This tag is for questions related to English as spoken in the isles of Britain and sometimes Ireland.
3
votes
2answers
216 views
What is the equivalent of “Jack o'lantern” in British English?
Sometimes the constant stream of exported American culture overpowers the vocabulary. Thanks to the explosion of posts on Reddit in the last month I know that Americans call a a carved pumpkin a "jack ...
3
votes
2answers
309 views
“cold cash” vs. “hard cash”
Context (New York Times):
Besides piling into Treasuries, institutional investors are also
seeking out the safety of cold, hard cash, pouring billions
into commercial bank accounts backed up ...
3
votes
4answers
1k views
Should anti- and counterclockwise be hyphenated?
I've got a document in which I'm defining counterclockwise and mentioning that it is sometimes also called anti-clockwise. The document is in American English, and generally in line with the Chicago ...
3
votes
3answers
365 views
“Who him?” as a stand-in for “Who is he?”
I'm curious: is this valid under some rule of grammar I don't know? Was it ever valid, or was it slang or a personal idiosyncrasy? Or (I shudder to think) was it invented by later authors, as a ...
3
votes
2answers
174 views
Have American English speakers always used the term “last name” instead of surname?
I am aware that speakers of British English generally use the term "surname" and AmE speakers use "last name." What I want to know is how long it has been this way, i.e. if AmE speakers ever used the ...
3
votes
1answer
178 views
Why is the Yorkshire dialect called 'Tyke'?
From Wikipedia:
The Yorkshire dialect refers to the varieties of English used in the Northern England historic county of Yorkshire. Those varieties are often referred to as Broad Yorkshire or ...
3
votes
1answer
91 views
“Tabled”, US vs UK [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
What is the meaning of the expression “We can table this”?
Here's an example snippet for some context.
Ann had an idea. We tabled her idea.
In the UK this means ...
3
votes
2answers
284 views
Phrasing of “What knowledge is required [at/in] [a] university?”
In British English, how should I properly write a sentence like
What knowledge is required at university?
Basically, I want to ask what knowledge is required for study at a university or in a ...
3
votes
1answer
62 views
If I go to a Language School, do I go to school?
My friend, aged 21, has just started taking classes at a language school, and will shortly be doing 4 hours each weekday there. It feels very odd to be saying "How's school going?" – we finished ...
3
votes
1answer
382 views
“Parametrise” or “parameterise” a curve?
In British English, which one is correct? Does one parameterise a curve or parametrise it?
3
votes
1answer
500 views
Divergence in meaning of “just about” between UK and North American English
Does anyone know anything about how the meaning of "just about" came to have opposite meanings in the UK and North America.
For example, in the UK, The team just about won. means that the team won, ...
3
votes
3answers
488 views
Usage of the phrase “Eat your tea”
This is another bit of unusual English (to an American) that I picked up from Terry Pratchett's writings. Characters in the books have told others to "Eat their tea", in the literal sense.
Is this a ...
3
votes
1answer
336 views
Hyphenation of parameter(s)
How is parameter(s) hyphenated in UK English?
pa-ram-e-ter (Merriam-Webster)
or pa-rame-ter (Word XP)
or para-met-er (TCItex)
or para-meter (OAL Dictionary)
or pa-ra-me-ter (seems to bee the ...
3
votes
3answers
1k views
“And to you” or “you too”?
I really like to chat with English folks, so I have wished them Merry Christmas. To my surprise I have noticed the following pattern — the British answered "and to you", but Americans "you too". The ...
3
votes
1answer
206 views
'co-opt' in US usage
'co-opt' in US usage means to take over for a purpose for which it was not really intended, having a slightly inappropriate connotation, while in the British usage it means to choose or elect as a ...
3
votes
2answers
125 views
“Go shut the door” or “Go and shut the door”: AmE/BrE difference
The usage you put the verb (in its infinitive form) right after "go" is used in AmE but not in BrE, as I heard. For example,
Go shut the door.
However, I doubt this is true and want to know the ...
3
votes
1answer
271 views
pronunciation: question about dictionary phonetic symbol
I was looking up the word "meditative", and in one dictionary, the fourth letter "i" is pronounced "ə", but in another dictionary it is pronounced "ɪ".
I don't know which phonetic symbol I should ...
3
votes
1answer
152 views
Parenthetical commas and foreign English
I advise a friend on her writing, despite not quite knowing an adverb from a proverb (kidding (kinda)).
Invariably, parenthetical commas such as the following:
Jane, my assistant, opened the ...
3
votes
2answers
140 views
Usage of 'in vogue'
Is in vogue a commonly used phrase in the UK?
Background:
The famous Med School book Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine contains the phrase at least once. A med school book is an unusual ...
3
votes
2answers
139 views
I've heard something like “young pop” as a synonym for “young man/people”. Is it right?
I've heard something like "young pop" as a synonym for "young man/people". Is it right? How do you spell "pop" in that context?
3
votes
1answer
503 views
American English: which vs that [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is it appropriate to use 'that' as opposed to 'which'?
We've had an American Americanise some phrases for us (with the point of teaching children ...
3
votes
0answers
125 views
Usage of 'and' with commas [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Comma before last item in a list
I grew up learning British English rules and we were taught that while using commas to list or enumerate items, there should never be a ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
Independance or Independence?
What other words are like "independence" in British English where you replace the 'a' with an 'e'?
2
votes
7answers
9k views
Is there a rule in British English about how to pronounce “either”?
