But when one has a child at school in Scotland who is beginning to talk as if she comes from the middle of the Atlantic, has always preferred grey to gray, (I think it may have more brown in it that way) and has a hard time remembering if I should apologise or apologize...how is one to tell? Actually I do write my dates as 2 July 2000 and no one in Vermont ever says anything about it being pretentious. It's just clearer. I can't remember to do stuff on the day I'm supposed to anyway so every bit of clarity helps. However crossing the 7s doesn't always do any good. My husband does and I STILL cannot figure out what he has written...and neither can the bank!