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Pedants' corner

Learned or learnt ?

30 replies

MiniMonty · 23/10/2013 01:42

What say you?

I'm seeing homework and I'm railing against certain spellings that go unchecked and unmolested.
Dreamed or dreamt?
Learnt or learned?
(there are many others).

I am perfectly happy for the language to evolve and change - hang on - no I'm not...

So what say you?

OP posts:
MollyMango · 23/10/2013 03:01

I'm always slightly scared posting on this forum but i would always say learnt and dreamt. Is this incorrect?

kickassangel · 23/10/2013 03:08

I don't know for sure but I think it could be a US UK thing. I Live in the US and dreamed learned etc seems wrong but is always use here. Either I have been doing it wrong all my life or I learnt the UK version an now notice the US version as wrong

keelo123 · 23/10/2013 03:25

I was always led to believe it as...
Learned is when you talk about yourself in the past ("When I did that, I learned how...!") and learnt is when your speaking of someone else and what they should/could have done("He could of learnt the easy way how to...!").
Sorry if that doesn't make complete sense but that is the only way I could explain it lol.
Would be nice to know all the correct ways if saying all these things :).

NotDead · 23/10/2013 05:40

could HAVE HAVE HAVE jesus

LeMousquetaireAnonyme · 23/10/2013 05:46

Learnt is the verb and learned the adj. ? (UK)

I learnt maths at school.

Learned behaviour makes the monkeys use tools.

mathanxiety · 23/10/2013 05:53

I always use learned, but I use dreamt and dreamed. Dreamed is used in the sense of 'They dreamed of visiting Disneyland', whereas dreamt would be used in the context of nocturnal dreaming.

I grew up in Ireland. The DCs, who speak American English, never use learnt -- it's always learned, but use dreamed and dreamt as I do.

They learned math in school and dreamed of getting As in their finals, but dreamt of getting Fs the night before their exams...

I was always taught that learnt is a colloquial form of the more correct learned -- spelled as it is pronounced but not really correct.

Dreamt and dreamed otoh have different pronunciations.

mathanxiety · 23/10/2013 05:55

Learned as an adjective would be pronounced lur-ned?

changeforthebetter · 23/10/2013 06:09

According to the BBC (can't do link on the iPad) both are correct but you should be consistent using either as a past participle. You cannot substitute 'learnt' for 'learned' as an adjective - my learned friend.

Arrogant fecker X (ex English teacher) insisted it was learned. Confused

JustBecauseICan · 23/10/2013 06:11

Both are fine.

I use the "t" ones.

JustBecauseICan · 23/10/2013 06:11

(fine as verbs obv)

nagynolonger · 23/10/2013 06:17

I was always taught that the past tense was always learnt, dreamt, slept, kept etc. English irregular verbs.

More people do say learned and dreamed now but not sleeped and keeped.

Spelt and spelled is another one where both forms are used.

yeghoulsandlittledevils · 23/10/2013 06:21

I use learned and dreamed and pronounce them learnt and dreamt. Is that wrong too?

mathanxiety · 24/10/2013 04:53

I use burnt as an adjective, and burned as a verb.
'I burned the toast'
'Burnt toast'

Mummyoftheyear · 26/10/2013 21:21

Both fine

PiratePanda · 26/10/2013 21:27

Hey, I still use amongst rather than among.

NoComet · 26/10/2013 21:36

is leart not used in the US, my windows spell checker is having a huff. It seems american as it can't spell colour and stuffs zzzzzz in all over.

mathanxiety · 26/10/2013 21:43

No, learnt is an incorrect spelling in the US. Dreamt is also incorrect. Burnt is fine though.

EverythingUnderControl · 26/10/2013 21:45

Also spoiled and spoilt. I'm never sure when to use themConfused

mathanxiety · 26/10/2013 21:54

Always spoiled in the US. Spoiled child, spoiled food, they spoiled the day for everyone, etc.

kickassangel · 27/10/2013 15:28

And they use dove not dived. Freaks me every time

mathanxiety · 27/10/2013 17:47

I cannot abide 'dove'.

NewBlueShoesToo · 07/11/2013 20:57

Burnt and burned?

TeacakeEater · 07/11/2013 21:02

Proven or proved? Would someone put me out of my misery?

ReallyOverThis · 09/12/2013 13:06

Learned can be an adjective but not pronounced "lur-ned" as in le mousquetaire anonyme's example about the learned behaviour of the monkeys - that is not "lur-ned" because the monkeys are not wise like a "lur-ned" lawyer. The adjective is describing the behaviour.

Nb I am pretty sure that "he burnt the toast" is just as correct as "he burned the toast".

ReallyOverThis · 09/12/2013 13:07

Teacake, proven is the past participle in the perfect tense-he has proven his point. But he proved his point.