Differences Between American, British Grammar
2020-12-11
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1Many of you have the goal of learning American English.
2After all, you are listening to or reading a lesson from the Voice of America.
3But you will still probably have some contact with British English.
4The popularity of British television shows and musical groups, for example, reaches across borders.
5So, how does British English differ from American English?
6You may already know that there is a clear difference in accent.
7Other differences include some vocabulary and expressions.
8Less commonly discussed, however, are the variations in grammar.
9American and British Englishes share almost all of the same grammar.
10But there are differences, and some are worth noting - especially for English learners.
11On today's program, we will discuss a few of them.
12First, let's talk about where the two Englishes vary on preposition use.
13In British English, the preposition "at" is used in several time-related phrases, such as when talking about weekends.
14But speakers of American English use the preposition "on" in such a case. Listen to this American English speaker:
15On weekends, I like to watch sports.
16Can you think of how a British English speaker would say this?
17That's right, it is: "At weekends, I like to watch sports."
18Americans also use the preposition "on" with street names. Yet, British English speakers use "in."
19Listen to this American talking about where someone lives:
20She lives on 17th street near Dupont Circle.
21Can you guess how the British English speaker would say it?
22That's right: "She lives in 17th street near Dupont Circle."
23These are just a few examples of the small differences in preposition use.
24Now, let's move on to verb tenses.
25American and British English speakers use the present perfect verb tense in similar ways.
26But Americans use it in fewer situations.
27In many other situations, we use the simple past instead.
28Listen to an American use the simple past tense to talk about a lost object:
29Ugh! I lost my phone...again.
30British English speakers would generally use the present perfect in this situation, as in "I've lost my phone...again."
31The present perfect verb here is "have lost."
32This is also true when giving news.
33In American English, we use the simple past to do this.
34Speakers of British English generally use the present perfect.
35Listen to an American give a piece of news to someone:
36Your supervisor just called.
37Again, such news would involve the present perfect for Britons, as in, "Your supervisor has just called" or the contracted "You supervisor's just called."
38Notice use of the word "just," a common time-related adverb.
39With other such adverbs, like "yet" and "already," Americans also tend to use the simple past tense while Britons use the present perfect.
40Listen to an American use a past tense verb and the adverb "already":
41Would you like more?
42No thanks. I already ate too much.
43So, what might a British answer sound like?
44A person is likely to say, "I have already eaten too much," which uses the present perfect verb "have eaten."
45The two dialects also differ in some ways in their usages of the verbs "have" and "get."
46When talking about human relationships, British English speakers generally use the wording "have got."
47For instance, a Briton might say, "I've got an uncle in New York City."
48But an American is likely to say, "I have an uncle in New York City."
49This same rule applies when talking about possession of objects and when discussing illness.
50A British English speaker would likely say, "I've got a cold," while an American would probably just say, "I have a cold."
51The two dialects also have their own ways of saying that something is required or necessary.
52The modal verb "Have to" is more common to American English.
53The phrasing "have got to" is much more common to speakers of British English.
54An American would likely say, "We have to be there by 7" while a British person is more likely to say, "We have got to be there by 7."
55And, speaking of "got," let's not forget an unusual difference between the past participle forms of "get."
56In American English, the past participle of "get" is "gotten."
57But Britain discontinued the use of "gotten" more than 300 years ago.
58In British English, the past participle of "get" is "got."
59So, you might hear an American English speaker say this:
60He has not gotten far on the project.
61Yet a British English speaker might say, "He has not got far on the project."
62And finally, let's touch on something that deals with giving short answers to questions.
63British English speakers often add the auxiliary verb "do" in short replies.
64An American would use just a modal verb.
65Listen to an answer from this American English speaker:
66Are you bringing the whole family?
67I might.
68The modal verb in the reply is "might."
69Yet, speakers of British English would generally use both a modal and the auxiliary "do," as in the reply "I might do."
70So...what can you do with this information?
71First, keep in mind that British and American English both contain several dialects and accents.
72However, generally speaking, they are each still identifiably American or British.
73The next time you come into contact with British English, make a mental note when you hear or see the differences you learned about today.
74Then, ask yourself: How would an American say this?
75It could be a fun exercise and may help you pay closer attention to American English grammar.
76I'm Alice Bryant.
