Difference of usage between British and American English

[Maciamo]

Apart from differences in vocabulary, grammar and pronuciation, I have noted a few differences in usage between BrE and AmE. I found these comparing the BrE and AmE versions of a Grammar Book. usually both are correct in each varietu of English, but one is more usual in BrE, while the other is more common in AmE.

BrE : I'll phone her
AmE : I'll call her

BrE : I feel a bit hungry
AmE : I feel a little hungry

BrE : We decided to go by car
AmE : We decided to drive

BrE : horrible
AmE : awful

BrE : cross the road
AmE : cross the street

BrE : look for somewhere else to stay
AmE : look for another place to live

BrE : I am going on holiday
AmE : I am leaving on vacation

BrE : When you have finished with it...
AmE : When you are finished with it... (this is wrong in BrE)

BrE : to advise someone
AmE : to give someone advice

BrE : When will you know your exam results ?
AmE : When will you find out how you did on the exam ?

BrE : this evening
AmE : tonight

[jeisan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maciamo BrE : When you have finished with it... AmE : When you are finished with it... (this is wrong in BrE)

just to add my own AmE to this, i'd say "done" rather than "finished"
"When you're done with it..."

[Brooker]

Some of your British examples are also used by Americans.

The British use "have" a little differently than we Americans, such as....

"I'm going to have a bite" OR "We had a laugh".

And, I'd never heard "hire" used in this way until I talked to British and "Commonwealth" folks I met in Japan...

"I'm going to hire a video." In American English we'd only use the word "rent". "Hire" is only used to talk about paying a person to do something.

How about...
BrE: "boot"
AmE: "trunk"

I used to have the British English vs. American English debate all the time while in Japan.

[Maciamo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brooker Some of your British examples are also used by Americans.

I know. These are just differences I noticed they took the pain to change from the BrE version of my grammar book to the AmE version (they also changed the names, so that Sue becomes Amanda, and George becomes Dave, or the like).

Quote:

The British use "have" a little differently than we Americans, such as.... "I'm going to have a bite" OR "We had a laugh".

Yes, and also in most cases when Americans say "take" : have a bath, have a walk, have a nap, etc.

Quote:

"I'm going to hire a video." In American English we'd only use the word "rent". "Hire" is only used to talk about paying a person to do something.

I thing that "hire" is used more in phrases like "hire a car" or "hire a boat" in Britain. I'd say "rent a video".

But these are more vocabulary differences (words only used in BrE or AmE), while those I cited are supposedly correct in both AmE and BrE, but more common in one variety of English (i.e. the dictionary is never going to mention that "to phone" is BrE and "to call" in AmE, although "to ring (up)" or "to buzz" are BrE, and "to call up" is AmE).

[Brooker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maciamo (they also changed the names, so that Sue becomes Amanda, and George becomes Dave, or the like).

Those all sound like American (or English) names to me. (Funny that Sue and Dave are my parents' names, and they're both American )

Quote:

I thing that "hire" is used more in phrases like "hire a car" or "hire a boat" in Britain. I'd say "rent a video".

I've actually heard an Aussie say, "Hire a video". That's why I thought it was so strange.

[Maciamo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brooker Those all sound like American (or English) names to me. (Funny that Sue and Dave are my parents' names, and they're both American )

I think you are mising the point. All English names (including those of Latin, Greek or Hebrew origin) are used in all English-seapking countries. It's just that some names are more common in one country than in another, and sometimes the age associated with a name can be quite different depedning on the country. Btw, George was in the BrE book, while Dave was the AmE one, although many US presidents from George Washinton to George Bush were of course American. But I didn't make the book, just noticing that they changed the names when they could have kept them as they were.

[Chris]

I reckon it's the strength of English that it is so easily capable of absorbing new phrases and vocabulary. It's always changing and adapting - an essential trait in this fast-paced world of ours. No surprise then, when some phrases sometimes sound odd and others sound familiar.

I lived in the States for 10 years (many years back) and even now, I find the odd Americanism creeping into my speech.

[martin parra]

the american language is told much slower than the way of the anglish from europe.

to say, something is not in the formal way as in america to the euroepeans.