Difference in Grammar and Usage In American and British English

[Anupumh]

Can anybody list and explain the differences in usage & grammar in American and British English?

Thanks

[Jamie (K)]

[Honey2]

I am stolen this from another site

This is one of a series of articles about the differences between American English and British English, which, for the purposes of these articles, are defined as follows:

American English (AmE) is the form of English used in the United States. It includes all English dialects used within the United States of America.
British English (BrE) is the form of English used in the United Kingdom. It includes all English dialects used within the United Kingdom.
American and British English differences

British English (BrE)

American English (AmE)

Vocabulary
List of American words not widely used in the United Kingdom
List of British words not widely used in the United States
List of words having different meanings in British and American English

Pronunciation
American and British English pronunciation differences

Orthography

American and British English spelling differences

Computing
British and American keyboards

Fiction

List of works with different titles in the UK and US

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Written forms of American and British English as found in newspapers and textbooks vary little in their essential features, with only occasional noticeable differences in comparable media[1] (comparing American newspapers to British newspapers, for example). This kind of formal English, particularly written English, is often called 'standard English'.[2] [3] An unofficial standard for spoken American English has also developed, as a result of mass media and geographic and social mobility. It is typically referred to as 'standard spoken American English' (SSAE) or 'General American English' (GenAm or GAE)[citation needed], and broadly describes the English typically heard from network newscasters, commonly referred to as non-regional diction, although local newscasters tend toward more parochial forms of speech.[15] Despite this unofficial standard, regional variations of American English have not only persisted but have actually intensified, according to linguist William Labov.[citation needed]

Regional dialects in the United States typically reflect the elements of the language of the main immigrant groups in any particular region of the country, especially in terms of pronunciation and vernacular vocabulary. Scholars have mapped at least four major regional variations of spoken American English: Northern, Southern, Midland, and Western (Labov, Ash, & Boberg, 2006).[4] After the American Civil War, the settlement of the western territories by migrants from the east led to dialect mixing and levelling, so that regional dialects are most strongly differentiated in the eastern parts of the country that were settled earlier. Localized dialects also exist with quite distinct variations, such as in Southern Appalachia and New York.

The spoken forms of British English vary considerably, reflecting a long history of dialect development amid isolated populations. Dialects and accents vary not only between the countries in the United Kingdom, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but also within these individual countries.

There are also differences in the English spoken by different groups of people in any particular region. Received Pronunciation (RP), which is "the educated spoken English of south-east England", has traditionally been regarded as proper English; this is also referred to as BBC English or the Queen's English. The BBC and other broadcasters now intentionally use a mix of presenters with a variety of British accents and dialects, and the concept of "proper English" is now far less prevalent.[5]

British and American English are the reference norms for English as spoken, written, and taught in the rest of the world. For instance, the English-speaking members of the Commonwealth often closely follow British English forms while many new American English forms quickly become familiar outside of the United States. Although the dialects of English used in the former British Empire are often, to various extents, based on British English, most of the countries concerned have developed their own unique dialects, particularly with respect to pronunciation, idioms, and vocabulary; chief among them are Canadian English and Australian English, which rank third and fourth in number of native speakers.[6][7]

Contents [hide]
1 Historical background
2 Pronunciation
3 Grammar
3.1 Nouns
3.1.1 Formal and notional agreement
3.2 Verbs
3.2.1 Verb morphology
3.2.2 Use of tenses
3.2.3 Verbal auxiliaries
3.2.4 Transitivity
3.2.5 Complementation
3.3 Presence or absence of syntactic elements
3.3.1 The definite article
3.4 Prepositions and adverbs
3.4.1 Phrasal verbs
3.5 Miscellaneous grammatical differences
4 Word derivation and compounds
5 Lexis (vocabulary)
5.1 General trends
5.2 Overview of lexical differences
5.2.1 Words and phrases which have their origins in BrE
5.2.2 Words and phrases which have their origins in AmE
5.2.3 Divergence
5.2.3.1 Words and phrases with different meanings
5.2.3.2 Other ambiguity (complex cases)
5.2.4 Frequency
5.3 Social and cultural differences
5.3.1 Institutional and Commercial Infrastructure
5.3.1.1 Education
5.3.1.1.1 School
5.3.1.1.2 University
5.3.1.1.3 General terms
5.3.1.2 Transport/Transportation
5.3.2 Television
5.3.3 Levels of buildings
5.4 Units and measurement
5.4.1 Numbers
5.4.2 Monetary amounts
5.4.3 Dates
5.4.4 Time
5.5 Greetings
5.6 Idiosyncratic differences
5.6.1 Figures of speech
5.6.2 Equivalent Idioms
6 Writing
6.1 Spelling
6.2 Punctuation
6.3 Titles and headlines
7 Keyboard layouts
8 See also
9 Sources
10 References
11 External links
_________________
live quite life

[Jamie (K)]

Here is where I think Honey got it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_differences

[Honey2]

[Mister Micawber]

It is a long list and is rather unimportant to learning English for communication.
_________________
Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[MariaEbb]

There is a book called "Whats the Difference" written by Norman Moss. There you can find more examples.
/Maria