August, 2016 | Stickler

When it comes down to the details, there are so many small differences between British and American English. It’s confusing and time consuming if you don’t have working experience in both (like we do here at Stickler Proofreading). In this article, we’ll outline five of the top things to look for if you’ve been asked to use one or other of these two styles, starting with three common spelling differences.

Why are there even differences between British and American English?

In terms of spelling, it all has to do with that American rebellious spirit. Noah Webster (yes, the Webster’s Dictionary one) wanted to standardize spelling in English after the American Revolution. Basically, Webster wanted words to be spelled the way they were pronounced, but he also wanted to distinguish the American way of spelling from the British one as a show of true independence

1. –er vs. –re at the end of words

One of the most common spelling differences between British and American English is the British –re, which is a linguistic nod to the many English words that come from French. It’s one of the most common giveaways that show which form of English is being used. Examples include:

center (US) vs. centre (UK)
fiber vs. fibre
liter vs. litre

2. –l vs –ll at the end of past-tense verbs and gerunds

A lesser-known difference between British and American English is adding an extra “l” to a word when you create the past tense or gerund (–ing) form. This only applies to certain words, so take note: If the word ends in a vowel and then –l, British English usually requires “ll” when adding –ed or –ing, whereas American English has dropped that extra “l.”

Examples include:

traveled (US) vs. travelled (UK)
fueling vs. fuelling
labeled vs. labelled

3. –ize vs. –ise

In American English, words such as “organize” always take the “–ize” form. However, just to confuse matters, in British English both “organize” and “organise” are acceptable (in fact, the Oxford English Dictionary prefers “–ize”). Which one you use can depend on personal preference or house style. Other examples include:

“civilization” vs. “civilisation”
“acclimatization” vs. “acclimatisation”
“nationalizing” vs. “nationalising”

This very comprehensive list gives 1,800 of the most common words that are spelled differently in British and American English.

4. Punctuation with quotation marks

This one is pretty simple. In British English, the quotation mark always comes before the punctuation, unless the quotation in question forms a full sentence. In American English, the punctuation always goes inside the quotation mark (except in rare instances where house style prefers otherwise). Here’s an example:

Jootun et al. (2009) stated that this demonstrates the degree of influence that the “researcher exerts on the research findings,” (p. 29) regardless of whether this influence is intentional or unintentional. (US)

vs.

Jootun et al. (2009, p. 29) stated that this demonstrates the degree of influence that the “researcher exerts on the research findings”, (p. 29) regardless of whether this influence is intentional or unintentional. (UK)

5. Creation of past tense

For the most part, Americans use –ed to create past tense, as in “learned,” “burned,” and “smelled.” In British English, however, it is possible in many cases to form past tense with either –t or –ed. “Learnt,” “burnt,” and “smelt” are all acceptable forms of past tense in British English.

You can check out this chart for a more comprehensive list of examples.

Why do these differences matter?

If you never plan to study abroad or publish work in international journals or through large publishers, then this entire subject may be moot. However, if are pursuing one or more of these paths, it’s highly likely that you’ll need to follow style guidelines throughout your academic career, and in this case it pays to know the basic differences between British and American English.

These five differences are only the tip of the iceberg. There are many more spelling differences and colloquialisms that can trip you up. But not to worry—we have experience on both sides of the ocean!

You might know that Jinny Hayman, Stickler’s owner and founder, is originally from the UK and has been living in the States for many years. As a result, we here at Stickler are able to provide editing and proofreading services to both British and American English, including navigating the lesser-known nuances between the two. Not sure what your journal or school prefers? No problem, just let us know where you plan to submit your work and we’ll do the rest!

Plagiarism was a popular topic this past July in the US. All sorts of questions about it came up on the first night of the Republican convention.

Did Melania Trump crib Michelle Obama’s Democratic convention speech from 2008? Did Mrs. Trump write her own speech or did someone write it for her? Does it count as plagiarism if you’re speaking in platitudes and making value statements that most people would generally agree with?

Regardless of anyone’s political convictions, the incident was a good way for many teachers and professors to reintroduce the concept of plagiarism to their students. Many English teachers in particular jumped at the chance to comment on the issue. Most of them pointed out that students at their respective schools would face expulsion or, at the very least, a failing grade if they were caught plagiarizing an assignment.

Which brings us to the question, “What exactly is plagiarism?”

To plagiarize is to use someone else’s ideas or work, while taking credit for it as though it is your own.

The simplest example would be a student that copies someone else’s article, and puts his or her name at the top.
Some students just copy phrases, or reword much of the source material without providing adequate references. They will often rely on synonyms in order to conceal the fact that they have copied someone’s idea, but they’ll leave the sentence structure as it is. However, structure matters just as much as the words do when it comes to plagiarism. If the structure is not that different from the original, the source information is missing, and there are several unattributed quotes sprinkled throughout the work, it’s plagiarism.
Even if you completely reword a passage and leave no trace of the original, if the structure of your sentences or your arguments is the same, you must cite your source—otherwise, it’s still plagiarism.

You can see some wonderful, practical examples on Princeton’s Academic Integrity page.

So why is plagiarism such a big deal?

First off, it’s a form of stealing, which most people find morally and ethically reprehensible. Not only do plagiarists steal ideas, but they steal the time and effort that was put into the research, writing, and publication of those ideas.

But besides that, if you’re a small fish in a big academic pond, who does it hurt?

Well—it hurts you most of all. You won’t have learned anything from the task you’ve been set, and you’re very likely to find that you fail your assignment or have your journal article rejected (universities and journals have plagiarism programs that check for this kind of thing, and believe us, they do use them!). In the unlikely event that you do get away with it, even if you never, ever plagiarize again you might be called out on it later on in your career, calling all of your achievements up to that point in time into question.

When you’re using other people’s research, staying organized in terms of your sources and citations is the key to preventing plagiarism.

However, people can also plagiarize unintentionally.

There is a fairly common phenomenon called cryptomnesia. You hear an idea or you read it somewhere, but you forget that you’ve already been exposed to it. When the idea comes to you later, it seems original. But the points above still stand—if you write down someone else’s idea and neglect to cite the origin, you’ve just committed plagiarism, albeit, in this case, accidentally.

So what can I do if I’ve written an, essay, dissertation, thesis, or other work with many sources?

Here at Stickler, we recently introduced plagiarism checking as an add-on to our academic editing service. We use top-of-the-line software to scan your document and highlight anything that might be plagiarized, and then provide you with a full report and suggestions so that you can address the problems. Check out https://www.sticklerproofreading.com/additional-services for more details.

Monthly Archives: August 2016

Five Differences between British and American English: A (very) short guide