2015-08-21
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Grammatical differences between the variants are shown in Table 8.
Table 8.
| British English | American English |
| I’ve lost my key. Can you help me look for it? | I lost my key. Can you help me look for it? |
| I’ve just had lunch. | I just had lunch. |
| I’ve already seen that film. | I already saw that film. |
| Have you finished your homework yet? | Did you finish your homework yet? |
| Have you got a car? | Do you have a car? |
| He hasn’t got any friends. | He doesn’t have a car. |
| Have you any food? Yes, I have. | Have you any food? Yes, I do. |
| He’s got much better at playing tennis. | He’s gotten much better at playing tennis. |
| After they had paid for their dinner … | After they paid for their dinner … |
| After she has had lunch, she will go. | After she has lunch, she will go. |
| The team/company are concerned … | The team /company is concerned … |
| One cannot succeed unless one tries hard. | One cannot succeed unless he tries hard. |
| They suggested he should apply for the job. | They suggested he apply for the job. |
Prepositions
There are some differences between British and American English in the usage of prepositions, such as prepositions with dates, days of the week British English requires on: I start my holiday on Friday; in American English there is no preposition: I start my vacation Friday. In British English they use by day, by night/ at night, in American English the corresponding forms are days and nights. In British English they say at home, a quarter to five, in the street, to chat to somebody, different to something, in American English – home, a quarter of five, on the street, to chat with somebody, different from something are used correspondingly.