There are two common pronunciations of "either": British /ˈaɪðər/ and American /ˈiːðər/. If Americans are more or less consistent in this regard, then the Brits seem to be freely using both. In fact, ...
2
votes
4answers
322 views
US and UK English: queue or waiting line?
What do you usually say, depending on the context and depending if it's US or UK English?
wait in line or queue
2
votes
2answers
991 views
“A hundred percent” vs. “hundred percent”
Which sentence is grammatically correct:
I'm a hundred percent sure
I'm hundred percent sure
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
2
votes
5answers
605 views
Which version of English influenced the other? British / American
I remember hearing that modern American English is more similar to Old English than modern British English, due to rural British influences.
Is modern American English a more accurate representation ...
2
votes
5answers
10k views
British English: “fantasise” or “fantasize”?
I would like to know which spelling is more common in the UK: fantasise or fantasize?
2
votes
2answers
183 views
“What it is that is” versus “what is”
I recently heard an American presenter using the phrase "discover what it is that is important to you."
What is the linguistic difference between saying "what it is that is," rather than "what is"?
2
votes
4answers
262 views
“Fall term”, “autumn semester”, “autumn term” or “fall semester”?
Please clarify which is UK English, American English, and where and when to use which:
Fall term (American English?)
Autumn semester (UK English?)
Autumn term (wrong?)
Fall semester (wrong?)
2
votes
2answers
726 views
“Woman front bits” meaning
Whats does "woman front bits" actually means?
This question is surprisingly inspired by one of the answers
to this question: "Is there any slang I should avoid in the UK or Ireland".
It is ...
2
votes
3answers
781 views
Englishman or English man?
Which group is correct (in British English)? Is there any difference? And which group do you use?
Group 1 (the one I use)
English man, English woman, English men, English women
Irish man, Irish ...
2
votes
2answers
189 views
Is it safe to use the British standard for numbering in a novel with a worldwide audience? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Billion and other large numbers
Where I am from (Barbados) I grew up knowing a Billion to = 1000 000 000 000, not 1000 000 000, and it was some years before I learned to ...
2
votes
3answers
509 views
make vs incur in this sentence
Like humans beings We incur into mistakes.
Like humans beings We make mistakes.
What's the correct sentence in British English?
2
votes
4answers
875 views
“Enclosure” vs. “attachment”
If I understand it correctly, one usually uses the term enclosure when referring to extra documents to e.g. a letter. But what if these extra items are not other documents and papers?
Say I have ...
2
votes
4answers
291 views
“Merge a with b” and “Merge b with a” or “Merge b into a”
I might be having a dumb day but today after looking over my code I ran into a meaning issue with my own syntax, and the comments explaining that syntax...something I've never actually thought about ...
2
votes
3answers
364 views
London dialect usage
I found the following sentence in this article and was trying to understand it. I could get the meaning from the context, but I cannot deconstruct the sentence at all.
They introduced pugnacity, ...
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3answers
2k views
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4answers
251 views
Can bacon or beans suggest some sort of alcohol?
I just read this poem:
The Englishman
by G.K. Chesterton
St George he was for England,
And before he killed the dragon
He drank a pint of English ale
Out of an English flagon.
For ...
2
votes
3answers
527 views
Nightlife or night life (BrE)
What is the correct spelling of the word "nightlife" (e.g. social activities in clubs/bars) in British English?
Is it nightlife (one word) or night life (two words)?
2
votes
3answers
388 views
Why is the word “movie” shown in spell check? [closed]
The spell check in Chrome or text-editors show the word "movie" as a spelling mistake, why?
2
votes
3answers
327 views
Should one stick to American style of placing punctuation marks within quotes if one uses the American spelling?
According to Wikipedia, there are two ways to use punctation marks when it comes to quoting. Basically, we have the British style, where punctation marks that don't come from the quoted material "is ...
2
votes
2answers
373 views
'to'-infinitive without the verb
I seem to recall reading somewhere that using a to-infinitive with the actual verb omitted (because it's clear from context) — as in
He asked me to go, but I don't want to. (1)
— is ...
2
votes
1answer
961 views
In the UK - what does “cheeky half” mean?
And what is the expression's origin?
(I believe it's related to beer)
2
votes
2answers
235 views
How unusual are Nancy Gribble and Nero Wolfe?
Nancy Gribble and Nero Wolfe (at least the TV version played by Maury Chaykin) both use British pronunciations like "tomahto" and "shedule" rather than "tomayto" and "skedule", and yet both seem to be ...
2
votes
3answers
99 views
What word describes the shape of a whirlwind when seen from above?
What word describes the shape of a whirlwind when seen from above?
Swirl
Whorl
Radial
The shape they make when seen from above resembles a radial pattern or even a whorl.
2
votes
2answers
71 views
Does your name belong to you?
I'm having trouble deciding whether the word 'name' can be used possessively. Currently I'm thinking it's correct to say:
Patients' names have been altered to provide anonymity
However it just ...
2
votes
2answers
99 views
Meaning of “there is much competition in firms between different managerial logics”
I have some doubts about this sentence:
Naturally there is much competition in firms between different managerial
logics. Usually one dominant logic emerges successful.
Does this mean that ...
2
votes
1answer
321 views
Convolve vs. convolute
I understand that for common usage these words have distinct meanings. However in mathematics there is a process called convolution, and sometimes you hear "you need to convolve X" and sometimes "you ...
2
votes
2answers
283 views
L versus LL in British versus US English [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is “L” doubled?
Is there any guidance on the usage of doubled consonants, particularly L, in British versus US English? For example 'Travelled' v. ...
