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

Oh yes. Another weird thing is that in California (where I live, obviously), you can say 'Dude' pretty much any time and people will know what you mean. It's mostly in matching the inflections to the situation. (And I don't do it - it's too imprecise.)

I've got a friend who says 'dude' a heck of a lot. It really starts to grate after a while, doesn't it?

Broaden your vocabulary, people!

But that implies some measure of intelligence...

lol, yeah, I suppose you're right, "dude"

Either that, or it implies that you have a big thesaurus.

Whilst not strictly speaking over relevant, I've just had fun with FrontPage 2000. It was set to English (British) and kept highlighting colour, the -ise words, in fact most of what you list above.

The only way it can be set to be OK for UK english is to set it as Irish (But then the gramma checker keeps putting "...to be sure" at the end of my sentences (this is a horrible bigotted joke and I apologise and apologize))

However we noted that even when setting it to Irish, it accepted colour et al, but also accepted color etc. Is this Bill Gates telling us something about US domination?

Chris

I think you could be on to something...

Everybody's known that he's trying to take over the world for some time now.

Ha ha, not now Microsofts folded (or whatever)

What about affect/effect? I have a feeling it's just to do with the way it's used but I could be wrong.

Yes, this is true, effect and affect are different and often mis-used, however I have no idea how, and always ask someone who has made it her duty to correct all my grammer. (she has even got to my home page and my currently submited article)

CH

I'm a bit of a grammar freak, I have to admit

Something Affects something else in a direct manner. For example - The rain affects cricket. Or smoke affects people's lungs.

If you effect something, that means you do it, or make it happen, basically. For example, The troops effected a withdrawal i.e. the men withdrew.

But if something affects you, then you feel the effects of it. So cricket feels the effect of rain. For example.

God, I'm such a boring, small, inconsequentail person. And I love it.

Advice/Advise and Practice/Practise -- further examples of the noun/verb divide between UK and US English orthography.(in the UK, the "c" distinguishes a noun from a verb, in the US, only the "s" form is used for either a noun or a verb)

Behavio(u)r and favo(u)rite. Power to the nitpickers!

(o)estrogen... finally the little biology i know comes in useful

Pedants and nitpickers unite!

Program (US)
Programme (UK)

Yes - bring it on...

Don't know about in America, but program = for computers, programme = planned series of events... (enjoying nitpicking )

In America, a planned series of events is a program (I think - any of you Americans care to enlighten us?)

As an American, I can tell you that there's no such thing as a planned series of events. By the way, Americans DO use -ise instead of -ice, and -ous instead of -os.

Another one - I think: pyjamas, pajamas.

Yet another... (this one should be obvious to most British English speakers here) : donut / doughnut