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

I would like to say I saw a funny sign that made me giggle this morning.

The Dyslexic Society.

It just made me laugh to see it was correct

I like it!

The English Past tenses confuse me. Anyone feeling like clearing it for me, namely when do you say 'I have done (this and that)' and when 'I did (this and that)'. And also 'I have said' vs. 'I said'.

And if only people spoke Hebrew, they won't have such difficulties with having the cake and all... in Hebrew you use words that mean keeping your cake whole and eating it. Very simple.

Calling all pedants! What? Absolutely all of them? Even the ones that don't speak English? Have access to the interweb? Etc etc?

PP

Wow! I nominate you Chief Pedant, Mr. Pink.

Ignoring all normal rules of capitalization, this website is called h2g2, in lowercase.

Contractions, such as Mr, are not followed by a full stop in British English. In American English they usually are. Truncations, such as etc., usually are, but on h2g2 they're not. Modern style favours streamlining of punctuation, so h2g2 is not alone in this. Abbreviations like TV should never have full stops: it's only one word.

TRiG.

...and as to the Past tense question?

I think the main difference is that "I did ..." refers to a specific time, but "I have done" is more general. So if I was telling you about my holiday and I said "I went to Missouri," I would mean I went there on my holiday, but if I said "I have been to Missouri," then I went at some other time.

hmh: "The feet doctors are podiatrists, kid doctors pediatricians or paediatricians as the case may be."

Pedicure, pedestrian, millipede.

podium pseudopod decapod quadruped

Where is the logic in this? Or was the decision on using "ped" or "pod" in reference to feet simply the toss of a cosmic coin or the whim of the word crafter?

Add arthropod to that list. Mibbe pod is Greek and ped is Latin?

I think "pod" is Greek and "ped" Latin. There are numerous examples of words from both languages that exhibit the difference, though the only ones that spring to mind are numerical:

unicycle, monocle
bicycle, dialogue
quadrilateral, tetrahedron

<>

That sounds like a great book, I am going to look for it tomorrow, thanks for recommending it, TRiG!

Traveller in Time waving hello to the book
"Either obtain the book or ignore it, just looking for the book is not much use. "

Excellent point, Traveller, but I shall be going to the library to see if it's in the system, hence 'looking'...

Bagpuss, why have you grouped bicycle and dialogue together?

Traveller in Time listening to the conversation
"Stereo and Dialogue ?
Uniform and Singularity ? "

The prefix dia in the case of 'dialogue' means 'through'.

bicycle - two wheels
dialogue - two people talking (di=2)

Past simple - complete action/event in the past
Past perfect - an action/event in the past with an effect in the present, or in a time that continues to the present.

For example:
I lost my keys (complete action in the past).
I've lost my keys (and they are still missing).

I read that yesterday (complete action in the past).
I've read that (at some time up to the present).

Noggin

You have made a basic error there Noggin, and I think Bagpuss was making the same error. Dialogue does not mean two people talking.

http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/dialogue

Sweet, sweet pedantry.

It's a fair cop, guv.

Noggin