h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My mother learnt to drive at not much younger than you are. She now drives for a living. Take heart!

i had driving lessons at about 19..lost job..couldn't afford to continue..about 15 yrs ago..drove b/f car as a learner..not something i would recomend....he once pulled up hand brake..thought i wasn't braking on approach to roundabout..i was braking..we did full handbrake turn..i can think of at least 2 occassions when i stopped car..got out slammed door & used a few 'choice words at him'....my mum failed driving test 9 times..then gave up..

Wish I'd learned that the passed tense of some words can be spelled with a 'T' instead of 'ED'.

Burned can be burnt.
Spelled can be spelt.
Learned can be learnt.
Spoiled can be spoilt.
Even ruined can be ruint.

I didn't know any of that until I started reading here at h2g2.

But I guess spurred still can't be spurt.
Poured can't be pourt.
Culled can't be cult.
And bombed can't be bombt.

But I still dunno why.
Which suggests a new thread:
"Stuff you don't understand and probably don't need to, especially if you're past/passed it."


~jwf~ 'Lassed of the Moweakens'

It's because English is a language riddled with archaicisms and inconsistencies. That's why I like it so much. I like using 't's instead of 'ed's, but my particular favourite is 'whilst' instead of 'while', but for some reason they keep being edited out of my edited entries...

Past and passed are not the same, though... you would say "She ran past the house", but not "She ran passed the house".

I just read a book in which someone "leant" on someone else. I couldn't figure out how to pronounce that. They could also have said she "leaned" on him, but I figured they said "leant" because it was a British book. Do you say that the same way as "leaned", or does it sound more like "Lent"?

I hope it's more like lent- or I've been mispronoucing it for years.

It's pronounced 'lent'. Don't worry.

St Emily, you might find that they are changed because, if I remember correctly, whilst comes before a word starting with a vowel, otherwise it's while. I think.

*wonders who is meant to be on annual leave*

I've no idea.
I was on a tea break from gardening.
You've no idea how much I'm enjoying seeing my garden in daylight. But that doesn't mean I don't like being on h2g2 as well.

I wish I'd learnt an instrument in a foreign language ... ... le clarinet ...

I couldn't help but think of Arthur Dent when I read the title for this thread ... that bit when he is talking to Ford and he says, "It's at times like this that I wish I'd listened to what my mother said." "Why, what did she say?" "I don't know, I didn't listen." Brilliant ...

I wish I'd learnt (there's that t again!) how not to feel embarassed about what I was saying. It took me 23 years to reach a point where I could open my mouth, spout complete and utter rubbish and not be embarassed. In the past I was concerned that people would think I was odd ... who cares - if they think I'm odd, they think I'm odd. So there ...

I also wish I'd been taught how to be more sensible with money but doesn't everyone?

How to do tables in Guide ML!

I wish I learnt / was taught more about diet (of the what you eat kind, not the lettuce leaf kind) and exercise and things like stretching. I hope / believe schools are better at this now than they were 15 years ago.

I wish I'd been more open minded and listened to people. Who knows what I wouldn't have missed out on. Hmmm - there's also knowing when not to listen (maybe Arthur did the right thing).

The biggest one is leaning how to really enjoy sex . And alcohol . When to take opportunities and when not to. Maybe you do just have to learn the hard way.

I did learn to play an instrument - did grade exams and played in the school band, but it didn't teach me about music - ask anyone who's listened to me attempt to sing. (Except I'm not telling you their names, I'm that bad!) I attempted to learn French and Spanish too. Got good grades, but can't remember much now. I guess some things were never meant to be.

I wish I'd learnt not to be negative sooner. Hang on, here I am having a good moan. Eeek.

I agree about having a mentor - it can make an enormous difference. Here's to trying to help others learn the easy way what we've learnt the hard way.

Blue

I can't say that not enjoying sex is something that has ever plagued me ... there is of course the nagging self doubt that the act itself was but then you can always get around that by concentrating on the preceeding activities!

And I suppose there is the pangs of guilt after a much enjoyed but later regretted one night stand but I don't think that's anything you can learn about from someone else ... much like many things in life

I just wish wish I hadn't stopped doing things that I could when I was younger and now can't do.

I wish I learnt that girls enjoy sex to and that the only way to get to do it is either ask, or to find someone who is free enough in her own thinking & aproaches life in such a way as to take what she wants.

Alas I never learnt the first way till very recently and meeting girls who will ask you is rare.

I wish I had learnt that there are few people who really matter and keeping them as friends is important. I wish others had learnt this too

I wish I had learnt not everyone has hidden depths, with some what you see is what you get.


I wish I learnt to spell better.

I wish I learnt not to give away my heart to easily and wish I'd never learnt my paranoia



Kadu

emmily - Tell your mother not to be too discouraged. There was one English woman who failed her 39th driving test by crashing into a set of red traffic lights.

Blue - There is a smiley

D'oh! Keep on forgetting my siggie!

38-J

JOTD: WANTED: Meaningful overnight relationship.

That everything I don't understand is not necessarily meant to be understood...by me. I have my share, other's have their's.

In a tie in with the current colaborative thing hhere A841358 on Self confidence.

I wish I learnt that I am a far better person than those around me, that I have the intelligence, charm and looks to do things I felt were out of my grasp because of poor self image.

Also II wish I learnt how actually program for myself rather than cutting and pasting from other peoples code - not as deep as the fist wish, but all the same important.

CH