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Anonymous Posted 15 years ago
Vocabulary

Skim milk vs. skimmed milk

This old thread seems to have died out without a definitive conclusion. I I I must say I was impressed with the scholarship of some of the argument but but perhaps some siimple logic is in order...

Cream is separated from milk (meaning whole milk) through the process known as "skimming". After the cream is removed, what is left is that milk which has been skimmed... or... skimmed milk. Skimmed milk is that milk which has been skimmed. Is this not clear? Skim is a verb, not an adjective.

Sailorwannab
  

Top answer

Your reasoning makes sense, but sometimes reality departs from logic. You'll have to decide if you want to be logical, or talk the way people actually talk. " "Skim milk" doesn't bother me at all.

  • Your reasoning makes sense, but sometimes reality departs from logic.
  • You'll have to decide if you want to be logical, or talk the way people actually talk.
  • " "Skim milk" doesn't bother me at all.
  • On the other hand, some people say "whip cream" instead of "whipped cream," and that drives me crazy.
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6 Answers
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Your reasoning makes sense, but sometimes reality departs from logic. You'll have to decide if you want to be logical, or talk the way people actually talk. In 56 years (in the U.S.) I don't think I have ever heard a single person say "skimmed milk." "Skim milk" doesn't bother me at all. On the other hand, some people say "whip cream" instead of "whipped cream," and that drives me crazy.
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Hi Khoff,

Here in Canada, I say 'skimmed milk'.
Perhaps because it is easier for me to say than the two consecutive ems in 'skim milk'.

English is great, isn't it?
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That's funny -- I thought it was obvious that "skim milk" replaced "skimmed milk" because it was easier to say!!
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Hi,
ha-ha.
Do you say it as 'skimilk'?

Clive
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Yes, with the accent on the first syllable.
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By changing "skimmed" to "skim" you change it from a verb to an adjective

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