Questions tagged [transatlantic-differences]

Differences between how English is used on one side of the Atlantic compared with on the other side; specifically, the difference between Canadian and American English on one side and Irish and British English on the other.

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What is the metric name or designation for nominal ½″ copper pipe in the various English dialects where metric dimensions are used?

I hope this question is as on-topic as this question about distances. I need to know what people call nominal ½″ copper pipe (the stiff unbendable kind used in domestic plumbing) in English dialects ...
TimR's user avatar
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When and why did American English begin to use different punctuation?

I was wondering when and why American English began to use different punctuation. On the web I find a lot of examples but no date or reason why. Any date/year or explanation as to why would be amazing....
Becbel60's user avatar
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1 answer
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Grammaticality of: “A movement subsequently rose demanding that the King ‘was’(??!) removed as the head of the Church of England”

I am wondering how the Subjunctive Mood functions in the past, considering this sentence: A movement subsequently rose demanding that the King was removed as the head of the Church of England. My ...
Didyougo's user avatar
-1 votes
2 answers
96 views

Nested quotations & internal commas: an edge case

Which of the following would be best practice, and why and according to whom? Alice says, “Bob said, ‘Hello’ ” and she smiles at the memory. Alice says, “Bob said, ‘Hello’, ” and she smiles at the ...
brianyin99's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
113 views

Is the spelling 'judgment' a feature of American English? (As opposed to the other -dg[e]ment words?)

According to the dictionary, the "e" is optional when a word ends in "-dg(e)ment". Dictionary examples: oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com: "acknowledgement" (also "...
Loviii's user avatar
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5 answers
170 views

How to be 'ornery' in BE?

I'm looking for the best BE substitute for the AmE word "ornery" in the phrase "an ornery bunch". Complicating the task for this second-language speaker of English is that ...
Swenglish's user avatar
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1 answer
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Redeem - different meanings - related?

I'm flummoxed by the various meanings on 'redeem' involving improvement or rescue (of a person) and also involving satisfaction of a debt/obligation and other financial uses. The connection between ...
C.S.'s user avatar
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2 answers
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What are the exclamation and question marks/points called in variants of English?

As regards !, wikipedia reads The exclamation mark, !, or exclamation point (American English) but it doesn't use a corresponding wording for ?: The question mark ? (also known as interrogation ...
Enlico's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
143 views

Is "different than" ungrammatical? [closed]

THIS IS NOT A DUPLICATE QUESTION. This question does not duplicate that question that is cited that this question is a duplicate of, as was already fully explored and explained in the body of this ...
Benjamin Harman's user avatar
1 vote
3 answers
347 views

Is the verb ‘recollect’ used in American English? How is it different from ‘remember’?

I (American English) am a plaintiff in a lawsuit taking place in Malta (UK English) that involves some British people as well as some Americans. When cross-examining a British person, many of his ...
Thomas's user avatar
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2 answers
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What is the word for abdominal pain, stomach ache or belly ache?

In everyday conversation, what's the usual word that describes the abdominal pain that is caused by diarrhoea? Do you say it's a "stomach ache" or "belly ache"? Is there a ...
Ana's user avatar
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2 answers
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How can “Harold” and “Herald” ever sound the same?

I was reading a book¹ recently where the main protagonist is fixated on homonyms and has rules that proper nouns are not homonyms and gives Harold and herald as an example of words that sound the same ...
Fumblina's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is "luggage" becoming a countable noun?

When I learned English, I learned that "luggage" an uncountable noun, meaning the collection of all your bags and suitcases (and/or their contents). From https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/...
Thomas's user avatar
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Are comma splices more common in British English or American English?

To me it seems that they are more common in British English than in American English (and I say that as a Brit). From what I have noticed, American politicians' writing tends to have fewer comma ...
Eric's user avatar
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From ‘cupboard’, a chair is taken out?

It seems to me that ‘cupboard’ in the 21st century is usually a closet or cabinet; a piece of furniture usually with shelves for storing food, crockery, and utensils. But early in the 20th century, ‘...
samhana's user avatar
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Around 1970 in Britain, was this use of 'shall', in 'You shall go (=I let you go)', already out-of-date in daily conversation?

