39 IRREGULAR VERB FORMS PAGE 386 Base form Past tense Past/passive participle 300 List of irregular verbs NOTE a For verbs which have forms both in ed and t, e.g. burned / burnt, dream / dreamt, • 303(11). b Cost as a transitive verb is regular. They've costed the project. (= estimated the cost) Base form Past tense Past/passive participle PAGE 387 c The third person singular of do is does d Fit is usually regular in Britain but irregular in the US. e In GB the past tense of forbid is forbad or forbade, pronounced . In the US it is forbade, pronounced f For the past participle gotten (US), • 303(5d). g The third person singular of go is goes For gone and been, • 84(6). h We use hanged only to talk about hanging a person. i The third person singular of have is has j For the difference between lay and lie, • 11 (2) Note b. Lie (= tell an untruth) is regular. k The third person singular of say is says 1 Shined means 'polished': I've shined my shoes. Compare The sun shone. m We use sped for movement. They sped down the hill. But we say speeded up (= went faster), n Weave is regular when it expresses movement. We weaved our way through the traffic. 39 IRREGULAR VERB FORMS . PAGE 388 301 Special participle forms There are some special past/passive participle forms that we use mainly before a noun. Compare these sentences. have + participle: The ship has sunk. The metal has melted. Participle + noun: a sunken ship molten metal We can also form special participles from drink, shrink, prove, learn and bless. a drunken spectator a shrunken old man a proven fact NOTE These participles can have special meanings and are used only in limited contexts. For example, we talk about molten metal but NOT molten ice. a learned professor a blessed relief 40 American English 302 Summary The grammar of British English and American English is very similar. There are a few differences but not very many, and most of them are minor points. Differences with verbs • 303 Differences with noun phrases • 304 Differences with adjectives and adverbs • 305 Differences with prepositions • 306 Differences with conjunctions • 307 American spelling • 308 There are also some spelling differences, such as GB colour, US color. The main differences between British and American English are in pronunciation and in some items of vocabulary. A good dictionary such as the Oxford Wordpower Dictionary or the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary will give American variants in spelling, pronunciation and usage. The Hutchinson British-American Dictionary by Norman Moss explains the meanings of words which are familiar in one country but not in the other. 303 Differences with verbs 1 Linking verb + noun phrase The British can use a noun phrase after a linking verb such as be, seem, look, feel. • 9(1) Mainly GB: It looks a lovely evening. She seemed (to be) a competent pilot. The Americans do not use this pattern except with be and become. US: It looks like/It looks to be a lovely evening. She seemed to be a competent pilot. PAGE 389 40 AMERICAN ENGLISH PAGE 390 2 Do for an action The British sometimes use do to refer to an action. • 38 (2c) GB: He practises the piano, but not as often as he might (do). You should reply if you haven't (done) already. This usage is not found in American English. US: He practices the piano, but not as often as he might. You should reply if you haven't already. But Americans use do so. GB/US: You should reply if you haven't done so already. 3 Do for emphasis The British can use do to emphasize an offer or invitation in the imperative form. GB: (Do) have a glass of wine. This usage is less common in American English. US: Have a glass of wine. Americans also avoid the emphatic Do let's . and the negative Don't let's . • 19 (6a) GB/US: Let's not invite them. GB only: Don't let's invite them. NOTE Let's don't invite them is possible in informal American English but not in Britain. 4 Question tags Americans use tags much less often than the British. The British may use them several times in a conversation, but this would sound strange to an American. Americans use tags when they expect agreement. They do not often use them to persuade or argue. GB/US: Mary likes ice-cream, doesn't she? GB only: You'll just have to try harder, won't you? Americans often use the tags right? and OK? Mainly US: You're going to meet me, right? We'll take the car, OK? 5 Have, have got and have gotten a Have and have got GB: I've got/I have some money. US (spoken): I've got some money. US (written: I have some money. PAGE 391 303 Differences with verbs b Negatives and questions with have and have got GB/US: We don't have much time. Do you have enough money? Mainly GB: We haven't got much time. Have you got enough money? GB only: We haven't much time. Have you enough money? c Negatives and questions with have to and have got to GB/US: You don't have to go. Do you have to go? GB only: You haven't got to go. Have you got to go? d Got and gotten GB: He's got a new job. (= He has a new job.) Your driving has got better. (= It has become better.) US: He's got a new job. (= He has a new job.) He's gotten a new job. (= He has found a new job.) Your driving has gotten better. (= It has become better.) e Get someone to do something and have someone do something GB/US: We got the waiter to bring another bottle. Mainly US: We had the waiter bring another bottle. 6 Present perfect and past simple Both the British and the Americans use the present perfect for something in the past which is seen as related to the present. • 65(2) GB/US: I've just met an old friend. Dave has already eaten his lunch. Have you ever seen St Paul's Cathedral? I've never had a passport. But Americans sometimes use the past simple in such contexts especially with just, already, yet, ever and never. Mainly US: I just met an old friend. Dave already ate his lunch. Did you ever see the Empire State Building? I never had a passport. 7 Gone and been The British use been for 'gone and come back', • 84(6), but the Americans mostly use gone. GB/US: Have you ever been to Scotland? US only: Have you ever gone to Florida? 8 Will and shall The British use will or shall in the first person, • 71(2). Americans do not often use shall. GB: We will/shall contact you. US: We will contact you. 40 AMERICAN ENGLISH PAGE 392 The British use shall in offers, but Americans prefer should. Mainly GB: Shall I meet you at the entrance? Mainly US: Should I meet you at the entrance? The British can also use Shall we . ? in suggestions. Mainly GB: Shall we go for a walk? Americans would say How about a walk? or Would you like to take a walk? 9 Need and dare Need, • 92(3), and dare, •101, can be ordinary verbs. The British can also use them as modal verbs. GB/US: He doesn't need to see the inspector. Do we dare to ask? Mainly GB: He needn't see the inspector. Dare we ask? 10 Can't and mustn't In Britain one use of must is to say that something is necessarily true, • 95(1). The negative is can't. Americans can also use mustn't. GB/US: There's no reply. They can't be home. US only: There's no reply. They mustn't be home. 11 Learned and learnt Some verbs have both regular and irregular forms: learned or learnt, dreamed /dri:md/ or dreamt /dremt/ etc. The irregular forms are not very usual in America. The British say dreamed or dreamt; the Americans say dreamed. The verbs dive and fit are regular in Britain but they can be irregular in America. GB/US: dive - dived - dived fit - fitted - fitted US only: dive - dove - dived fit-fit-fit NOTE Fit is irregular in America only when it means 'be the right size'. GB: The suit fitted him very well. US: The suit fit him very well. It is always regular when it means 'make something the right size' or 'put something in the right place'. GB/US: The tailor fitted him with a new suit. 12 The subjunctive We can sometimes use the subjunctive in a that-clause, • 242. In Britain the subjunctive is rather formal. Americans use it more often. Mainly GB: My parents prefer that my brother lives/should live at home. Mainly US: My parents prefer that my brother live at home. . questions with have to and have got to GB/US: You don't have to go. Do you have to go? GB only: You haven't got to go. Have you got to go? d Got and. evening. She seemed to be a competent pilot. PAGE 389 40 AMERICAN ENGLISH PAGE 390 2 Do for an action The British sometimes use do to refer to an action. •