UK or US English – what’s the difference?
I think it’s fairly safe to assume that most people are well aware that there is a difference between UK and US English. A few quick and easy examples for you – would you write ‘grey or gray’, ‘colour or color’, ‘realise or realize’? ‘Practice or practise’? The differences so far may seem minimal, pernickety even, so you might ask, are they so important? Does it have an impact on your work if the message is still understood by your readers, some of whom might not even notice the odd trespass into another country?
In a word, YES!
Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw is widely quoted as saying that the United States and the United Kingdom are two countries divided by a common language. (That one makes me chuckle!) The differences may seem small on the surface, but the impact when you run into them can be huge, especially if you intend to make a living through writing, or, on the other side of that beautiful coin, editing and proofreading.
Why so important?
UK and US English are essentially the same language – even more so when spoken, though pronunciation varies, and some words we frequently use in the UK are not common in the US. (‘Queue’, for example. My American friend was totally bemused when I used that one. She preferred to say ‘line’.) The fact remains, however, that they bear such marked differences as make them disparate enough to qualify as two distinct dialects. Consequently, you will need to put forth a certain amount of effort to achieve a good level of continuity in your written work. Perfection may not be attainable, but it is desirable.
I also believe that growing up in a British society with its strong seasoning of American influence can result in interesting challenges. Let’s say you enjoyed some good American literature as a young person – Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, for example; who doesn’t love that? – and you happily immersed yourself in the culture of our cousins from across the pond. Well, in that case, I’m willing to bet that you absorbed a sprinkling of US spellings and grammar variations along with the sage lessons and entertaining tales to be found in such books, thus resulting in a need, possibly, for a little un-learning.
UK or US English and me
I’ve been there. I’m still there. I may, in fact, always be there…
It’s a thing I am continually having to be actively conscious of as I write. Even in researching and writing this page, I’ve unearthed a few obscure differences I wasn’t wholly cognisant of.
Because, back in the day, the influence of US English infiltrated my native UK English without my being totally aware of it, culminating in a hybrid version that just won’t play in the professional world. And, to compound the problem, no one taught me about it in school. It just wasn’t part of the curriculum. I’ve addressed this issue on my own as I’ve travelled my literary journey.
Thankfully, one of the wonderful things about our modern world is that, for anyone who wants to learn, the resources are literally at our fingertips. When I was in school (bear with – I’m about to reveal my age!) the world wide web was in its infancy. In beautiful but rural North Wales, I had to go to the local library for research and extra learning. I used whatever they had to hand.
All hail the internet! Now we can learn anything we wish, whenever we wish…
Punctuation is a problem too
And it’s not just spelling and grammar, oh no. Don’t be forgetting your punctuation!
I write fiction novels which, incidentally, you can find here on Amazon. I am smugly happy that, when writing fiction, I enjoy a certain amount of creative licence in style and arrangement, lending a naughty freedom that accommodates tiny deviations.
For example, I like – and use – double quotation marks when my characters speak. It’s my preference. But UK English traditionally prefers the single quotation mark. However, the double quote is becoming more popular, as it is across the water, and its usage more widely accepted.
What about commas? Especially before ‘and’ and ‘but’? It came as something of a surprise to me that UK English generally eschews that subversive yet beloved comma, but I, again, prefer it as it adds enormously to clarity. I won’t be relinquishing it any time soon! However, I could dive very deep in the convoluted world of commas and their proper usage, so I’ll stop there. For now…
And how about the sisterhood of dashes? Hyphen, en-dash, and em-dash? UK and US English treat these delightful characters differently too, which would open up a whole new discussion that I won’t go into now, except to say that I’m a personal devotee of the en-dash. (UK style.) I’m almost a fan-girl. It’s an obsession. A weird one…
Style and substance
Do you know what I really love?
Creative freedom.
I do, I’m not going to lie. Granted, there’s a huge part of me that’s a stickler for the rules and needs things to be correct. That’s why I love grammar and adore educating myself. It meets a need in me for perfection, which, I hasten to add, I know is not possible, but it’s worth striving for, don’t you think?
But, and this, I feel, is so important, rules can sometimes be made to be broken. Just a little. Cliche? Maybe. True? Well, that’s up to you.
Imagine, if you will, a literary world where every writer follows every rule to the nth degree, and all of these works are published for our perusal. Would they be good? Readable? Useful? Perhaps. Is there a danger that they would be soulless?
A creative writer needs his or her own style. It’s an imperative. A voice, a hook, a handle. Sometimes this may result in blurring the lines a teeny bit between dialects, sometimes not. So, with that being said, with proper usage hanging in the balance against creative freedom, what is the takeaway point from all of this?
Continuity, continuity, continuity
Yup. One more time for emphasis – Continuity.
You like an Oxford comma? Use it. Consistently. You want an en-dash where some might argue that an em-dash would be more appropriate? Go for it if you must, but be consistent. It lends professionalism, and doesn’t jerk the reader out of a world you are wanting them to enjoy.
And do please be aware that the delightful relaxing of the rules within the fictional realm may not play so well in a business setting. Get online, or in the library if you are old-school, and do your research if you have to; understand your choices as you make them, then stand by them. Proudly.
Need help with UK or US English?
I am pleased to offer you my services as a proof reader to help you ensure your consistency and continuity. I know that when one is writing a novel, and the ideas are flowing fast, the distinction between UK and US English may not always be uppermost in your mind! It’s very likely that an amalgam of the two will pour out onto your page, and you will be sublimely unaware of it! Also, when penning a 100,000 word novel, what you confidently chose as your style say, in April, might well have been forgotten by July, and this is when a good proof reader can be invaluable.
So, novel or business document, manuscript or letter, I urge you to get in touch with me, furnish me with your style-guide if you have one, or simply tell me exactly what you want, and I’ll do the painstaking, laborious work that so many writers dread, but that I unapologetically, if aberrantly, enjoy!
Do you have a document in need of proof reading?
I will be delighted to do that for you. You can call me on 07803 072006 or email me at claireshaw.proof@gmail.com. I will always be sympathetic to your own voice and I am never judgemental about mistakes. I understand we all make them. Or you can visit my proof reading service page to find out more.