View source for Manual of Style/US English vs British English

The preferred spelling and grammar in TarValon.Net's Library is the US English. The following is a quick guide on spelling and grammar that should be used when writing new articles or when editing existing ones.

==US vs British English Spelling Differences==

British English words ending in "-our" usually end in "-or" in US English:

;US vs BRITISH
color  vs colour <br>
flavor vs flavour <br>
humor vs humour <br>
labor vs labour	<br>
neighbor vs neighbour 

 
Verbs in British English that can be spelled with either "-ize" or "-ise" at the end are always spelled with "-ize" at the end in US English

;US vs BRITISH
apolog'''ize''' vs apologize or apologise <br>
organ'''ize''' vs organize or organise <br>
recogn'''ize''' vs recognize or recognise	
 

Verbs in British English that end in "-yse" are always spelled "-yze" in US English:

;US vs BRITISH
anal'''yze''' vs analyse <br>
breathal'''yze''' vs breathalyse <br>
paral'''yze''' vs paralyse	
 

In British spelling "L" is doubled in verbs ending in a vowel plus "L". In US English, the "L" is not doubled:

;US vs BRITISH
traveled vs travelled <br>
traveling vs travelling	 <br>
traveler traveller	
 

British English words that are spelled with the double vowels "ae" or "oe" tend to be just spelled with an "e" in US English.

<span style="color:#AA0000">!DISCLAIMER!</span> There are some exceptions to this rule. For example "archaeology" is spelled in the same way as British English; however, archeology would be acceptable in the US but is incorrect in the UK.

;US vs BRITISH
leukemia vs leukaemia <br>
maneuver vs manoeuvre <br>
estrogen vs oestrogen <br>
pediatric vs paediatric
 

Some nouns that end with "-ence" in British English are spelled "-ense" in US English:

;US vs BRITISH	
defense vs defence <br>	
license vs licence <br>
offense vs offence <br>
pretense vs pretence <br>


Some nouns that end with "-ogue" in British English end with either "-og" or "ogue" in US English:

;US vs BRITISH
analog or analogue vs analogue	<br>
catalog or catalogue vs catalogue <br>	
dialog or dialogue vs dialogue


Some adjectives that end in "-eable" in British English, usually drop this silent ''e'' in US English:

;US vs BRITISH
likable vs likeable <br> 
unshakable vs unshakeable <br> 
aging vs ageing

The ''e'' is however sometimes used in US English where it affects the sound of the preceding consonant. For example: trac'''e'''able or manag'''e'''able.

Some nouns that end in "-re" in British English, end in "-er" in their US English alternative.

;US vs BRITISH
theater vs theatre <br>
center vs centre <br>
meter vs metre <br>
fiber vs fibre

==US vs British English Grammar Differences==

Aside from spelling and vocabulary, there are certain grammar differences between British and US English. 

===Collective Nouns===

While collective nouns can be either singular or plural in British English, in US English the collective nouns are considered singular  (e.g. The team/band '''are''' playing tonight vs The team/band '''is''' playing tonight).

===Auxiliary Verbs===
The auxiliary verb "shall" is used mostly in British English, but not at all by US English speakers. Preferably, substitute "shall" with, for example, "will" or "can". 

When asking a question, US English speakers prefer using "should" instead of "shall". (Should we go now?, instead of Shall we go now?)

===Past Tense Verbs===

Americans, however, continue to use "gotten" as the past participle of "get", which the British have long since dropped in favor of "got".

"Needn't", which is commonly used in British English, is rarely, if at all used in US English. In its place is "don't need to".

US English writers prefer the Past participle of some verbs which ends in "-ed". So instead of writing "learn'''t'''", in US English it should be written "learn'''ed'''".

===Prepositions===
In British English, "at" is the preposition in relation to time and place. However, in US English, "on" is used instead of the former and "in" for the latter.

===Directional Suffix===
White in British English some words end in "-wards", (forwards, towards, rightwards), in US English they are only spelled with "-ward" (forward, toward, rightward). 

==US vs British English Punctuation Differences==
Full stops/periods are usually added in abbreviations in US English, (Example "Mr.", "Mrs.", "St.", "Dr.") while in British English they are omitted ("Mr", "Mrs", "St", "Dr"). 

In British English, the period and comma are placed outside quotation marks. However, if the punctuation mark is a part of the quote itself, then the quotation mark is placed after the period or comma. In US English, the period and comma are always placed '''inside''' quotation marks. 

[[Category:TarValon.Net Library Manual of Style]]