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
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".
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.
