Search results for 'tag:Punctuation tag:British English' matching tags 'Punctuation' and 'British English'

Re: Kind Regards or Kind regards or kind regards...?

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 23:14:30 GMT

Written Formula for Ending a Letter (British English)

Informal, personal (to close friends and family):

With love
Best wishes

Semi-formal / informal (emails, notes, business memos):

Kind regards
Best regards
Regards

Formal letters:

Yours sincerely
- Use when you know the addressee by name (Dear John / Dear Mr Smith). You can only be sincere with someone you know.
Yours faithfully
- Use when you don't know the persons name (Dear Sir or Madam).

Case / Capitalisation

Sentence case applies. Only capitalise the first letter of a sentence (with the exception of proper nouns and special conventions).

Punctuation

Open punctuation and mixed punctuation are common in the UK. If you begin the letter with "Dear Jane," (or "Dear Jane:" in American English), then the closing should be punctuated with a comma (e.g. "Kind regards, John"). These commas (or colon and comma in American English) would be omitted when writing a letter in open punctuation (as the line breaks make such punctuation redundant).

Re: PLEASE CORRECT MY TEXT,IT NEEDS TO BE BRITISH ENGLISH PLEASE

Feebs11 — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 19:44:02 GMT

Anonymous wrote:

"You are stating that Amy is your fiancee. I must correct you. Amy was your fiancee. She is moving on,~~she is~~ trying to forget you. She will not put her life on hold because of you.
You will not help her with her ~~Lawye~~r legal fees because I will take care of them. ~~at this point,~~ As of now/From now you are out of the picture.
Your defence of putting Amy in jail in order to stop her "pattern of violence" is weak~~,I repeat~~...no real man would do that to a loved one.
Amy is not violent. Your needy family and you were the trigger for her behaviour, therefore,you must stay away from her.
Amy cannot apply for a job nor leave Ontario, and she must report to her Probation Officer every week. You have done this to her~~,no excuses~~.
Oh yes, I forgot an insignificant detail: Amy will have a criminal record for the rest of her life. In many countries they will deny her entry.
There is ~~not need of getting~~ no need to get excited about my comments on your minger[what is this??] wife, and the fact that you cannot afford a new car. I am only stating the truth.
About my face, well - thank you - at least you seem to posses an eye for beauty, if nothing else.
I will prefer if you do not write me any more. It is a ~~waist~~ waste of my valuable time."

You have forgotten the space after punctuation.
You need to reduce on comma usage and increase on full stops.

Re: Is bicycle park correct ?

Grammar Geek — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:51:18 GMT

Hi Monalisatuan,

Mostly it's good. I think you need to capitalize "Western" and remember that there is no space BEFORE the punctuation mark. I believe "car park" is British English, while "parking lot" is American English. I changed the part about "called" because it's NOT really called that. You're trying to describe what it is, but it doesn't really have a name.

In my country, motorcycles and bicycles are a popular means of transportation, this is good so there are many bicycle and motorbicycle parks this is good, but you may want to say "parking lots" to keep (or store) your bikes and motorbikes, just as in Western countries cars are a popular means of transportation and there are many car parks there. When you take your bike or motobike into the bicycle or motorcycle parks , the motorbike/bike keeper use "parking lot attendant" not "keeper" will give you a small piece of paper that is your ~~called~~ motorbike/bike keeping ticket. I don't have a good word for this. You can say "receipt" perhaps. With a car park, you have your keys, and can't drive away with someone else's car. You must keep this ticket carefully because when you return to take out your bike or motorbike , you must ~~give back this~~ ~~motorbike/bike keeping ticket to the motorbike/bike keeper.~~ show your receipt to the lot attendant. Of course, the ~~motorbike/bike keeper~~ attendant will charge you 5 cents perhaps instead say "a small fee" - 5 cents is an absurdly small amount in US dollars for keeping your motorbike/bike .The money you pay them is called parking fee. You can combine these last two. Of coure, the attendant will charge you a small amount of money as a parking fee.

Re: Comma after i.e. and/or eg.?

milky — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:15:39 GMT

JaCKo__007 wrote:

A coma question!

I've found that American based writers use commas after 'i.e.', but what of it in British English and does it then apply to eg. as well?

Does a comma go after i.e. or e.g.?

Both abbreviations i.e. and e.g. are preceded by a mark of punctuation, usually a comma. In American English, both are generally followed by a comma, though not in British English, and are not italicized. E.g. may also be followed by a colon, depending on the construction. In British English, the term is often written as eg with the periods omitted.

