dreamed and dreamt

Question

Can I say a sentence like this:Last night I dreamed a dream, in which I dreamt of a wonderful land.Also, is dreamed a dream, american or british english or basic world wide english?

Vorpar · Accepted Answer

It's a little bulky. Most times in writing, I try to avoid using the same word if possible.

Unless this is poetry, I would say something like "Last night I dreamed of a wonderful land."

A Blinkin&apos; · Answer

What I'd still like to know is if it was a correct sentence, british, american, or basic english.

Can I say this way:
I dreamed a dream. I dreamt about sugar plum fairies.
or,
I dreamt a dream. I dreamt about sugar plum fairies.

which way is more common? And can I use dreamed, dream, and dreamt all in the same paragraph or story? someone told me it isn't good english to mix dream, dreamed, and dreamt within the same paper.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Americans are very unlikely to use "dreamt." It seems odd to me to use "dreamt" and "dreamed" in the same passage. But to use the word "dream" (the noun) along with the verb seems okay to me. It does have a poetic or literary element to use both.

Englishuser · Answer

Hi Grammar Geek,

You said:

Americans are very unlikely to use "dreamt."

You're absolutely right. I would like to add that BrE speakers often use 'dreamt'.

Marius Hancu · Answer

Interesting to note that the meaning 2 here is listed as mainly UK:
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dream

1 to experience events and images in your mind while you are sleeping:
What did you dream about last night?
I often dream about/of flying.
[+ that] I dreamed that I was having a baby.

2 MAINLY UK to imagine that you have heard, done or seen something when you have not:
Did you say that you were going tonight or did I dream it?
I thought I'd bought some polish and it seems I haven't - I must have been dreaming.

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=23766&dict=CALD
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Englishuser · Answer

Hi Marius Hancu,

I agree with you: that really is interesting. The Oxford English Dicitonary does not label the word 'dream' used in that sense 'chiefly British', though.

Anonymous · Answer

Just my experience, but in Northern California, where I have grown up, I never heard 'dreamed' used in local speech. It is always 'dreamt' around here. I also only hear 'snuck' around here, never 'sneaked'. In local newspapers however, it is always printed 'sneaked' or 'dreamed', so go figure.

Anonymous · Answer

It's quite simple: snuck is incorrect grammar, which is why you wouldn't, or at least shouldn't, see it in the newspaper. Sneaked is correct.

We say dreamt because dreamed and dreamt are pronounced the same way. In the same way, dove is incorrect. It is dived. Just because people are using it in common speech doesn't make a word correct English. There is also no such thing as "so fun". There is "so much fun". It is also incorrect, when talking about someone who was executed, to say he was "hung". He was hanged. That is all correct English and it has been lost because of incorrect speech. Hopefully, there are still some journalists around who know how to use correct English grammar.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Hello anon,

I'm not sure why you chose to stand on your soapbox about the declining state of English on a post that was almost two years old, but you are mistaken.

Regarding dive:http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dive - usage Dive, which was originally a weak verb, developed a past tense dove, probably by analogy with verbs like drive, drove. Dove exists in some British dialects and has become the standard past tense especially in speech in some parts of Canada. In the United States dived and dove are both widespread in speech as past tense and past participle, with dove less common than dived in the south Midland area, and dived less common than dove in the Northern and north Midland areas. In writing, the past tense dived is usual in British English and somewhat more common in American English. Dove seems relatively rare as a past participle in writing.

Regarding sneak: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sneak - usage From its earliest appearance in print in the late 19th century as a dialectal and probably uneducated form, the past and past participle snuck has risen to the status of standard and to approximate equality with sneaked. It is most common in the United States and Canada but has also been spotted in British and Australian English.

Regarding fun: - note the adjective function, making "so fun" perfectaly acceptable.

Regarding hang: usage For both transitive and intransitive senses 1b the past and past participle hung, as well as hanged, is standard. Hanged is most appropriate for official executions <he was to be hanged, cut down whilst still alive…and his bowels torn out — Louis Allen> but hung is also used <gave orders that she should be hung— Peter Quennell>. Hung is more appropriate for less formal hangings <by morning I'll be hung in effigy — Ronald Reagan>.

Next time, try consulting a dictionary instead of your own sense of indignation.

Yizhivika · Answer

"Last night I dreamed a dream, in which I dreamt of a wonderful land." is rather poetic (though not wrong in any way grammatically). You'll find both dreamed and dreamt are used in the UK (I'm more likely to use 'dreamt' myself, but maybe that's because I'm middle-aged!).

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