Difference between revisions of "Manual of Style/US English vs British English"

Revision as of 01:00, 9 June 2022

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
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.

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.