Spelling: English (UK) versus English (US)

[Laine]

I read a lot of Regency romances and I can rell if the author is Engish or American by the words and phrases used.

[SeaBookGuy]

Originally Posted by Graham Coulson

... and Apples and Pears for Stairs, and Trouble and Strife for Wife and lots more that I can let you have, if you'd like... some quite amusing.

I learned about Vera Lyn from one of Victoria Wood's comedy routines. \

Originally Posted by DMB

It would not have occurred to me that I might need subtitles for something in English. I understand, however, that Americans often need subtitles for films from England.

Years ago, before televisions and videos (think: VHS) came with captions, a friend and I were watching the Prime Suspect episodes where Jane Tennyson had been shipped off to Manchester, where the locals did NOT "talk posh" (as Miss Brahams from "Are You Being Served" would put it). We really struggled to get through that one!

I would not say Americans "often" need subtitles for British TV/film -- most of us manage just fine.

[BeccaAnn]

The biggest difference for me, and I've only noticed it in fanfiction, is the author will mean plural people or things and will put an apostrophe s on the end. An apostrophe s, means possession for me (as an American). Is this a common thing for Brits and other Commonwealth writers to do? An example would be: the Dursley's (meaning all the family members, going by the context of the sentence).

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by BeccaAnn

The biggest difference for me, and I've only noticed it in fanfiction, is the author will mean plural people or things and will put an apostrophe s on the end. An apostrophe s, means possession for me (as an American). Is this a common thing for Brits and other Commonwealth writers to do? An example would be: the Dursley's (meaning all the family members, going by the context of the sentence).

Using an apostrophe s when a plural is intended is just a mistake. It's not correct anywhere. That's why you've only seen it in fanfiction.

[BeccaAnn]

I thought so, since I don't remember that from when I attended a British school, but it's nice that you cleared that up. Now, I can stop feeling guilty when I make those changes before adding the stories to my Reader.

[kiwipippa]

We use British spelling and grammar here, but the lines are blurring with American spelling creeping in. Australians seem to use American English more than we do.

On a related topic, I've just been to "The Help" movie and being a New Zealander I found some of the Southern US accents really hard to understand. I had to concentrate for the first half hour or so until I picked it up.

[JeremyR]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Using an apostrophe s when a plural is intended is just a mistake. It's not correct anywhere. That's why you've only seen it in fanfiction.

You see this all the time on the internet now. I'm convinced it's some sort of virus that affects human minds. You know it's wrong, but you see it and your mind starts using it subconsciously.

Anyway, one thing I've noticed in reading older books, is that sometimes the American spelling or term used to be the English term, but now isn't.

For instance, Scots/Scotch when referring to something that is Scottish. It used to be Scotch, but then for some reason it became Scots. But Americans still often use Scotch.

Indeed, that extends to why Americans say our Rs and the British don't. They used to, but they stopped for some reason, but we still do (except those with heavy contact with England, like in Boston).

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by BeccaAnn

I thought so, since I don't remember that from when I attended a British school, but it's nice that you cleared that up. Now, I can stop feeling guilty when I make those changes before adding the stories to my Reader.

Misuse of apostrophes is just plain ignorance. You only have to read this forum to see how many people here don't know the correct usage for "its" and "it's".

[DMB]

The apostrophe s for plurals is known in Britain as the "greengrocer's apostrophe", presumably because practitioners of that trade would put out handwritten notices in front of their shops saying things like "juicy plum's 1s 6d per lb".

British writer Lynn Truss wrote an amusing book about misuse of punctuation.

[Mnementh]

Originally Posted by DMB

The apostrophe s for plurals is known in Britain as the "greengrocer's apostrophe", presumably because practitioners of that trade would put out handwritten notices in front of their shops saying things like "juicy plum's 1s 6d per lb".

I'm British and I have to say I've never heard or seen that.

I have to say my biggest annoyance is the misuse of the word "went" when it should be "gone" i.e. "He should have went there" instead of "He should have gone there". It just really annoys me especially as I'm starting to hear it more and more in conversation with younger people as well as in the written word.

Whenever I see it in a book it just makes me cringe and wonder if you actually require any qualifications to be an editor/proofreader nowadays.

[SeaBookGuy]

Originally Posted by Mnementh

I'm British and I have to say I've never heard or seen that.

I have to say my biggest annoyance is the misuse of the word "went" when it should be "gone" i.e. "He should have went there" instead of "He should have gone there". It just really annoys me especially as I'm starting to hear it more and more in conversation with younger people as well as in the written word.

Whenever I see it in a book it just makes me cringe and wonder if you actually require any qualifications to be an editor/proofreader nowadays.

Ranks alongside the cringe-inducing "If I would've known" ...

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by SeaBookGuy

Ranks alongside the cringe-inducing "If I would've known" ...

... or the increasingly common "would of, should of, could of, etc", instead of "would HAVE".

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Mnementh

I'm British and I have to say I've never heard or seen that.

I'm astounded. The "greengrocer's apostrophe" is to be seen in almost every high street. Keep your eyes open for it - you'll soon see it.

[Hellmark]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Misuse of apostrophes is just plain ignorance. You only have to read this forum to see how many people here don't know the correct usage for "its" and "it's".

On that, I know I commonly forget. I frequently have to look up which is which, because my natural tendency is to use apostrophes for possession, which is not the case for "its" and "it's"

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Hellmark

On that, I know I commonly forget. I frequently have to look up which is which, because my natural tendency is to use apostrophes for possession, which is not the case for "its" and "it's"

Just think of "his" as a comparison. I'm sure you wouldn't be tempted to write "hi's", would you?