British v American English Grammar

[geron]

One of the things I notice a lot is the missing "the" like in, "He is in hospital" (Eng) "He is in the hospital" (US).

"In the hospital" would mean in some specific hospital known to both the listener and the speaker.

Also the way some words are pronounced. Aluminum in the US it a pronounced A lum in um, in the UK it is pronounced as Al u min ium.:

In the UK, we spell aluminium as we pronounce it.

BTW, most print and other media organisations maintain a style guide to ensure consistency in their output. They define rules on number (e.g. corporate bodies are singular, sports teams are plural); when to use capital letters and when not to, questions of spelling (e.g. realize or realise), and punctuation.

"Half eight" meaning 7.30 appears to be a legacy of German influence on US English: they do it there too.

[SkirtsDad]

One of the things I notice a lot is the missing "the" like in, "He is in hospital" (Eng) "He is in the hospital" (US).

"In the hospital" would mean in some specific hospital known to both the listener and the speaker.

Don't forget "at the hospital" too. Is that the same outside the UK?

[Ornitel]

I agree with many of the observations that have already been made in this discussion.I would like to add that it's important to pay attention to differences in tense usage.For example American English often uses the simple past tense in situations where Brits would use the present perfect.This can, lead to misunderstandings in comunication.Additionally, pronunciation differences, such as "aluminium" or "schedule," can/ also affect comprehension.Being aware of these nuances can help in better communicating with people from different parts of the English-speeaking world
https://mazzani.pl/projektowanie-wnetrz/

[rode_kater]

"Half eight" meaning 7.30 appears to be a legacy of German influence on US English: they do it there too.

Really? I have an English friend who says "half eight" all the time to mean 8:30, whereas in Dutch, like German, it means 7:30.

If Americans do it the German way, that must lead to all sorts of confusion (though I never heard an American saying it).

We always say that "borreltijd" (cocktail hour? happy hour?) starts when there is a five in the hour, so that that's "tien voor half vijf" i.e. 16:20 (that's 4:20pm for you English people).

[Kirbstone]

I must take issue with you R_K.

In the English-speaking world, 20 past four is in the middle of Tea Time. Happy hour &c implies the consumption of alcohol and those of us who have a nautical bent are familiar with the term 'Sun past the yard-arm', which means 6.00PM+, time to crack open the gin/cocktails/grog &c.

On board leisure craft the Sun also passes the yard-arm at midday, 12 noon. This is frequently interpreted as a signal to 'Splice the Mainbrace', or have a snifter or three. I have an old sailing friend who has recently invested in a 2016 Benetau 50-foot sloop, kept in Corfu in Greece. My first acquaintance with this craft was earlier this year and I discovered that that vessel also required its mainbrace splicing more than once, daily.

Tom

[Fred in Skirts]

"Half eight" meaning 7.30 appears to be a legacy of German influence on US English: they do it there too.

Really? I have an English friend who says "half eight" all the time to mean 8:30, whereas in Dutch, like German, it means 7:30.

If Americans do it the German way, that must lead to all sorts of confusion (though I never heard an American saying it).

We always say that "borreltijd" (cocktail hour? happy hour?) starts when there is a five in the hour, so that that's "tien voor half vijf" i.e. 16:20 (that's 4:20pm for you English people).

In the US we just say it is 8:30 either AM or PM. We don't say half 8 or half of 8 at all. If I were to tell someone that they would think I was crazy! (I am but that's another story.)

[crfriend]

In the US we just say it is 8:30 either AM or PM. We don't say half 8 or half of 8 at all. If I were to tell someone that they would think I was crazy! (I am but that's another story.)

I'm not so certain. I use "half-past" and "quarter-to" very frequently in my day-to-day conversations. Mostly it's in five minute increments and always with a "before" or "after" qualifier.

I also tend to heavily use the 24-hour system where it's 0-23:0-59 and no deviations. Thus, I never use "quarter to 23" as that would confuse everybody -- including those who use 24-hour time. However, I am a bit of an oddball in that regard.

