Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Related UK versus US English: Smackdown 2004

OK, this topic may have been covered already, and if so, sorry. And I mean this totally and completely as a fun and entertaining exercise, not as an opportunity for anyone to say "My way is better." But I thought it would be a kick to see if we could demonstrate some of the ways that UK English differs from US English.

Now, I'm not talking about different words, such as boot vs. trunk or diapers vs. nappies. More in the way that words are ordered, used, or included/left out.

To start off, I'll list a couple of ones I've noticed.

Got vs. Gotten
UK version: Clark had got his reindeer sweater from his mother, and, as such, he was hurt when Lois laughed out loud.

US Version: Clark had gotten his reindeer sweater from his mother, and, as such, he was hurt when Lois laughed out loud.

Carers vs.Caregivers
UK version: Martha and Jonathan had been Clark's carers ever since they'd found him in Shuster's field, twenty five years ago.

US version: Martha and Jonathan had been Clark's caregivers ever since they'd found him in Shuster's field, twenty five years ago.

I know I'll think of more, but these two came to the top of my head.

Any others? This could be highly educational. Oh, and I'd love to see how other forms of English differ as well (Australian? Canadian?)

Lynn

Lynn when I saw the topic name!

On my way to work so I can come back later with more.

Maths vs Math

UK Verison Oh look, my maths is wrong. (in regards to a calculation)


US Verison Oh look, my math is wrong. (in regards to a calculation)

Sara

Excellent thread, Lynn! I almost started one like this myself after I realised I'd gone a bit OTT with the nitpicking on your HE fdk.

The UK version of that first example sounds rather clunky to my ears, and I suspect we'd be more likely to phrase it like this:

Clark had been given his reindeer sweater by his mother, and, as such, he was hurt when Lois laughed out loud.

UK version: Lex was pissed off when he saw Lois and Clark kissing.

US version: Lex was pissed when he saw Lois and Clark kissing.

(and by the way, to us UK people, 'pissed' actually means drunk )

Yvonne

I found the following on internet:

1. British English uses the present perfect tense more often, as in:

B.E. - She's lost her purse. Can you help her find it?

A.E. - She lost her purse. Can you help her find it?

B.E. - I've just received my mail.

A.E. - I just received my mail.

2. - British English tends to use 'have got' and American English 'have'.

B.E. - Have you got your pencil?

A.E. - Do you have your pencil?

3 - Americans make plurals out of nouns that are uncountable in British English.

B.E. - strands of hair

A.E. - hairs

B.E. - types of food

A.E. - foods

Actually, for all of these examples, I would say that, to an American both the British and American English are considered correct, but it is true that we tend to use the A.E. phrase more often than not.

- Vicki

Actually, I think in most cases, you could use "pissed" *or* "pissed off" in American English.

Another difference I see a lot--I hope I'm using it in the right context here.
UK version: I have done, as in, "Have you done <whatever>? Yes, I have done."
US version: I have, as in, "Have you done <whatever>? Yes, I have."

At least, I think that's the right context. There's definitely somewhere that I tend to see "have done" where I would drop the "done."

Ooops. Kind of feel stupid pointing out a difference and getting it wrong.

Is it more accurate to say:
UK Version: Clark had got angry when Lois laughed at his reindeer sweater.
vs.
US Version: Clark had gotten angry when Lois laughed at his reindeer sweater.

I do often say "pissed off" but I've seen it both ways here in the US.

But that reminds me of one:

Knock(ed) up
UK Version: It was after eleven in the morning, so we felt it was all right to knock her up and ask her to go on our picnic.
vs.
US Version: If you don't engage in safe sex with your girlfriend, you could accidentally knock her up, saddled with a baby before you're twenty.


Lynn

Really? That sounds so strange to my ears!

Another one would be the use of the adjective 'quite'. Not that it is incorrect in American English, it's just not used as frequently.

- Vicki

ROTFL! I went through these posts going, "I'd never use that. Nope, wouldn't use that. Don't ever use that..." in response to most of the UK versions...

...and then belatedly realised that this will probably come as a surprise to just about no one except me.

LabRat

I just thought of another one. Well, actually, I'm not sure if this qualifies or not. It's just that I vividly remember the first time a Brit asked me if I had a Biro. I just stared at him with this blank look on my face, and said, "A what?" He must have repeated it 3 or 4 times before finally saying, "A ball-point pen!" I had no idea what he was talking about!

