writing rules in American and British English (grammar, quote, difference)

[C.E.O]

Is there a big difference in writing rules Between American and British English? And when students in both Canada and Australia, are learning English grammar, which one have they been leaning?

[Outlaw99]

Originally Posted by C.E.O

Is there a big difference in writing rules Between American and British English? And when students in both Canada and Australia, are learning English grammar, which one have they been leaning?

Hi there, I am a Brit so I suppose I should feel responsible for your delema, but all I can say is do not worry, express yourself in what you think is correct english. there are a lot of differences in spelling so called english and expressions too, just have fun in writing and do not worry. Hey this is advise from a thick Brit and to be honest we do not care as we cannot understand the so called Oxford english either.

[ilovehuskies]

Not too much. Grammar is the glue that holds the English language together and proper English grammar is pretty much the same throughout the English-speaking world. What can differ however is how British use grammar vs. how Americans use grammar.

For example, the British tend to treat collective nouns as plural ("parliament are," "team/staff have") while in the US and Canada we tend to treat them as singular, though it would be correct gramatically to treat them as plural in the US and as singular in the UK, depending on whether you're referring to the group or its individuals.

Here are a few more:
American and British English differences - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Ruby Wilfong]

I think grammar has morphed these days into something totally different. Just listen to the news, music, the public at large... do they even teach it in school anymore? I think of all the things people say, which when I was young meant one thing and now it is something completely different. I understand that language evolves with the passing of time, so does that mean grammar is forced to change along with it? If it does, who makes the new rules?

[AnotherTouchOfWhimsy]

Some of the differences are purely spelling: color/colour, theater/theatre, etc.

Others are words used: trunk/boot (of a car)

And some are grammatical: Americans say, "If he were here," while Brits say, "if he was here." (Is that right? This is according to a European, but not a Brit, so I'm not positive on this one!)

IME, Australians and Canadians learn British English when it comes to spelling; not sure about the rest.

[tpk-nyc]

There are some punctuation differences. For example, Brits don't use a period after an abbreviation if the last letter of the abbreviation is also the last letter of the word. In the US we write "Mr." whereas the Brits write "Mr" with no period. This is a very small difference. If you set the spell check on your word processing program to British English, it will pick up on those things.

The biggest differences are in vocabulary, not grammar. Apart from the obvious, like elevator vs. lift, the Brits tend to mock the American habit of turning every noun into a verb (especially if the noun is a neologism from American Business English). For example, the verb: "to network," as in "I went to the party to network with other managers."

English is an infinitely flexible language, which is partly why it it so powerful and pervasive. The Brits have contributed their fair share of goofy words and neologisms. The difference is that innovations in American English tend to come from the worlds of business and technology.

[Fred314X]

Originally Posted by Outlaw99

Hi there, I am a Brit so I suppose I should feel responsible for your delema,

Do you guys actually spell "dilemma" that way in England? I must say, it imparts an interesting flavour to your writing. (Oh oh, excuse me...I think my Sarcasm Alarm just went off!)