Re: Punctuation within quotes?

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 21:14:03 GMT

In British English the punctuation goes within the quotation marks when the quotation is a complete sentence, but when the quotation is only an excerpt of the whole quotation the punctuation goes outside the quotation marks.
In American English it is different.

Re: USA or UK

Charlotte_T — Mon, 28 May 2007 14:14:19 GMT

Thethenothere123 wrote:
Grammar Geek wrote:
I haven't read through all the pages on this topic, but has anyone commented on how NON-homogeneous UK and US English is? It's not like there's one "British English" or one "American English" unless you're been to broadcasting school. Someone from Yorkshire and someone from Cornwall have about as much in common as either does to someone from Alabama or Maine.

That's a good point. I honestly can't remember whether or not anyone has made it. However, I did try to make the point that for the vast majority of the people that speak English, the only real difference is the accent and certain prefernces in word usage (which are almost always understood perfectly well by everyone). In addition to that, there are some extremely minor differences in grammar/punctuation conventions between AmE and BrE, and that's it.

I agree there're always differences between British English spoken by two people from different places, eg. London and Oxford. But why can we differentiate between BrE and AmE? That's because, generally, there're still a lot of similarities between accents of Yorkshire and Cornwall, although we can't deny there're actually not the same. I think we're all talking about this issue generally, don't we? We sort out the accents into 2 main groups: AmE and BrE. Then under BrE group there're a lot of 'sub-groups'. It's hard to discuss and study in details about accents of Yorkshire and Cornwall because even people living in the same place could have slightly different accents.

P/S I mean no harm and I'm just trying to tell my opinions.

