On 31 Oct, 05:46, "Darren Prescott" wrote:
"Tudor Hughes" wrote in message
Someone tell him that the past tense of "forecast" is
"forecast", not "forecasted", which is a bit like saying "drived" or
"drawed".

"Forecasted" is one of those words that's very popular in the States. It
always makes me grit my teeth when I read a piece with the word in, though,
as it just sounds wrong!

Mind you, perhaps Piers is just stuck in the 19th century. If you look up
"forecasted" in the OED, you'll find:

forecast, v.

3. (? from the n.) To take a forecast of (the sky, weather); to exhibit a
forecast of; to foreshadow.

1883 E. C. ROLLINS New Eng. Bygones 94 They forecasted the sky, and planned
the toils of the morrow.

Hence forecasted ppl. a.
1882 Nature XXVI. 552 A single communication of forecasted weather.

The Americans often use word forms which we perceive as antiquated.
They still retain the silent 'h' in herb, we apparently started
voicing the 'h' in the 1920s.

Some American English past participles still commonly used include
dove (to dive), pled (plead).

Martin