oxford_guide_to_english_grammar

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.