All Questions
Tagged with british-english american-english
901
questions
2
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0
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59
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Why do Americans not say "and" when saying particular years? [closed]
Why do Americans not say "and" when saying particular years?
For example, here in the UK, for 2010, we'd say "two thousand and ten", but in the US, they would say "two ...
- 19
0
votes
0
answers
6
views
When can we omit the article in front of a countable word in singular? [migrated]
In the sentence below, there is no "the" in front of former President. I am wondering what is the grammar rule for that?
Under Smith and his successor, Douglas, Canada sought closer trade ...
- 1
1
vote
1
answer
115
views
Is "bet" only used by vulgar people? [closed]
My cousin says "bet" is only used by vulgar people, and that "wager" is used by gentlemen. I disagree. We're talking about risking money on an outcome.
I wonder if the fine people ...
- 21
4
votes
2
answers
255
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UK vs USA grammar, past tense usage of "were stood" and "found…stood" that jars my American mind
One of my favorite authors uses past tenses in the following manner:
Other than Camden and Luke’s cousin Alex, who were stood outside the main doors talking, no one was in sight.
An American would ...
- 41
0
votes
1
answer
257
views
Current prevalence of idiom "pulling for you"
A prior question asks about the origin of the phrase "pulling for you," a phrase that conveys well-wishes and support (Merriam-Webster):
US, informal
: to say or show that one hopes (...
- 41.2k
6
votes
3
answers
553
views
Who uses "uni" for "university"?
I think much has been clarified by the many interesting comments this post has received. In Edit 5 below, I've tried to summarize what I think I've learned and what questions are still outstanding.
I'...
- 151
3
votes
1
answer
128
views
Do compounds ending in "college" have initial stress in British English but final stress in American English?
Zwicky (1986, p. 54) claims that compounds ending in college have initial stress in British English but final stress in American varieties. Thus, Brits would say KING'S college but Americans ...
- 493
1
vote
4
answers
719
views
Is there a word for fans making excuses for their favorite artist? [duplicate]
The example I'm thinking of is Bethesda and Starfield. Other than the graphics it's not a well designed game, but people keep making excuses for it, when smaller teams have done far more with far less ...
12
votes
3
answers
3k
views
The British equivalent of "X objects in a trenchcoat"
Today while giving a technical presentation to our research group, I used the expression
3 [Insert technical thing here]s in a trenchcoat.
Our advisor (British/African roots, but has been in the US ...
4
votes
2
answers
423
views
Is there a transatlantic split in how to truncate "obstetrics and gynecology"?
There is a medical specialty called obstetrics and gynecology. In the UK I have only heard this truncated to something like the first syllables separated by a truncated "and". This could ...
- 231
-2
votes
1
answer
116
views
Are all variants of English spelling basically British or American? [closed]
I am working on an English-language online resource. It seems an obvious good idea to allow users to choose a version in British English or American English spelling. However, I've noticed that spell-...
1
vote
2
answers
514
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A traffic light (1 "light" composed of 3 lights) or A SET of traffic lights (3 lights considered individually)?
Which is idiomatic in British and American English, when talking about a single post that contains 3 lights, red, yellow and green? A traffic light or A SET of traffic lights?
Dictionaries seem ...
- 5,401
5
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How did barista enter the English language?
The Italian term barista (bartender) entered the English language in 1992 and its usage has considerably increased since then according to Google Books:
"bartender in a coffee shop," as a ...
- 4,766
0
votes
1
answer
61
views
Word order after "that"
Why are we not able to delete those questions which are downvoted by someone that we have no clue what was in their mind?
Is the first sentence grammatically correct? I think it is probably wrong to ...
- 117
0
votes
1
answer
184
views
"Cask" as for "coffin"
I'm wondering if the word "cask" in English can be used to mean "coffin".
I know it means barrel but can it be used to mean the thing someone is buried in or you see at a funeral?
- 103