A striking grammatical difference between BE and AE is the various uses of auxiliary verbs (now, modal verbs) of will and shall. When I was a high school boy studying English without any chance of ...
samhana's user avatar
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Is this sentence construction wrong, where "going home" has other implied meaning, the origin and span of which isn't known? [closed]

I stumbled upon this article about the origins of some unusual idioms and phrases, as I have heard many of them being used popularly. But I was bit shocked and frustrated when I read this sentence ...
Vicky Dev's user avatar
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2 votes
4 answers
244 views

punctuation: chicken-fried steak [closed]

Does anyone know why the adjective in "chicken-fried steak" is hyphenated by some people but not by others? What do writing guides on both sides of the pond say about this issue? The ...
Apollyon's user avatar
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The difference between "have got" and "have got to"?

I have been asked about the difference between Have got Have got to Are they considered as present perfect forms?
Amany's user avatar
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2 answers
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Is "know the drill" used in American English as well as UK English in a daily conversation?

Some of my American friends say this is truly American expression. And I found this comment; “Get prepared and ready for your punishment” (especially if you have already been punished before) either ...
Hiro's user avatar
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Dropping articles: "I have a little brother and little sister." - is this correct? [closed]

I teach ESL online through a company which provides materials. One sentence given is "I have a little brother and little sister." When I read this aloud to the student, I automatically added ...
Rob's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
474 views

Is "fleabag" as a derogatory term for an unpleasantly dirty person a Britishism?

I have always heard and used "fleabag" as referring to a shabby hotel/motel room, a dump of a place, so I was kind of surprised to see it also has a separate meaning of a dirty person. This ...
Eddie Kal's user avatar
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Why is the stressed form of "of" different in American English than in other English?

In UK English, of has the stressed pronunciation /ɒv/. In Australian English, it has the corresponding pronunciation /ɔv/. However, in US English, it is /ʌv/ instead of the corresponding /ɑv/. I get ...
Dijek's user avatar
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2 answers
605 views

"I wouldn't really recommend it" in British vs American English

Consider this phrase and context: "One could do X. One could also do Y, but I wouldn't really recommend it." (The general "you" instead of "one" could also be used, but ...
Royce Williams's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
662 views

Use of Grade Levels Instead of Age [closed]

Why do Americans use grade levels to indicate the passage of time instead of actual age? (i.e. “When I was in 12th grade” vs. “When I was 17, 18, etc.)
Joreujo's user avatar
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320 views

Is Northwest the wrong spelling

I am taking IELTS exam and I was marked wrong in the following question: Preferred location: in the Northwest Apparently, the correct answer is "North-West." Notice that officially, IELTS ...
jxhyc's user avatar
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1 vote
3 answers
2k views

What is the difference between "cancel" and "abort"? [closed]

I've tried to see the definition, but i still don't get it. What is their difference and when to use it?
Fellas21's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
172 views

BrE usage of "should have"

This usage of "should have" appears to be a Britishism. I wonder if anyone cares to provide an explanation of the British "should have" usages. Several observers have emphasised ...
Eddie Kal's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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A babysitter or a childminder?

I have recently had a lesson about jobs. I noticed that a different term 'childminder' is used for a babysitter in the UK. Is that right? Does anybody know if it's common?
Chim's user avatar
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Is the varying pronunciation of "schedule" using "sh-" vs "sk-" regional or individual? [duplicate]

‘Hard’ /ˈskɛ.djuːl/vs ‘Soft’ /ˈʃɛ.djuːl/ Is one of the two variants /ˈʃɛ.djuːl/ with ‘sh‑’ (so including [ˈʃɛ.djɫ], [ˈʃɛ.dʒɫ̩], [ˈʃɛ.dʒu.əɫ], [ˈʃɛ.dʒuːɫ]) /ˈskɛ.djuːl/ with ‘sk‑’ (so including [...
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4 votes
5 answers
5k views

Why do Americans find the word "request" to be rude?

I was reading somewhere that Americans find the word request to be a rude gesture. You must directly ask them a question instead of using the word "request". For example, in this Quora post, "Don't ...
jimmy's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why did American English change certain past tense verb endings from ‑t to ‑ed but not others?

I always get “mad” (we don’t actually get upset with each other) at a friend of mine because he uses the UK versions for the past tense of verbs like spill or spell, saying spilt or spelt instead of ...
Elle Fromm's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
39k views

"I hope you all/both are doing well" vs "I hope you are all/both doing well"?

