In the US those examples would be “is.” When I say them the other way they just sounds somehow off to my ears.
well, in the sports world there’s the Jazz, the Wild and the Heat; don’t recall how they’re normally referred to.
Another difference is in relation to the word “sort”, used to solve a problem. Last time I was in the UK I was struck by how it’s used without a preposition (“We’ll sort that problem with your booking”), where I would normally use “sort out”.
here in Canada, we use “writing an exam” to mean answer the questions. When I’ve taught a class, I use “preparing the exam” when I’m creating it.
UK: Jason dived into the pool/Jason was diving into the pool.
US: Jason dove into the pool.
Not common usage in the UK I’m afraid. In the UK we would say “taking an exam”.
Where “writing an exam” is ever used (not common to my knowledge) it would be in the same context as the US, i.e. creating an exam (although “setting an exam” would be more usual)
I’m aware that all I’ve done here is shoot a lot of assumptions down in flames. Let me be clear. I am not the gatekeeper of common phrases in the UK. This is my own experience speaking here and I’m happy for any UK dopers to put me straight. (is that a particularly UK phrase?)
A personal favourite is with telling the time:
UK - Half-Six
US - Six thirty
We certainly say the US version in the UK and you would be completely understood and it would be considered normal to use either - but whenever I use the UK version in the US i get blank stares.
American:
“I’d like a beer, please.”
Soccar Hooligan:
“Gie us a fookin’ Newcastle, mate!”
You’ve done a stand-up job representing so far… (few shout out’s to my adopted country’s lingo)
Absolutely on this last one - and it’s variants - put you straight, straighten you out, set you straight, on the straight and narrow, straight from the horses mouth (stretch)
And if you said it to a German or a Scandinavian (probably a Dutchman as well) you could be very misunderstood as it means half an hour before six in those languages.
While that’s definitely the common spoken usage in the UK, I’m not sure I’d use it in written form as it is (IMO) a fairly colloquial use.
My mother certainly wouldn’t use it that way, whereas many of the other examples given are pretty well used across society.
What always strikes me is the American habit of ending casual phrases with a helper verb instead of a verb. (I think I am referring to the right parts of speech - happy to have someone straighten me out)
Question: Will you go to Lisa’s house Friday?
American: I might.
British: I might do.
I’ve had that very thing happen on a few occasions. Actually reminds me of another strange British quirk with the phrase - “Half of Six” would align with the Scandinavian translation. Although it would seem a little odd to most people today, I think it’s an older turn of phrase that is all but extinct.
I’ve always said “write to me”.
[quote=“Wallenstein, post:7, topic:565070”]
In news reports the ommission in US english of “on” when referring to dates.
US: A 19-year-old woman was injured Saturday afternoon when her car hit a tree.
UK: A 19-year-old woman was injured on Saturday afternoon when her car hit a tree.
Also:
US: I could care less
UK: I couldn’t care less[/QU
I couldn’t care less is correct The former is said by ignorant people.
I’m going to second what others have said above about “writing” an exam or test. A couple of friends of mine from GB certainly do say “write a test” to mean “take a test.” My Canadian colleagues do the same. I thought this was common knowledge.
Already mentioned in #7 and commented on by me in post #8. It’s definitely not a US/UK thing, since I hear both versions here.
In 12 years of school and four years of university and five years of professional training I’ve never heard anyone say “write a test” or “write an exam”.
It might be more common in international English, but in the UK I don’t know anyone who’d say that.
If I heard it I’d automatically assume the speaker was American.
US: take turns
UK: take it in turns
I realize the OP is looking for phrases rather than a single word, but I think the term “momentarily” has two distinct meanings.
US: momentarily means “in a moment, in just a little while” (We’ll get to that momentarily = we’ll get to that in just a little bit)
UK: momentarily means “for a moment” (We’ll get to that momentarily = we’ll briefly touch on the subject before moving on).
Also, I think the phrase “table a motion” has different meanings depending upon the country. In the US, “to table a motion” means that the motion is going to be set aside and will not be considered, whereas in the UK, the same type of phrase indicates that the debate on that particular subject will begin.
Finally, does the phrase “knock up” in the UK still mean “to knock on someone’s door”? In the US, “knock up” means “to get someone pregnant”.
UK: wait on line
US: wait in line