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

Re: ::: Why not to double the last letter !!? :::

CalifJim — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:33:13 GMT

The_Ancestral_Eagle
What about ( happen / open ) in the British English !!?

I don't think they double in those, even though they double in "travelled", so I don't really know if they have a consistent rule for this kind of verb, or if it's a matter of memorizing each one separately.

Re: What is the difference between Advice and Advise ?

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 02:33:22 GMT

In British english "Advice" is the noun and "Advise" is the verb.

eg. Advice

>I don't need any advice from you, Naresh.
>The advice that Shyam gave Vidya was useless.

eg. Advise

> The teacher advised the students to take the day off.

>Kannan advised me to go to Mumbai and meet the client.

Re: round him, to get

Kooyeen — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:03:33 GMT

Hi,
"round" can be used as an adverb in British English, as fas as I know, and it is the same as "around", which is the usual one in American English.

I put my arm round him to comfort him. = I put my arm around him to comfort him.

If we put the chairs a bit closer together (= move them nearer to each other), we should be able to get another one round the table. = I think here it means "to make another chair fit around the table".

Re: usgae of "was"..correct??..pls explain?

Sausages — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 13:56:52 GMT

The plural verb is apparently a feature of British English, where American English users opt for using chiefly the singular.

But, being native to neither language, I guess my hands are free :)

I have a theory, that if I were to speak this sentence, I would use 'were', whereas if I were to write it, I'd use the singular 'was'. Does that make sense?

Re: Three short answers

yizhivika — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:19:50 GMT

Hi Sharleenandrea,

The difference between the two words is that in British English, 'practise' is a verb, and 'practice' is a noun (note that Americans don't use 'practise' as the verbal form, and use 'practice' for both the noun and the verb).

In the sentence you've used above, 'in practice' needs to use the noun form, and that's why I amended it. It does, incidentally, mean what you intended it to mean, and you simply misspelt it, that's all.

Hope it's all a bit clearer now....

Re: dreamed and dreamt

Grammar Geek — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:00:22 GMT

Hello anon,

I'm not sure why you chose to stand on your soapbox about the declining state of English on a post that was almost two years old, but you are mistaken.

Regarding dive:http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dive - usage Dive, which was originally a weak verb, developed a past tense dove, probably by analogy with verbs like drive, drove. Dove exists in some British dialects and has become the standard past tense especially in speech in some parts of Canada. In the United States dived and dove are both widespread in speech as past tense and past participle, with dove less common than dived in the south Midland area, and dived less common than dove in the Northern and north Midland areas. In writing, the past tense dived is usual in British English and somewhat more common in American English. Dove seems relatively rare as a past participle in writing.

Regarding sneak: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sneak - usage From its earliest appearance in print in the late 19th century as a dialectal and probably uneducated form, the past and past participle snuck has risen to the status of standard and to approximate equality with sneaked. It is most common in the United States and Canada but has also been spotted in British and Australian English.

Regarding fun: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fun - note the adjective function, making "so fun" perfectaly acceptable.

Regarding hang: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hang usage For both transitive and intransitive senses 1b the past and past participle hung, as well as hanged, is standard. Hanged is most appropriate for official executions <he was to be hanged, cut down whilst still aliveâ¦and his bowels torn out â Louis Allen> but hung is also used <gave orders that she should be hungâ Peter Quennell>. Hung is more appropriate for less formal hangings <by morning I'll be hung in effigy â Ronald Reagan>.

Next time, try consulting a dictionary instead of your own sense of indignation.

Re: Transformational Rules and Subject-Verb Agreement

Cool Breeze — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:08:25 GMT

Anonymous
The couple is living in Dallas
The couple are living in Dallas

Which?

Either one will do. Couple is grammatically singular but two people are needed to form a couple. Especially in British English a plural verb is often used if many people are involved: England are up four to two. That's what a British sports commentator would say about a football match. I don't think I have ever heard is used in that context.

Re: family is/are

nona the brit — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 13:00:57 GMT

Sometimes (particularly in British English) we can vary whether we use the singular or plural verb in these cases. It can change the meaning though. Remember that the singular verb is used when we are thinking of the group as a whole single entity. The plural verb can be used when we are thinking of the individual members of that group. I would interpret your sentences:

My family is big. There are a lot of people in my family. The group (familly) is large in size.

My family are big. The people in my family are fat. The individuals(making up the family group) are big...which is a euphamism for fat.

Re: Adjective

Goodman — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:08:07 GMT

Hi Tanit,
I guess it can be both depending on the construction....
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/likely

likely

Adjective

1. tending or inclined: likely to win

2. probable: the likely effects of the tunnel

3. appropriate for a purpose or activity: a likely candidate

Adverb

1. probably or presumably

2. not likely Informal definitely not [Old Norse lÄ«kligr]

USAGE: Likely as an adverb is preceded by another, intensifying adverb, as in it will very likely rain or it will most likely rain. Its use without an intensifier, as in it will likely rain, is regarded as unacceptable by most users of British English, though it is common in colloquial US English.

Re: transitive or intransitive

Mr Wordy — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:56:21 GMT

To me (British English), "vanish" as a transitive verb is borderline, and is appropriate in only in very casual or jokey usage. I'm not sure how accepted it is in AmE.

Therefore, to me, "is vanished" looks like a mistake for "has vanished". If I was certain it wasn't a mistake then I would understand it as a passive form of transitive "vanish", which might, depending on context, merge into an adjectival use of the past participle of transitive "vanish". I don't see any other interpretation.