On Grammatical Differences between Daily British and American English

Bin Zhang,Zhaofeng Jiang

doi:10.5539/ass.v4n6p69

Abstract

The grammatical differences between daily British English and American English are mainly in terms of the usage of prepositions, auxiliary verbs, articles, pronouns, adjectives and adverbs, and tense and subjunctive mood. These differences exert influence on English learning and interpersonal communication. This paper tries to illustrate the differences of grammar between British and American daily English based on the authors’ teaching experience and learning experience in the UK. By comparison, English learners would understand more about the differences and be more effective while communicating with the people from the US and the UK.

Highlights

English originates from England and belongs to Germanic of Indo-European family
Under the influence of culture of various countries and regions, English can be categorized into British English, American English, Australian English, New Zealand English, Canadian English, Indian English, Irish English, etc
American English is more widely used in international level, which confuses those English learners who have not been systematically trained and results in “mixed” English

Summary

Introduction

English originates from England and belongs to Germanic of Indo-European family. Under the influence of culture of various countries and regions, English can be categorized into British English, American English, Australian English, New Zealand English, Canadian English, Indian English, Irish English, etc. At present, American English (AmE) and British English (BrE) are most commonly used. (AmE) According to the custom that British English usually uses “got” while American English “gotten”, we can quickly tell the nationality of the speaker. British English usually uses “Have you any children?” or “Have you got any children?” whilst Americans commonly express the same meaning with “Do you have any children?” Let us see some other examples. (BrE) 2.2 Differences in prepositions Differences between British and American English in prepositions are shown in the following two aspects: (1) different use of prepositions in the construction of phrases; (2) when using phrases, one will use a preposition while the other will omit it. (BrE) 2.3 Differences in tense There are differences in the use of tense in British and American English. When expressing the event that just happened, British English usually uses past perfect tense, such as “I’ve just seen your brother” and “I’ve already eaten.” American English adopts past tense, such as “I just saw your brother” and “I already ate.” Let us have a look at other examples: I know what it is! I’ve forgotten my husband. (BrE)

Differences in forms

The omitting of articles

The position of articles

Differences in pronouns

Conclusion