British English and American English
Look at these sentences. Do you know which sentences are more typical of British English or American English?
Shall I open the door for you?
He's taking a shower.
France have won the World Cup.
I'm not hungry. I just ate.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
The main difference between British English and American English is in pronunciation. Some words are also different in each variety of English, and there are also a few differences in the way they use grammar. Here are five of the most common grammatical differences between British and American English.
1. Present perfect and past simple
In British English, people use the present perfect to speak about a past action that they consider relevant to the present.
The present perfect can be used in the same way in American English, but people often use the past simple when they consider the action finished. This is especially common with the adverbs already, just and yet.
| British English | American English |
|---|---|
| He isn't hungry. He has already had lunch. - Have you done your homework yet? - Yes, I've just finished it. | He isn't hungry. He already had lunch. - Did you do your homework yet? - Yes, I just finished it. |
2. got and gotten
In British English, the past participle of the verb get is got.
In American English, people say gotten.
** Note that have got is commonly used in both British and American English to speak about possession or necessity. have gotten is not correct here.
| British English | American English |
|---|---|
You could have got hurt! BUT: | You could have gotten hurt! BUT: |
3. Verb forms with collective nouns
In British English, a singular or plural verb can be used with a noun that refers to a group of people or things (a collective noun). We use a plural verb when we think of the group as individuals or a singular verb when we think of the group as a single unit.
In American English, a singular verb is used with collective nouns.
** Note that police is always followed by a plural verb.
| British English | American English |
|---|---|
My family is/are visiting from Pakistan. BUT: | My family is visiting from Pakistan. BUT: |
4. have and take
In British English, the verbs have and take are commonly used with nouns like bath, shower, wash to speak about washing and with nouns like break, holiday, rest to speak about resting.
In American English, only the verb take (and not the verb have) is used this way.
| British English | American English |
|---|---|
| I'm going to have/take a shower. Let's have/take a break. | I'm going to take a shower. Let's take a break. |
5. shall
In British English, people often use Shall I ...? to offer to do something and/or Shall we ...? to make a suggestion.
It is very unusual for speakers of American English to use shall. They normally use an alternative like Should/Can I ...? or Do you want/Would you like ...? or How about ...? instead.
| British English | American English |
|---|---|
| It's hot in here. Shall I open the window? Shall we meet in the café at 5? Shall we try that again? | It's hot in here. Can I open the window? Do you want to meet in the café at 5? How about we try that again? |
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
It’s always nice to know this kind of difference between British and American English.
Good
Well Everyone should know most of this
Super
From now on, I'm going to use the British English of Shall I ..../ Shall we .... in the questions, which I rarely use them in the conversations.
Hello, Learn English team!
In Grammar test 1, in question 4: - His family live in Helsinki.
British English
American English - I have chosen American English, but the answer is British English.
Why the answer is British English? In grammar explanation it's said that the singular verb form is usually used in American English.
Could you please explain it?
Thanks in advance!
Hello Emir_tech,
As you say, the explanation indicates that singular verb forms are more common in American English.
My family live in Helsinki has a plural verb form. The singular verb form would be lives. Therefore this sentence is not typical of American English.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
You've got the right answer in your thoughts my mate, American English use singular verbs, however, you didn't see or remember the Present Simple form of the verb. When the verb is singular for a third person you add an "s" e.g. if the sentence were American should say "His family lives in Helsinki" that's why in this case is British because there's no "s" at the end of the verb.
Hello LearnEnglish Team,
What would you say?
Shetu Yogme.
Hello ShetuYogme,
Languages evolve over time naturally and English is no exception. Indeed, English is in a constant state of flux. There is influence in all directions (not only US and UK but also Australian, Irish, South African, Indian and so on), even if US culture is inevitably the most dominant through its size and media reach. I don't think this is a bad thing and I think any kind of linguistic nationalism is both doomed to fail and pointless. Languages are enriched by their diversity and regional variation within as well as between countries show no signs of disappearing. For example, half a century ago the BBC did not include regional accents (say, Northern English) in its broadcasts; now there are presenters from all corners of the UK and beyond. Similarly, US films and series use a lot of non-US actors and, in some ways, prefer them. Series like Game of Thrones or films like Lord of the Rings or the various Marvel productions are full of actors from the UK, often with quite strong regional accents.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team