1Many of you have the goal of learning American English. After all, you are listening to or reading a lesson from the Voice of America. 2But you will still probably have some contact with British English. The popularity of British television shows and musical groups, for example, reaches across borders. 3So, how does British English differ from American English? You may already know that there is a clear difference in accent. Other differences include some vocabulary and expressions. 4Less commonly discussed, however, are the variations in grammar. American and British Englishes share almost all of the same grammar. But there are differences, and some are worth noting - especially for English learners. 5On today's program, we will discuss a few of them. 6Use of prepositions 7First, let's talk about where the two Englishes vary on preposition use. 8In British English, the preposition "at" is used in several time-related phrases, such as when talking about weekends. But speakers of American English use the preposition "on" in such a case. Listen to this American English speaker: 9On weekends, I like to watch sports. 10Can you think of how a British English speaker would say this? 11That's right, it is: "At weekends, I like to watch sports." 12Americans also use the preposition "on" with street names. Yet, British English speakers use "in." 13Listen to this American talking about where someone lives: 14She lives on 17th street near Dupont Circle. 15Can you guess how the British English speaker would say it? 16That's right: "She lives in 17th street near Dupont Circle." 17These are just a few examples of the small differences in preposition use. 18The present perfect 19Now, let's move on to verb tenses. 20American and British English speakers use the present perfect verb tense in similar ways. But Americans use it in fewer situations. In many other situations, we use the simple past instead. 21Listen to an American use the simple past tense to talk about a lost object: 22Ugh! I lost my phone...again. 23British English speakers would generally use the present perfect in this situation, as in "I've lost my phone...again." The present perfect verb here is "have lost." 24This is also true when giving news. In American English, we use the simple past to do this. Speakers of British English generally use the present perfect. 25Listen to an American give a piece of news to someone: 26Your supervisor just called. 27Again, such news would involve the present perfect for Britons, as in, "Your supervisor has just called" or the contracted "You supervisor's just called." 28Notice use of the word "just," a common time-related adverb. With other such adverbs, like "yet" and "already," Americans also tend to use the simple past tense while Britons use the present perfect. 29Listen to an American use a past tense verb and the adverb "already": 30Would you like more? 31No thanks. I already ate too much. 32So, what might a British answer sound like? A person is likely to say, "I have already eaten too much," which uses the present perfect verb "have eaten." 33Have and get 34The two dialects also differ in some ways in their usages of the verbs "have" and "get." 35When talking about human relationships, British English speakers generally use the wording "have got." For instance, a Briton might say, "I've got an uncle in New York City." But an American is likely to say, "I have an uncle in New York City." 36This same rule applies when talking about possession of objects and when discussing illness. A British English speaker would likely say, "I've got a cold," while an American would probably just say, "I have a cold." 37The two dialects also have their own ways of saying that something is required or necessary. The modal verb "Have to" is more common to American English. The phrasing "have got to" is much more common to speakers of British English. An American would likely say, "We have to be there by 7" while a British person is more likely to say, "We have got to be there by 7." 38And, speaking of "got," let's not forget an unusual difference between the past participle forms of "get." In American English, the past participle of "get" is "gotten." But Britain discontinued the use of "gotten" more than 300 years ago. In British English, the past participle of "get" is "got." 39So, you might hear an American English speaker say this: 40He has not gotten far on the project. 41Yet a British English speaker might say, "He has not got far on the project." 42Auxiliaries in replies 43And finally, let's touch on something that deals with giving short answers to questions. 44British English speakers often add the auxiliary verb "do" in short replies. An American would use just a modal verb. Listen to an answer from this American English speaker: 45Are you bringing the whole family? 46I might. 47The modal verb in the reply is "might." 48Yet, speakers of British English would generally use both a modal and the auxiliary "do," as in the reply "I might do." 49What can you do? 50So...what can you do with this information? 51First, keep in mind that British and American English both contain several dialects and accents. However, generally speaking, they are each still identifiably American or British. 52The next time you come into contact with British English, make a mental note when you hear or see the differences you learned about today. Then, ask yourself: How would an American say this? It could be a fun exercise and may help you pay closer attention to American English grammar. 53I'm Alice Bryant. 54Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 55_______________________________________________________________ 56Words in This Story 57accent - n. a way of pronouncing words that occurs among the people in a particular region or country 58vocabulary - n. the words that make up a language 59variation - n. something that is similar to something else but different in some way 60phrase - n. a group of two or more words that express a single idea but do not usually form a complete sentence 61guess - v. to form an opinion or give an answer about something when you do not know much or anything about it 62contracted - adj. made smaller or shorter 63dialect - n. a form of a language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations 64uncle - the brother of your father or mother or the husband of your aunt 65modal - v. a verb (such as can, could, may, might, should, will, or would) usually used with another verb to express ideas such as possibility, necessity, and permission 66auxiliary - n. a verb (such as have, be or do) that is used with another verb to show the verb's tense, to form a question