Re: British versus american expressions

Lil' Ruby Rose — Sun, 06 May 2007 21:43:58 GMT

Note bill (money)
notecase wallet - obsolete. In BrE, men carry a wallet, ladies carry a purse in their handbag
noughts and crosses tic-tac-toe
number plate license plate - both now used in BrE
oblique slash (punctuation) - obsolete
on-cost overhead expense - obsolete
open university extension courses, distance education
outfitter clothing store - virtually obsolete. Gentlemen's outfitter is rarely used to describe an old-fashioned kind of men's clothing shop.
pack of cards deck of cards
page (hotel) bell boy - obsolete. Bell boy used in BrE now
pants underwear
paper handkerchief tissue - obsolete. Tissue used in BrE. Although the brand Kleenex is sold in the UK, we don't refer to a tissue as a Kleenex as I have heard in the US.
Pass out graduate - obsolete. Pass out only used for military graduations in BrE
patience solitaire - both used in BrE
pavement sidewalk
peep-bo peek-a-boo
Peg clothespin
perspex Plexigla
petrol gas, gasoline
pickled cucumbers pickles - obsolete. In BrE, gherkin used for what Americans call pickle. British pickle is a tangy kind of relish/chutney often used to make cheese sandwiches.
pictures movies
piece-tin lunch box - obsolete
*** drunk
pleader lawyer, attorney - obsolete. The UK justice system divides lawyers who work in the courtroom (barristers) from those who work outside the courtroom (solicitors).
ponce pimp - old-fashioned (1950's) slang.
pop round come by
porridge oatmeal
Post mail
Post free postpaid - More commonly Freepost or Pre-paid in BrE now.
postcode zip code
postoffice directory telephone directory - obsolete. Usually phone book or occasionally phone directory.
power cut power failure
preggers pregnant - old-fashioned slang.
press man journalist, reporter - obsolete. Journalist or reported used in BrE now
private address home address - obsolete
professor conductor (orchestra) - obsolete. Conductor used in BrE, and has been for generations.
programme show
proofed waterproofed - obsolete.
Pub bar, saloon
Punt gamble (means kick or skip in American)
purse pocketbook
pylon utility pole
queue line
Quit behave - Quit is not usually used to mean behave in BrE. If anything, it's the other way round - more likely to be used in AmE, in my understanding.
radiogram stereo - Obsolete by about 50 years.
ramble walk, stroll
Rate tax
Read out read aloud - both used in BrE.
reader's ticket library card - obsolete
ready, steady, go! ready, set, go!
recap Retread
reckoning machine cash register - obsolete. More usually called the till in BrE
recorded delivery Return receipt requested, certified / registered mail
remould Retread
return ticket round-trip ticket
reverse charge collect call
ring pull a can's tab
ring up Call
roll neck turtle neck
round sandwich - obsolete
Roup auction - either regional slang or so obsolete that I've never, ever encountered this word before
rubber eraser (means condom in American)
rubbish bin trash can
Rug Blanket - not the same thing. A rug goes on the floor, a blanket goes on the bed.
running knot slip knot - virtually obsolete in BrE. Slip knot more often used (if at all).
rusticated suspended (punishment) - obsolete slang
salt beef corned beef - obsolete. Corned beef used in BrE, different from American salt beef which can sometimes be found in delis here in the UK
salt pot salt shaker
sandpit Sandbox
scent Perfume - old-fashioned. Perfume more often used in BrE these days
scrape butter or margarine, thinly spread
scurf Dandruff - obsolete. Dandruff used in BrE
self-drive car rental car - Obsolete. Hire car more often used in BrE, sometimes rental car
semi-detached house Duplex
service lift dumbwaiter - They mean different things in BrE these days.
serviette Napkin
Shop gazing window shopping, browsing - Shop gazing never used in BrE. Both window shopping (from the outside) and browsing (inside the shop) are current in BrE.
side (billiards) English - this term unknown to me, but billiards has largely been supplanted by snooker and pool in the UK
silencer (vehicles) Muffler
silent number unlisted number - obsolete. Ex-diretory now used in BrE
single ticket one-way ticket
singlet T-shirt - obsolete since the 1960's. T-shirt commonly used in BrE.
six-over-six 20-20 vision - obsolete.
Slide barrette (hair)
Slip men's underwear (means women's undergarments in American) - obsolete. It's a pretty old-fashioned word for a women's petticoat in BrE these days.
smart well-dressed (means clever in American)
snowslip Avalanche - obsolete. Avalanche used in BrE
spanner Wrench
spatula tongue depressor - In hospitals, tongue depressor more often used in BrE. A spatula usually means a kind of kitchen utensil these days.
spirits alcohol (liquor, brandy, whiskey)
spool cassette, tape, reel, roll - all of these terms are becoming obsolete in this new media age.
squails tiddlywinks - obsolete. Tiddly-winks is used in BrE, though the game has been out of fashion for decades.
squib firecracker
stance taxi stand - obsolete. Taxi rank used in BrE
Stop late stay late - 'stop' meaning 'stay' now rarely used in BrE. More common in north of UK.
Stop open stay open - virtually obsolete
strapping Bandages - obsolete
subject Citizen - they mean different things in BrE. We stopped being British Subjects in the 1980s and became British Citizens.
suction cleaner vacuum cleaner - obsolete. The brand name 'hoover' is used in the UK to describe the object and the activity
sugar soap paint remover
sun-filter cream sun-screen lotion - obsolete. Sun-tan lotion or sunscreen used in BrE
surgery doctor's office (means operating room in American)
surname last name, family name
suspenders Garters
sweater Sweatshirt - now mean different things in BrE. Sweater is used in AmE where jumper is used in BrE to mean a woollen top.
sweet oil olive oil - obsolete. Olive oil used in BrE
sweeties, sweets Candy
swiss bun Danish - obsolete. Danish or Danish pastry used in BrE
swiss roll jelly roll
Swot study hard, cram
Table a proposal discuss a proposal (opposite of American meaning) - Tabling a proposal no longer current in everyday English, except in Parliament where a motion is tabled (a prospective law is put on the agenda for discussion)
tablets pills, medicine
Take a decision make a decision - both used in BrE
Take with take out, to go (fast-food restaurant) - Incorrect. Only take-away is used in BrE
Take-away carry-out (fast-food restaurant)
Tap Faucet
taxi rank taxi stand
telephonist telephone operator - obsolete
Telly television, TV (pronounced tee-vee)
Tick check mark
tights Pantyhose
timeous, timous early, timely - obsolete
Tin Can
tinkle telephone call (means urinate in American) - very old-fashioned slang. You might still hear 'give us a bell' in BrE, meaning 'telephone me'.
to time on time - obsolete. Running on time used in BrE
toothful Sip - obsolete
torch Flashlight
Tot add, calculate a total
touch wood knock on wood
tower block Skyscraper - These have come to mean different things in BrE. A skyscraper is considerably taller than a tower block.
Town centre Downtown
tradesman Storekeeper
Tram trolley, streetcar - obsolete. In cities where this system still operates, it's called the tram.
treacle Molasses
treacle sponge Gingerbread - different things in BrE.
trolley shopping cart
trousers Pants
trunk call toll call, long distance call - obsolete. Long distance call used in BrE
Tube of candy roll of candy - Candy is not used in BrE. We generally have a packet of sweets, even where the sweets are in a roll shape (for example, a packet of Fruit Pastilles). The exception is Smarties, which are sold in a cardboard tube.
Tube station subway station
tunny tuna fish - obsolete. Tuna used in BrE
Turn off discharge, fire - obsolete
Turn out a room thoroughly clean a room - obsolete
underground Subway - they mean different things in BrE. The Underground (or Tube) is the underground railway system. A subway is a pedestrian tunnel built under a busy road.
unmade track dirt road - more often dirt track in BrE now
vacuum flask thermos bottle - more usually a Thermos or just a flask in BrE
Vest T-shirt, undershirt
victualler Innkeeper - obsolete. The person who runs a pub is a landlord.
waist coat Vest - Written as one word in BrE now: waistcoat
Wall safe food cupboard or cabinet in the kitchen - obsolete. Kitchen cabinet or cupboard used in BrE.
water ice Sherbet - obsolete. Closest we would have in the UK these days would be sorbet.
white coffee coffee with cream
whole time full time - largely obsolete. A person would describe their working pattern as full-time or part-time in BrE
Wind cheater Windbreaker - A wind cheater is an old-fashioned word for a light plastic jacket in the UK. A windbreaker is more often used for the fabric screen families put up on cold and windy British beaches to get shelter from the wind.
windscreen Windshield
wire wool steel wool - both are used in BrE
zed the letter zee (z)

