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NAME:M. M. W. Nirmali Premasiri 

REG. NO: ANU/EN/2018/P/0023


Differences in Grammar in American and British English

There are five basic “versions” of English: American, British, Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand.
But in this article, we’ll look at basic differences in grammar between American and British English.
It’s very important to look at the nuances of these two versions of English. First, it will expand your horizons, and second, it will increase your knowledge of English.
The First Difference: The Use of Collective Nouns
The fact is that in American English, such nouns are usually used with singular verbs, and in British English, it is possible to use collective nouns in both plural and singular, depending on what is meant: a group of people as a whole, or a group of individuals.
For example:
  •         The team is playing today. – American English
  •         Tom’s family is/are coming to visit. – British English
Differences in Forming the Past Tense
When it comes to past tense verbs, they can be written in two ways in British English.
For example: learned – learnt, burned – burnt, dreamed – dreamt, etc. True, they don’t say smeltor leapt, only smelled and leaped.
In American English, it is common to use the –edending almost all the time. Exceptions can be the words dream (dreamt) and smell (smelt), but the –ed ending is often used with these words as well (dreamed, smelled).
Use of the Past Participle
In American English, the past participle of the word get, for example, can be used in two different ways: got/gotten. While British English allows the use of gotten, the rules of grammar dictate got.
For example:
  •         I’ve gotten a headache. – American English (talking about past events in general)
  •         I’ve had a headache. – British English
When Speaking About Dates
There is also a small difference in this area, which we may have never thought about.
  •         British say: My birthday is the 9th of September.
  •         Americans say: My birthday is September 9th.
In other words, Americans usually don’t use the article in this case, while British use the form article + of.
Speaking About Events in the Past Tense
When speaking about events in the past, British use the past perfect tense, while Americans simplify everything and use past simple + already/just/yet.
For example:
  •         I just saw her. vs. I have just seen her.
  •         He already finished doing his homework. vs. He has already finished his homework.
  •         Did she leave yet? vs. Has she left yet?

Use of the word Got
In American English (when speaking informally), this word is used to express:
  •         Necessity (present simple)
  •         Possession
For example:
  •         I got to go. = I gotta go.
  •         I got a new car.
In British English, the word got is also used to express necessity or possession, but only in the present perfect verb form.
For example:
  •         I’ve got to go.
  •         I’ve got a new car.
The Formation of Complex (Compound) Nouns in American and British English
This is the last thing I’d like to discuss today.
It’s very simple. In America, people use the following construction to form complex nouns: verb + noun.
For example: jump rope, dive board.
In the United Kingdom, there is another form: gerund (verb + ing) + noun.
For example: skipping rope, diving board.
If this subject is interesting to you, read the article American and British English: Differences in Vocabulary.


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