[Help] Those Darned Yanks? Endangered English, part 94

[Gilliver's Travels]

Other horrors include: –

Increase replaced by Uptick. Now used routinely on the BBC, even by government spokespersons.

Got, replaced by Gotten – which sounds ridiculous, unless you're writing the Bible or making gains acquired by devious means.

 

[Brovion]

'Team' is singular - so 'Brighton (as in Brighton's team) has a tricky fixture' is correct (although admittedly it doesn't sound quite right).

'Players' on the other hand is a plural word - so if your 'Brighton' is referring to 'Brighton players' then they do correcty have a tricky fixture.

It doesn't sound right because it isn't! I've had this argument before, not sure if it was with you or not. We say "Brighton have the ball in their half", not "Brighton has the ball in its half" which would be the American 'singular' way.

Fair enough, the Americans are different. Indeed I read somewhere that Abraham Lincoln said "The civil war was fought because it's: 'The United States is', not 'the United States are'." I.e. although they're a group of individual states they're a single entity.

 

[B-right-on]

The idiots that go up to a cafe / takeaway counter and say "can I get....?".

NO! You can't get anything you moron. The assistant behind the counter will get it.

My 14 yo daughter told me at the weekend about the correct use can/could after an example in her English lesson at school recently. One of the pupils came into the class late and handed the note to the English teacher saying "can you read this". The teacher said "probably" and then ignored her and carried on teaching the class.

After a minuite or 2, the teacher looked at the pupil again who didnt know what to do as was standing there still with the note. The teacher said that he answered her question. The teacher then explained the can/could you read this difference and politeness. So the student asked again "could you..".

My daughter said since then, she's noticed a few times people saying "can you..." and she realises that is the correct way.

Thought it was a good lesson from the teacher as she now understands the correct use.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

English, American / English ?

I could care less

 

[Seagull58]

"Cluster****" is a wonderfully descriptive word though.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

"Cluster****" is a wonderfully descriptive word though.

It's a great description of something going wrong, starts with a SNAFU, progresses to a FUBAR and ends up finally as a Cluster****

All US military slang apparently

 

[GT49er]

It doesn't sound right as in British English we tend to use a plural verb with collective nouns. Using the 3rd person with one is jarringly American. "The staff is nice"

I quite agree - it doesn't sound right, but I for one will happily go on using the one which does sound right, even though it isn't!

 

[RexCathedra]

It's a great description of something going wrong, starts with a SNAFU, progresses to a FUBAR and ends up finally as a Cluster****

All US military slang apparently

Back in WWII, they had JANFU's -- Joint Army-Navy F***ups.
I suppose they're CAFU's now (combined arms...)

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Several words and pronunciations cause friction in our house, my pet hate at the moment is when the wife asks my daughter if she has done her "Math" homework.....

It's Maths......

When we first got married, we had went and met some of her relatives in Lansing Michigan for a meal to get to know them. One of them asked me "So Mr freakout, do you and Mrs freakout ever have miscommunications with some words?"
"Occasionally" I replied "No, seems to be the one I struggle with"

 

[McTavish]

The idiots that go up to a cafe / takeaway counter and say "can I get....?".

NO! You can't get anything you moron. The assistant behind the counter will get it.

This.

Whatever happened to "Please may I have?"

If you are going to be pedantic about these things, surely the answer to that is, "Of course you may, you moron, you're in a cafe. Would you like me to get you one?"

 

[1066familyman]

I can't understand how so many English people now recounting a time when they were angry, were pissed at the time in question.

If excessive alcohol intake is routinely making them angry, they'd be better off going teetotal, or at least drink in moderation only.

 

[Coalburner]

We'll be with you momentarily.

 

[schmunk]

I can't understand how so many English people now recounting a time when they were angry, were pissed at the time in question.

If excessive alcohol intake is routinely making them angry, they'd be better off going teetotal, or at least drink in moderation only.

I don't think I've ever heard a British person say they were 'pissed' meaning angry however 'pissed off' is in common parlance.

 

[knocky1]

No rescue needed here! Don't expect everyone to be aware of a certain 19-goal,1970s Yorkshire-born forward named Allan...

Awesome reply Bud. I’ll have my coat….

 

[portlock seagull]

Why the septic tanks can’t pronounce words properly either I don’t know. Hurricane and Lieutenant are two examples. As for alloooomian…who makes anything out of that metal?!

 

[clapham_gull]

The idiots that go up to a cafe / takeaway counter and say "can I get....?".

NO! You can't get anything you moron. The assistant behind the counter will get it.

A few years ago, I was in an ITALIAN coffee shop in SOHO, LONDON.

An ENGLISHMAN walked in and asked the POLISH assistant "CAN I GET an expresso and bacon sandwich ON BROWN ?"

 

[half time scores]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw

 

[Bakero]

A few years ago, I was in an ITALIAN coffee shop in SOHO, LONDON.

An ENGLISHMAN walked in and asked the POLISH assistant "CAN I GET an expresso and bacon sandwich ON BROWN ?"

My main issue with that is the expresso.

When a mate of mine first moved to Brighton, he went in to a café and overheard a customer say to a member of a staff, "I'm thinking bread, I'm thinking bacon, what can we do?" Not an American, just a knob. My mate almost jumped back on the train.

 

[Coalburner]

I have never understood the common American phrase "He's good people". What is it supposed to convey?

 

[1066familyman]

I don't think I've ever heard a British person say they were 'pissed' meaning angry however 'pissed off' is in common parlance.

You'll see it crop up a fair bit on here for starters. Maybe they're Americans posting, or English who have moved there

I've also heard it here in real life too.
It's creeping in, although thankfully not at the same pace as everyone now being SUPER excited.