Hxcboatcaptain  +  387294 Tue, 03 Jul 07 04:23 AM I've noticed, mostly from British television programs, some discrepancies between the two "versions" of the English language. American English speakers consider groups of people to be a singular noun. IE, in America, you would say, "The audience was rising to their feet." European English consider groups, such as an audience, to be a plural noun. Across the pond, you would say, "The audience were rising to their feet." Which of these is correct? Or is neither more correct than the other? Hxcboatcaptain Joined on Mon, Jun 25 2007 Georgia, USA New Member 14 Nouns, Difference Between, Plurals, American English

	CalifJim  +  387299 Tue, 03 Jul 07 04:44 AM Very observant!  Yes, there is a tendency for AmE and BrE to differ in this way.  Either way is fine. CJ CalifJim Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004 California Veteran Member 22,128 "There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche Difference Between

	Clive  +  387310 Tue, 03 Jul 07 05:22 AM Hi, I guess I must live a sheltered life, because I've never heard the expression European English before. In my experience, many British people don't even think of themselves as part of Europe (ie the British Isles are just 'near Europe'.) Best wishes, Clive Clive Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004 Canada Veteran Member 29,301 El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo Difference Between, British People

	Hxcboatcaptain  +  387316 Tue, 03 Jul 07 05:44 AM I wanted to include all of Europe since there are more English-speaking countries outside of Great Britain. Hxcboatcaptain Difference Between

	Yoong Liat  +  387325 Tue, 03 Jul 07 06:04 AM The audience were rising to their feet. The audience was rising to their feet. Some grammarians consider the second sentence to be wrong as 'were' should be used with 'their' (both plural). Yoong Liat Joined on Mon, Sep 4 2006 Veteran Member 6,746 Difference Between, Plurals

	Clive  +  387327 Tue, 03 Jul 07 06:26 AM Hi, I wanted to include all of Europe since there are more English-speaking countries outside of Great Britain. Well, there's Ireland, of course, which is yet another 'island off the coast of Europe', and which is partly an English possession. Do you have any other countries in mind?  Best wishes again, Clive Clive Difference Between

	nona the brit  +  387474 Tue, 03 Jul 07 01:22 PM I'd stick to calling it British English. On your logic, you'd have to call American English something else as well, as loads of other countries speak that version of English. There are more speakers of American English than there are in America, the same as there are more speakers of British English than there are in Britain. But they are still called British English and American English. nona the brit Joined on Wed, Sep 22 2004 England Veteran Member 11,743 The name says it all. Difference Between, American English, British English

	Arzamas18  +  387483 Tue, 03 Jul 07 01:34 PM  Hxcboatcaptain wrote: I wanted to include all of Europe since there are more English-speaking countries outside of Great Britain. What are these countries in Europe besides Ireland? Arzamas18 Joined on Sat, Apr 21 2007 New Member 19 Difference Between

	Bokeh  +  387580 Tue, 03 Jul 07 06:03 PM  Clive wrote: many British people don't even think of themselves as part of Europe That's just slum prudery. The fact is they are part of Europe geographically and after several referenda, all with positive outcomes, the UK is a key player in Europe, both politically and ecomomically.  Clive wrote: Well, there's Ireland, of course, which is yet another 'island off the coast of Europe', and which is partly an English possession. Do you have any other countries in mind? There are 457 million citizens in the European Union. Some 50% have reasonable communication in English, more than 30% have advanced English literacy skills (often greater than native speakers), and 89% of non-native English school children learn English as a second language. Overall there are more advanced English speakers in Europe than in the UK and Eire put together. Bokeh Joined on Sun, Mar 18 2007 Spain Regular Member 531 Difference Between, English as a Second Language, Learn English, British People