British and American English

In BrE, we can spell the past simple and -ed participle of verbs such as burn, dream, lean, learn, smell, spell, spill with either -ed (learned, spilled) or -t (learnt, spilt). AmE prefers the -ed ending:

[BrE]

She had dreamt of being a dancer when she was young. (or She had dreamed …)

[AmE]

As a boy, he had dreamed about being on the basketball team.

[BrE]

He learnt to speak fluent Spanish and Portuguese. (or He learned …)

[AmE]

She learned to play the violin.

In BrE, the past simple form of fit is usually fitted. In AmE, the past simple form of fit is most often fit:

[BrE]

The sweater fitted her perfectly.

[a woman is remembering her poor childhood, AmE]

But we always looked nice. You know. We were always very clean. The clothes were clean and they fit.

In BrE, the three forms of get are get (base form), got (past simple) and got (-ed form). In AmE, get has an -ed form gotten:

[AmE]

The weather has gotten colder this week and we’re expecting snow.

Get + to-infinitive is common in AmE to refer to achievements, meaning ‘manage to’ or ‘be able to’. This usage is less common in BrE:

[talking about American football, AmE]

A:

Did you get to go to very many games?

B:

I went to four games this year, actually.

[talking about a camping trip in the forest, AmE]

We got to see a lot of deer.

The present simple form of have got referring to possession or relationships is much more common in spoken BrE than in AmE. AmE speakers often prefer to use the verb have on its own:

[BrE]

I’ve got a picture of you when you were a teenager. D’you want to see it?

[AmE]

I have two cousins in Ohio.

Have got to is much more common in BrE than AmE. Have to (without got) is more common in AmE than in BrE:

[BrE]

We’ve got to take my mother back to the hospital a week on Friday.

[AmE]

We have to be back in San Francisco next Sunday to fly home again.

BrE speakers often use shall with I and we in statements when referring to the future, especially in more formal situations. AmE prefers will:

[BrE]

I shall be back in a minute. (formal)

We shall be talking about this in detail tomorrow.

[AmE]

I’ll call you early tomorrow morning.

We will see what happens after the new company takes us over.

BrE speakers often add the substitute verb do to short clauses with modal verbs, especially in short answers. AmE speakers prefer to use the modal verb on its own:

[a group of students talk about the grades they might get in an exam, BrE]

A:

I don’t reckon I’ll get all As this time.

B:

No.

A:

I might do, but I doubt it.

[AmE]

A:

Yeah, so you think you might get an exercise bicycle?

B:

Oh, I might. I have a regular bicycle out in the garage, but it’s been kind of raining and stuff around here lately.

The past perfect is more common in AmE than in BrE, especially in situations where the speaker sees one event as happening before another in the past:

[talking about a TV series shown over several nights, AmE]

A:

Did you watch it?

B:

We had watched it, uh, I guess Sunday night and Monday night, but we didn’t get to watch it tonight.

[BrE]

We watched the news, then we watched a documentary.

[A is asking B about his past, AmE]

A:

You had said your family is from back east?

B:

Yeah.

A:

Then they’ve moved out here for business reasons?

B:

Yeah. My dad’s in banking. He got moved to Seattle and then moved here.

[A is asking B about his past, BrE]

A:

You said your father died when he was quite young?

B:

Well, he was, as far as I can remember, he was thirty-eight.

AmE uses in + a period of time after a negative verb in situations where BrE prefers for:

[AmE]

I haven’t really read anything like that in years. (BrE preferred form: for years)

[AmE]

I haven’t talked to my brother in three years. (BrE preferred form: for three years)

BrE uses in with street names. AmE prefers on:

[BrE]

They were a lovely family. They lived in Walton Street.

[AmE]

I used to live on Perot Street.

AmE uses through in many situations where BrE prefers to or till when referring to the end points of periods of time:

[AmE]

A:

Actually she leaves the house at eleven and gets home at four so …

B:

And that’s Monday through Friday? (BrE preferred form Monday to Friday)

A:

Yeah.

[an elderly woman is talking about her working life, BrE]

A:

I was doing twelve hours a day from Monday till Friday and twelve and a half on a Saturday. (AmE preferred form Monday through Friday)

B:

And how old were you?

A:

Fourteen years old.

AmE speakers often use good where BrE prefers well. However, the AmE form is becoming more common in BrE, especially after greetings such as How are you?, How’s it going?:

[AmE]

A:

How are you?

B:

I’m good. (BrE preferred form I’m well or I’m fine)

It all worked out real good. (BrE preferred form really well)

AmE allows the use of likely as an adjective (in the same way as probable, possible, etc.), or as an adverb (in the same way as probably, possibly, etc.). In BrE, likely is normally only used as an adjective:

[AmE]

There will likely be other announcements before the end of this year. (likely as an adverb; BrE preferred form There are likely to be)

[AmE]

The focus on the economy will likely continue when the new President takes office. (BrE preferred form is likely to continue)

[AmE]

And what’s likely to happen? (likely as an adjective, also common in BrE)