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.
Contents
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
flavor vs flavour
humor vs humour
labor vs labour
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
apologize vs apologize or apologise
organize vs organize or organise
recognize vs recognize or recognise
Verbs in British English that end in "-yse" are always spelled "-yze" in US English:
- US vs BRITISH
analyze vs analyse
breathalyze vs breathalyse
paralyze 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
traveling vs travelling
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.
!DISCLAIMER! 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
maneuver vs manoeuvre
estrogen vs oestrogen
pediatric vs paediatric
Some nouns that end with "-ence" in British English are spelled "-ense" in US English:
- US vs BRITISH
defense vs defence
license vs licence
offense vs offence
pretense vs pretence
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
catalog or catalogue vs catalogue
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
unshakable vs unshakeable
aging vs ageing
The e is however sometimes used in US English where it affects the sound of the preceding consonant. For example: traceable or manageable.
Some nouns that end in "-re" in British English, end in "-er" in their US English alternative.
- US vs BRITISH
theater vs theatre
center vs centre
meter vs metre
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 "learnt", in US English it should be written "learned".
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.
