The differences between Americans and the rest of us

[Illuminattile]

I sure as hell won't be using a British guide for my grammar (as you did in your example - BBC). I can easily pull a few American guides that show the use of "have got" is wrong.

The About.com guide, the other one I linked to, was written by an American.

I know for sure I wouldn't say "Does the cat have got your tongue?" I believe the use of "have got" is proper only in the following case:

I have a red bicycle. OR I've got a red bicycle. NOT I've a red bicycle.

In the contracted form (I've), the use of "have got" is proper. Take a look at the example. In the sentence "I've got a red bicylce," the "I have" is contracted.

That's exactly the same as my previous example, "I've got a car".

"I've a red bicycle" is also grammatically correct in [British] English.


On an unrelated note; Americans don't use the word "fortnight"?

 

[linx]

This is one funny thread. Funny shit to read. :thumb:

 

[Illuminattile]

Another one I just thought of, is the word "rubber". In Britain, "a rubber" would usually mean an erase, which would use to erase, or "rub out", pencil". In America, "a rubber" would refer to a condom.

I remember a story about an Englishman staying in an American hotel. He was filling in some kind of form in pencil and made a mistake, so he asked the guy behind the desk for a rubber. The man behind the desk looked a little uneasy and said, "How many do you need?" to which the Brit replied, "Just the one; I don't make that many mistakes".

 

[S O F I]

Another one I just thought of, is the word "rubber". In Britain, "a rubber" would usually mean an erase, which would use to erase, or "rub out", pencil". In America, "a rubber" would refer to a condom.

I remember a story about an Englishman staying in an American hotel. He was filling in some kind of form in pencil and made a mistake, so he asked the guy behind the desk for a rubber. The man behind the desk looked a little uneasy and said, "How many do you need?" to which the Brit replied, "Just the one; I don't make that many mistakes".

LMAO!

But, yeah, where I'm from, rubber means eraser. But, of course we call it gumica, in Bosnian.

 

[Cooper]

we call chips chips because they are in fact 'chipped' potatoes...crisps are crisps (i assume because they are 'crispy') makes sense to me....

and i have got/i've got are perfectly acceptable phrases...in fact they are listed in a dictionary as a synonym of have, so the use of either is acceptable.

 

[Tut]

Dear God, a debate on grammatical nuances on an internet forum, do you either of you have ANY friends?

 

[Missy "C"]

Another one I just thought of, is the word "rubber". In Britain, "a rubber" would usually mean an erase, which would use to erase, or "rub out", pencil". In America, "a rubber" would refer to a condom.

I remember a story about an Englishman staying in an American hotel. He was filling in some kind of form in pencil and made a mistake, so he asked the guy behind the desk for a rubber. The man behind the desk looked a little uneasy and said, "How many do you need?" to which the Brit replied, "Just the one; I don't make that many mistakes".

my english teacher once told me something like that. An ex-student of hers went to to study to america and in the middle a class she asked a guy for a rubber. Everyone there stood at her and she didn't understand why, then someone told her that she had to use the word "eraser" instead.
It's preety difficult for me to remember not to say "rubber", if one day I travel to america I'll have to think twice before saying it.

 

[Luv4Pac4Ever]

dialect in america is different everywhere

the word "sneakers" is really only used in the northeast...people in the south don't use it

in pittsburgh, the road is "slippy," not slippery

Yeah, we say tennis shoes, some of us. I usually say sneakers. And we say y'all and we drink iced tea, with sugar in it. We also eat grits.

 

[Glockmatic]

Americans say TUNA FISH, Canadians say TUNA
Americans say CANDY BAR, Canadians say CHOCOLATE BAR
Americans(mainly southern states) say SODA, Canadians (and northern us states) say POP

 

[haunted]

Americans say CANDY BAR, Canadians say CHOCOLATE BAR

Even if it doesnt have any chocolate?

 

[Flipmo]

If there's no chocolate, we just call it candy here, but if theres chocolate, we call it chocolate bar.

 

[Glockmatic]

exactly, but I don't think theres such thing as a bar made of gummy/candy other then Big Turk (which has chocolate) but thats like eating a piece of shit with a gummy center.

 

[haunted]

so this is just candy?

 

[Cooper]

Dear God, a debate on grammatical nuances on an internet forum, do you either of you have ANY friends?

no, u?

 

[Taliq]

Dear God, a debate on grammatical nuances on an internet forum, do you either of you have ANY friends?

Wassup Tut, where u been at?

 

[AmerikazMost]

Yeah, we say tennis shoes, some of us. I usually say sneakers. And we say y'all and we drink iced tea, with sugar in it. We also eat grits.

is it tea with ice or the good mix stuff? you know, the sugar with water

 

[THA WILD]

Americans say TUNA FISH, Canadians say TUNA
Americans say CANDY BAR, Canadians say CHOCOLATE BAR
Americans(mainly southern states) say SODA, Canadians (and northern us states) say POP

We in the Northeast say soda.

 

[Luv4Pac4Ever]

is it tea with ice or the good mix stuff? you know, the sugar with water

It's tea bags, boiled in water. Then you mix sugar and water, add the tea and stir. And it's gotta be really sweet or it ain't ghetto. Like I put 2 cups of sugar to a gallon of tea, my mom calls my tea colored sugar water lol
Oh yeah, and we say ain't in the south too lol and eat watermelon and fried chicken. :thumb:

 

[AmerikazMost]

It's tea bags, boiled in water. Then you mix sugar and water, add the tea and stir. And it's gotta be really sweet or it ain't ghetto. Like I put 2 cups of sugar to a gallon of tea, my mom calls my tea colored sugar water lol

that stuff is nasty lol

you need to use the good ol' artificial mix stuff

 

[Luv4Pac4Ever]

that stuff is nasty lol

you need to use the good ol' artificial mix stuff

Ew, no, that stuff is nasty. If it ain't brewed, I ain't drinking it. That mix stuff tastes like dirt.