- Vicki

Fascinating thread! I'm sure that I'll be adding more examples in due course, but I just had to comment on the use of 'quite'. I assume you meant it in the sense that HG Wells uses it? "Yes, quite." That would be seen as archaic in the UK now.

But when we talk of 'quite' as a qualifier, then there's a huge difference. Let's take the sentence I've seen as a comment on fic from time to time:

To my UK-English ears, that sounds like faint praise. The story was okay. It wasn't bad - but not exceptionally good either. If I were marking out of ten, a 'quite good' would get around 5.

I understand that, to an American, 'quite good' actually means 'very good' - am I right? So, to an American, telling someone that their story was quite good is actually high praise.

Okay, a few others:

• UK: We're quits. US: we're even
• UK: She's been taken to hospital; US: She's been taken to the hospital.
• UK: "Can I top up your glass?" US: "Can I top off your glass?"

Oh, and there's momentarily. I used to roll my eyes at the announcements in Disneyworld that the next tram would be along 'momentarily' - did they really mean that it would be there for only a moment? That wouldn't leave enough time for anyone to board!


Oh, and Lynn: what's a smackdown?

Wendy

LOL, Vicki!

Lynn, I struggled a bit to come up with a syntax I thought we *would* use, and I'm still not sure I got it right, so let's just say both of us are wrong. Yup, I think your second example sounds more natural, especially if you include a contraction: "He'd got angry..."

In the UK, 'knock her up' is used in the sense of your US example as well as your UK example. It's one of those multi-purpose phrases.

Sara, I wouldn't say, "I have done," in the example you used. Maybe there's another context you're thinking of.

Interesting about 'pissed'. One of those regional things, maybe.

How about 'present' and 'gift'? I think we all understand that they both mean the same thing, but I've noticed that, in the US, 'gift' appears to be used more often than 'present' whereas the opposite is true over here.

Yvonne

One difference I notice is the word "brilliant". As far as I can tell, UK english would say "That was brilliant" where we would say "That was good (or great)." I associate the word brilliant with being very intelligent.

- Laura

No, actually I meant in sentences like:

You are quite safe, now. OR, your example: Your story is quite good.

Both of those just sound 'British' to me.

I'm trying to think of just when and how I might use the word 'quite'. I can think of two circumstances. One, if you had said your story sucked, I might respond by saying "No, it's quite good, actually." Or, I might use the word 'quite' followed by 'a' or 'an', as in "That's quite an appitite you've got there!"

What do other Americans think about this word? How do you usually use it?

- Vicki

I've definitely seen the 'quite good' phrasing used by Americans, Vicki - in comment folders on these boards, actually. At one point I almost started a thread on the term, because it means such completely different things to those of us brought up on the other side of the Atlantic.

"I quite enjoyed it."

"This is quite good."

"That meal was quite nice."

- to me, all mean that the thing being described was just okay. Somewhat good. Acceptable. But I am aware that North Americans who have described a story part as 'quite good' mean it as a compliment. Go figure! As Bernard Shaw put it, two countries divided by a common language...


Wendy (who wonders how Australians interpret 'quite good' )

One thing I noticed during my brief time as a GE is that UK english involves a lot more commas than US english. I was taught in grade school that, as far as commas go, "when in doubt, leave it out!" UK english allows commas to be used for all sorts of things that look very odd to me. I still have yet to figure out the UK comma rules, actually.

As for "quite good", it's weird. I never think of it as a US phrase. It's sort of a quaint little way to say "very good," and almost has to be said with at least a trace of a british accent to make it work. ("Quaint" and "British" have an oddly large overlap in the US mind, for some reason. There are things that are quaint that are not british, and there are things that are british that are not quaint. In many cases, however, the two go hand in hand.)

I never realized that the UK meaning was so different, and now I don't know what to say. It seems like we have a US meaning/usage, but it's one that anyone in the US will tell you is of UK origin. It's probably a phrase that came over here, had its meaning changed, but somehow retained a british "flavor" in our minds.

As for pissed, it's always been my understanding that it's short for "pissed off." As I once explained to my first GE (Wendy, as it happens), it's amazing the lengths to which americans will go in order to be lazy. Save a few keystrokes and/or syllables? Great! In any case, either phrase can be used to mean the same thing. Actually, come to think, "pissed off" is generally slightly angrier than just "pissed." The "off" is almost a sign of emphasis. If the situation is bad enough to warrent using the entire phrase (with a whole extra word!), then that problably should tell you something.

I don't really agree with this one. ... Oh, now I see what the problem is. In the phrase "strands of hair," "hair" is a collective noun. It's not supposed to be plural. Same with "types of food."