Obviously I'm only looking at these from a British English perspective. There may well be cases where both are used in the UK, but an AmE user might not understand one of the terms immediately.

Re: relative whose

Yoong Liat — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 16:39:52 GMT

Thanks, Babara. Whether or not it makes sense, the period or comma ALWAYS goes inside the quotation marks. In this case, I prefer British English because which punctuation marks we have to insert is dependent on logic.

Re: Vocabulary

Englishuser — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 22:14:45 GMT

Hi Nef,

Once again, please forgive me for quoting you in a clumsy way.

This also makes learning English so exciting; you need to learn British English, Canadian English, Caribbean English, Nigerian English, Australian English...

You have a lot more energy than I do, but that's good.

I think you definitely need to know 'world English'. It's a must, really. I'm currently studying South African and Nigerian Englishes.

Not to speak of learning the vocabulary of Chaucer and Shakespeare, something that's paramount to all of us, I should think.

I have never thought it was paramount to anyone except the people who thought it was paramount to themselves. I'm not one of them. " src="/emoticons/emotion-1.gif">

Perhaps you're right. At least people will be impressed with your English if you manage to use seventeenth-century vocabulary (and grammar). Perhaps I should try to imitate Shakespeare in my posts.

Speaking of professors of English, do you think they have vaster vocabularies than other native speakers (including English teachers)?

I think there's a huge amount of individual variation.

Interesting. I somehow find it unlikely that a Professor of English at the University of Harward, for instance, would know fewer words than a native speaker who hasn't studied English. English majors are, after all, required to read quite a lot.

Where are you from, EU?

Your question is a bit cryptical: EU could be an abbreviation for the European Union (in which case you'd want me to confirm your assumption that I'm an EU national, and not an AU national, for instance). Yes, I'm from the EU. Of course EU could also be an abbreviation for EnglishUser (which is probably what you meant), but as you can see I decided to answer the question my own way.

As we've been discussing the importance of knowing various words, I think I should mention that people know words differently. For instance, it's very obvious to most native speakers that 'tonga' refers to a small, light two-wheeled horse- or pony-drawn carriage or cart originating in India, but very few people would know that the word entered the English language sometime between 1870 and 1899 and that the word came from the Hindi word taga (my apologies for not being able to use appropriate punctuation marks or Hindi characters here). I personally think it's important to know a word well, so to say, which basically means you know something about its origin, various acceptable pronunciations, etc. Also, one should never forget to learn every known meaning, past and present, for each word in the language, no matter how archaic and obsolete some of them might be. To give you an example, the word 'pudding' means at least 15 different things (2 of which are archaic). (Not everyone knows that 'pudding' was used for a 'pudding' roasted within the body of an animal, for instance. 'Pudding' was used in this sense c. 1570 - 1799, and, in my opinion, this is an important piece of information.)

Re: Comma before because

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 18:38:17 GMT

I'm sure your intended recipient is delighted to be assisted in such a charming and generous manner. To the point, one shouldn't 'always include commas and periods inside quotation marks'. That only applies to American English. British English, for one, places punctuation outside the quotation marks (single in the first instance and often called inverted commas or speech marks) unless the punctuation applies to the quoted material.