[Sepchugang]

"Half eight" which means half after 8 i.e. 8:30 in English but half before 8, i.e. 7.30 in many other European languages means you can be waiting an hour or arrive late by an hour when you have arranged to meet a European colleague but at least it is on the same day. Am I right in thinking that in the US 2/8/2024 means the eighth of February 2024 whereas in the UK (and I think the rest of Europe) it means the second of August 2024?

[Mouse]

Am I right in thinking that in the US 2/8/2024 means the eighth of February 2024 whereas in the UK (and I think the rest of Europe) it means the second of August 2024?

Yes, and I never worked out why you all do it? You put the smallest unit in the middle.

Why do you not do it with time such as minutes : seconds : hours
You would then be consistent.

[Uncle Al]

Interesting: When I speak with, or write to, different people, dates are usually given
with month first, then day of month and finally the year.
ie: "Bill, I'll see you on Monday, September 9th 2024, or numerically - Monday, 9-09-2024..."

Yet, when I store pic's and files on my computer I use the YYYY-MM-DD format.
ie: 2024-08-30

This way, if I'm searching for a specific time period, I'll look for the year first,
then the month and finally the date/day of the month.

Having an aviation background, using the 24hour clock is normal as it leaves no question
as to when something is scheduled to take place.
Teaching the '24hour clock' can be quite entertaining to the instructor

Just my $.02 worth

Uncle Al

[Fred in Skirts]

CARL:

I'm not so certain. I use "half-past" and "quarter-to" very frequently in my day-to-day conversations. Mostly it's in five minute increments and always with a "before" or "after" qualifier.

I said just "half eight" not half PASSED eight I use the words "passed" and "to" as well, but leaving out those words make it weird.

When I was in the military I used the 24 hour system of time telling. It took some getting used to but by the time I got out I was used to it. Then I had to get used to the 12 hour system again for civilian life.

[crfriend]

I said just "half eight" not half PASSED eight I use the words "passed" and "to" as well, but leaving out those words make it weird.

It's worse than "weird" -- it's ambiguous which causes confusion. One purpose of language is to reduce ambiguity,

When I was in the military I used the 24 hour system of time telling. It took some getting used to but by the time I got out I was used to it. Then I had to get used to the 12 hour system again for civilian life.

I've used a 24 hour clock almost since I can remember, and two of my wristwatches have 24-hour dials. It removes all ambiguity, and when I want absolute clarity I'll use UTC (the same as airlines and railroads do when preparing timetables). In fact, one of the first things I do when planning a trip that'll span time-zones is to convert everything into UTC because it makes setting up connections trivial. That tactic is how I actually got away with scheduling my "'round the lower 48" train trip in the early '90s and the innumerable train connections it required. My late ex- was astonished that I could work it all out, the agent at the Worcester, MA station where we filed the reservations and bought the tickets was agog at the feat -- and it still took most of an hour to get all of it across, the paperwork done, monies exchanged, and get tickets in-hand.

[Ozdelights]

It has been said that languages are continually developing as the world around us changes. I do understand British people trying to retain traditional English. The English language has derived words from other languages. Gradual change simplifies the language hopefully without causing misunderstanding or ambiguity. A change that is beginng is to spell phonetically instead of (rather than?) traditionally with silent letters. As per my sentence either will convey the same meaning to a reader.

As for time I have needed to use 12hr 24hr and UTC and can change easily between them. As many time displays are now digital 'ten thirty' is becoming more used (used more?) as it is as direct read rather than a conversion to 'half past'. Even more so when 'ten forty' would be translated to 'twenty to eleven'.

The world around us is always evolving, change will happen but hopefully we will all be able to communicate effectively.

[DrFishnets]

I’ve always been intrigued by the American and British names for objects especially when it comes to clothes and hosiery. Sheer tights in the UK with a low denier are called Pantyhose in the US and likewise stockings and suspenders are called stockings and garters. Suspenders are braces in the US and pants are trousers whereas in the UK pants are underwear.

[trainspotter48]

For some time now, I've been thinking that an English/American dictionary is becoming necessary.

Trousers = Pants
Pants = Underwear
Petrol = Gasoline
(Car) Bonnet = Hood
(Car) Boot = Trunk
Bonnet = Head covering (not necessarily female)
Boot = High footwear
Jam = Jelly
Jelly = Water based gelatine dessert
Biscuit = Cookie

etc. etc.