I would say the following:

She brushed her hair. When she was done, she found that there were a few stray hairs left on the brush.

Looking around at the Food Court, he realized that there were many different kinds of food available. He moved around from stand to stand, collecting an assortment, then went to the nearest table, his plate brimming with food. Sitting down, he considered the all the foods on his plate. Where to start?

Momentarily can be used either to mean "in the very near future" or "for a brief time." It depends on context. Basically, it can be "in just a moment" or "for just a moment." Either works, although the former is more common.

A smackdown is a big, very hyped, fight. Probably derived from smacking your cards down on the table. These days, it's used mainly by the "pro" wrestling industry. "Monday Night Smackdown," for example. Also, somewhat rarely,
"a throw-down, smack-down fight."

Okay, that's all I have for now. I've got to get going, anyway.

Paul

What a cool idea for a thread, Lynn! I've always been interested in this topic. (Although, the more I'm able to discriminate between the two, the more I wonder which one to use while writing )

My list: ( )

First of all, the easy one:
Spelling issues:
UK behaviour vs. US behavior, UK theatre vs. US theater UK travelling vs. US traveling and so on.

Queue vs. line:

UK version: "The queue for the roller-coaster was very long."
US version: "The line for the roller-coaster was very long."

The period:

UK Dr vs. US Dr., UK Mr vs. US Mr. etc..

Also, there are some things I have seen and I don't know if they're UK vs. US differences, or it's just wrong phrasing I happened to see. Maybe someone could clarify them.

1) "Who are these flowers for?"
vs.
"For whom are these flowers?" or "These flowers are for whom?"

2) Spelling issues like dreamt/dreamed or learnt/learned.

I'm sure there are others, but I'm probably to sleepy to remember

See ya,
AnnaBtG. (non-native English speaker, please be gentle )

Interesting, Paul.

But if you want a 'quaint', British-sounding way to say 'very good', then 'rather good' would be the one to go for.


And in UK English the only acceptable meaning is 'for just a moment'.

The more I think about it, the more I realise that I actually have to learn a whole new language having moved to North America!


Wendy

I know on IRC we've had the quite good = not bad conversation, but I'll repeat it here.

If someone tells me:
Your story was quite good -> I'm happy! I think that they really liked it. On a 1 to 10 scale, I'm thinking around an 8.

Your story wasn't bad -> I'm disappointed. I think they found a lot that needed to be changed and were trying not to be rude. 3 or 4 out of 10

Your story was rather good -> I'm in the middle. I'd think they were somewhat surprised, that they'd found the story to be better than they'd expected. A 5 out of 10.

Anna, the "Who are these flowers for?" issue...I was always taught never to end a sentence with a preposition, so saying the above would be considered grammatically incorrect. However, in order to fix it, you'd go with your other two options. I think, though, that that old rule has kind of gone out the window, and we USers would probably all agree that we'd more likely say the first because it sounds much more natural.

I thought of another one, although I'm not sure how common it is. The use of the word "mind" to mean "watch" or "look out for." When we were in London bopping around on the Tube, Ken and I would get a giggle out of the announcement "Mind the gap", meaning, of course, to watch out for the gap between the platform and the subway car. I think in the US the announcement would have been something like "Watch your step".

Another one that came up recently was "Inside" versus "Inside of"
UK Version Clark could feel her heart hammering deep inside her chest.
US Version Clark could feel her heart hammering deep inside of her chest.

These are all so interesting.

And Wendy, Paul defined smackdown before I got to it, quite well (in the US sense), I might add.

Lynn

There are just some phrases that my ear perceives as 'British'. I don't know why that is, and I can't even articulate what the rule is. It's just a gut feeling.

Some are more obvious than others. "Not quite" could easily be American. "Quite nice", hmmm, not so much so. "I had quite forgotten", well now that is definitely NOT. Do not ask me why.

- Vicki

edited to remove references to the word 'quaint'

Me again. Yes, I'm feeling talkative today!

I just read Lynn's post and it reminded me of a story my sister told me. She was in London with some friends. They wanted to go across town and, not wanting to take a taxi, they asked where the subway was. A passerby pointed them to the entrance.

Down they went. The looked around, but didn't see any train or tracks or anything. So they kept walking, and the next thing they know, they are at another stairway. Up they go, and they are back on the street. They looked around, thinking, "What on earth was that all about?"

Apparently, in London, the subway is just a little tunnel designed to get pedestrians safely under and across a busy street. You learn something new every day!

- Vicki