On Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:01:08 -0400 "McLauchlan, Kevin" <[email protected]> dijo:
>Are there actual grammar differences of note between >Brit English and Yank English? > >Spellings, to be sure. Word choices, certainly. Phrasing. >But grammar? American: If I was a Brit I would say "if I were a Brit." Brit: If I were an American I would say "if I was an American." Many Americans still use the subjunctive in certain situations (including "if I were"), but it is largely dead in America. And even those Americans who might say "if I were" see no distinction in meaning with "if I was." Even in British English the subjunctive has one foot in the grave. But in American English only the hair is still above ground. But in reality talking about "British English" and "American English" is a pretty imprecise thing. There are dozens of varieties of British English, and dozens more of American English. And dozens more if you count other countries where English is widely spoken. Each variety has its own grammatical peculiarities. For example, while trying to turn onto a busy street during rush hour this morning I yelled at the drivers on the busy street: "Dayumn! Y'all people have to stop drivin' here, 'cause I'm late for work." Now, what do you suppose your grammar checker would do with that sentence? Yet, I maintain that it is perfectly grammatical for millions of English speakers. To me a grammar checker should limit itself to finding a missing open or end quote and similar simple issues. Trying to check grammar is too involved. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