Do both convey the same message, or not? I hope you all are doing well. I hope you are all doing well. It occurs to me that the same thing happens with both when I'm only addressing two people ...
apobletos's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
10k views

What is the difference between "park" and "parc"?

I recently stumbled over this wiktionary page: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/parc#English Noun parc (plural parcs) Alternative form of park (partially enclosed basin in which oysters ...
TrashyMcTrash's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
321 views

American vs British pronunciation in a word: "run", how should that be pronounced?

As far as I know, words like run or under (letter: "u") are pronounced as: British: /rʌn/ American: /rən/ with the schwa sound The above is according to the page: A Key To English Pronunciations — ...
John's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
15k views

What is a secondary school graduate called?

I think graduate indicates only a university graduate in British English, but in American English can it perhaps also suggest a high-school graduate as well? Could anyone tell me something about ...
Angyang's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
800 views

Draft Beer or Draught Beer (In Canada)

There's a few threads on here about draft vs draught, but I couldn't find an answer to my question. As a preface, I'm Canadian, and know that draft (US) and draught (UK) are generally interchangeable,...
Angela's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
11k views

Using "from" instead of "since" when referring to a date

Is it appropriate to use "from" instead of "since" in reference to a specific date? Also, does it matter whether this date is in the past or future when considering the previous question? For example,...
rjmitty1000's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

"hold on I'll put you through" or "hang on I'll put you through"

Hello, this is Melanie Brown from Central Bank. Can I speak to Mr. Clark? Please (hold on / hang on) I'll put you through. Which one - hold on or hang on - is the more appropriate, frequently ...
Rafał Ratyński's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
5k views

Why are pubowners called landlords in the U.K.?

I just came across the fact that Brits call the owners\operators of their pubs landlords, (on the new show "The Reluctant Landlord"). Being from the USA I am only aware of the term landlord being used ...
British-tv-fan's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
328 views

Young native-speaking males emphasizing deep voices

Recently a possibly new speech pattern has come to my attention and I am wondering whether it is genuine or whether I am mistaken. It is young, male native speakers emphasizing a deep, "rough" voice. ...
Drux's user avatar
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3 votes
4 answers
9k views

Is the term Indian Giver politically correct?

My son is Cherokee & uses this term & I was concerned if that is a proper term. I thought it originated because the US government historically gave land & such to tribes, then took it back ...
Robin McClatchy's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
884 views

Is the pronunciation difference between “BrE deuce” vs “AmE deuce” systematic?

While checking the exact pronunciation of the term deuce, I noticed that there is a clear difference between BrE /djuːs/ and NAmE /duːs/. While it is true that pronunciation has more exceptions ...
user 66974's user avatar
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-3 votes
1 answer
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understanding meaning of 'cuttie' [closed]

Urban Dictionary tends to describe the word cuttie in quite sexual way. Is it really the main meaning or the noun can be used normally to name a person / thing which is just cute.
ludgo's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
4k views

How to name a person from the same country as speaker?

My Slavic language (Slovak) uses the word krajan, speaker can in this way name another person whose origin lies in the same country/land/area/region. English translations I have found: compatriot ...
ludgo's user avatar
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8 votes
4 answers
10k views

Insight into the pronunciation of the word algae?

Can anyone provide some insight into the pronunciation of the word algae? Various dictionaries give either the /g/ version as in gear or the /dʒ/ version as in jeep. For example: https://dictionary....
Kantura's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
240 views

What is an "in honors" school student in the US?

I came across this sentence on an American website Aron is a student in honors in his class I was wondering how to phrase this for a UK audience.
RoseDavie's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
3k views

The difference between 'purview' and 'remit' (BrE/AmE)?

I noticed, on YouTube, that Trey Gowdy in his congressional confrontations used the word 'purview' but never 'remit'. I could not find 'remit' as a noun in Merriam Webster, only the verb, and wondered ...
Nigel J's user avatar
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1 vote
3 answers
1k views

Clued-in or clued-up (on something)

Here's what Merriam Webster has to say about clued-up: "British, informal: having a lot of information about the latest developments: He's totally clued up on/about the latest computer ...
Daniel's user avatar
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10 votes
6 answers
3k views

Is the phrasal verb “buck up” used only in British English, not in American English?

Is the phrasal verb buck up used only in British English? I’ve never heard an American use the word buck up to mean cheer up; I suspect the phrasal verb is only used in British English.
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