G0472 Week 11 : Editing American and British English 1

Learning Outcomes The students are expected to be able to edit American English and British English manuscripts. 2

Singular and plural for nouns In BrE, singular nouns that describe multiple people are often treated as plural, particularly where one is concerned with the people constituting the team, rather than with the team as an entity. The singular form is usually used in American. For example, British "the team are worried"; American "the team is worried". 3

Singular and plural for nouns Proper nouns which are plural in form take a plural verb in both AmE and BrE. Examples: BrE: "The Clash are a well-known band." AmE: "The Clash is a well-known band." Both: "The Beatles are a well-known band."The ClashThe Beatles BrE: "Pittsburgh are the champions." AmE: "Pittsburgh is the champion." Both: "The Steelers are the champions". Steelers 4

Use of tenses BrE uses the present perfect tense to talk about an event in the recent past and with the words already, just and yet. In American usage, these meanings can be expressed with the present perfect (to express a fact) or the simple past (to imply an expectation). This American style has become widespread only in the past 20 to 30 years; the "British" style is still in common use as well.present perfect 5

6 Shift in Tense "Have you done your homework yet?" / "Did you do your homework yet?" "I've just got home." / "I just got home." "I've already eaten." / "I already ate."

The subjunctive mood is more common in AmE in expressions such as: "They suggested that he apply for the job". BrE would have "They suggested that he should apply for the job" (or even "They suggested that he applied for the job", although this last sentence can be ambiguous). However, the British usage ("should apply") is also heard in the United States, but is often regarded as erroneous in writing.subjunctive mood 7 Subjunctive Mood

Miscellaneous grammatical differences In AmE, some prescriptionists feel that which should not be used as an antecedent in restrictive relative clauses. According to The Elements of Style (p. 59), "That is the defining, or restrictive pronoun, which the nondefining, or nonrestrictive." This distinction was endorsed by Fowler, but the use of which as a restrictive pronoun is common in great literature produced on both sides of the Atlantic.restrictive relative clauses The Elements of Style 8

Miscellaneous grammatical differences English writers everywhere occasionally make new compound words from common phrases; for example, health care is now being replaced by healthcare on both sides of the Atlantic. However, AmE has made certain words in this fashion which are still treated as phrases in most Commonwealth countries. For example, Americans write trademark, but some other countries write trade-mark or trade mark. trademark 9

Some differences between American & British English Different Spelling, Although Same Pronunciation –plough — plow –colour — color –centre — center –Cheque — check (noun form [bank] –Defence — defense (noun form) –licence (noun form) — license –Alright — all right –manoeuvre — maneuver –tyre — tire –Ageing — aging; –gaol — jail 10

Same Concept, Different Terms or Expressions; (or) Same Word, Differences in Style, Connotation and Frequency Hire a car — rent a car Petrol — gasoline; Saloon — sedan, Estate car — station wagon Boot — trunk (storage area); silencer — muffler (to reduce exhaust noise); other auto terms Fortnight — two weeks; Goods train — freight train Barrister vs. solicitor ['brief', 'silk'] — lawyer, attorney, attorney-at-law 11