely on "sleeped." However, one of my in-laws was kind enough to show me a dictionary of idioms (or whatever words used in one particular locale are called) that showed sleeped as an acceptable past tense of sleep in the South.

I suppose someone from Mississippi might use this form as follows... "Ah've sleeped with all of my cousins except for Betsy Lou!" (sorry, I couldn't resist- if you are from Mississippi, you have my, well, er, condolences)! ;)

[shanbaum]

Maybe in conjunction with the southern participle of to do, as in, "ah done sleeped..."

Seein' as how ah'm a native Texun, ah kin say that.

[Sean]

I would use dreamt/slept.

[123456789]

As you rightly pointed out gramatically both are correct. See this page for example. http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache...ient=firefox-a

But in usage, there's always a simple way to find out. The number of Google results.

Dreamed wins by a wide margin - 672,000 as against 212,000 for dreamt.

http://www.google.com/search?q=dreamed
http://www.google.com/search?q=dreamt

[karen]

hmmm..fit in with the majority on this one ;)

Now, is it pled guilty or pleaded-that always bugs me when they say he/she pleaded guilty.

[chm2023]

hmmm..fit in with the majority on this one ;)

Now, is it pled guilty or pleaded-that always bugs me when they say he/she pleaded guilty.

I would say he pled guilty but pleaded for his life. My big peeve is saying that the convicted man was "hung".

[chm2023]

Apparently pleaded and pled are interchangable.

How about effect and affect? Arrrggghhhhh!!!!!!

[shanbaum]

Apparently pleaded and pled are interchangable.

How about effect and affect? Arrrggghhhhh!!!!!!

The Chicago Manual of Style says, "Avoid pled."

This will certainly have an effect on me, as it will affect the way I right in the future.

[chm2023]

The Chicago Manual of Style says, "Avoid pled."

This will certainly have an effect on me, as it will affect the way I right in the future.

I guess you think your funny. Irregardless, thanks for the info.

[Spexvet]

yous ain't got no grammer