Writing from Both sides of the Pond: US or UK English

“I don’t have an accent. You have an accent.”

When it come to English, it’s not just the spoken word that is different on either side of the Atlantic Ocean. The written word has differences, too. What are your readers expecting to see on the page?

While local idioms, expressions, and dialects will be covered in another article, this guide focuses on spelling and grammar adjustments for the readers we are targeting.

What I am about to show you is just the tip of the iceberg. We aren’t even getting into regional differences inside each country.

To write authentically can be hard work! But well worth the effort to draw in and keep your reader entranced in the whole environment of your story.

I’m not brave enough to write about a region I’m not familiar with. If you are, you’ve got all my respect! So, coming from a generic US standpoint, let’s take a glance at some of the elements of our writing that can create the setting we are going for.  

Spelling Adjustments:

Did you know that in the US, there are certain words that are spelled differently compared to other English-speaking countries. Here are a few examples:

• Color (US) vs. Colour (UK)
• Center (US) vs. Centre (UK)
• Theater (US) vs. Theatre (UK)

Vocabulary Differences:

Then there are the words themselves. Do you know about these vocabulary differences:

• Elevator (US) instead of Lift (UK)
• Apartment (US) instead of Flat (UK)
• Sidewalk (US) instead of Pavement (UK)
• Cellphone (US) instead of Mobile (UK)

Verb agreement between plurals and singulars:

This is a difference that can make my inner ear twinge. I’ll bet, if you’re from the UK, you wince just as hard at the way I write it. But, if you’re like me, once you get into the cadence, this difference can transport you to the story world faster than descriptive setting.

Here are a few examples:

• The team is (US) vs. The team are (UK)
• The company is (US) vs The company are (UK)
• The government has (US) vs. The government have (UK)
• The committee decides (US) vs. The committee decide (UK)
• The family prefers (US) vs. The family prefer (UK)

Why? When writing for a US audience, we use singular verb forms with collective nouns, seeing the team as one unit, instead of a multitude of entities.

Punctuation and Quotation Marks:

The US, punctuation and quotation marks follow specific conventions. Here are a few weird differences that would be fun to research the history behind:

• Use double quotation marks (” “) for dialogue or direct speech.
• Place punctuation marks inside the quotation marks, even if they aren’t part of the quote itself.
• Use periods and commas within quotation marks.

If you have to read through this a few times to make it may sense, you are not alone. I had to do the same!

Here’s how we would do it in the US:

*Use double quotation marks (” “) for dialogue or direct speech: In the US, it is customary to enclose dialogue or direct speech within double quotation marks. For example: “I love this book,” said Sarah.

*Place punctuation marks inside the quotation marks, even if they aren’t part of the quote itself: In American English, periods, commas, and other punctuation marks are placed inside the closing quotation marks. For instance: She asked, “Are you coming to the party?”

*Use periods and commas within quotation marks: In the US, periods and commas are almost always placed within the quotation marks, even if they are not part of the quoted material. For example: The sign read, “No parking.”

Okay, I struggle with punctuation enough to not attempt the UK conventions of the above sentences. We’ll leave that as an exercise for you. 🙂 

Abbreviations and Acronyms

And then, of course, there are the acronyms and abbreviations. Although, in my opinion, we might need to sneak in the full phrase for our readers, no matter where the reader is from.

Need some examples? 

• United States (US) instead of United Kingdom (UK)
• FBI (US) instead of MI5 (UK)

Got other examples of differences us writers need to manage? Let me know and I’ll add them!

The trick, of course, is to write to your reader’s exception while preserving your unique voice and giving your main characters their unique voices over and above yours.  Easy-peasy, right? 

You can do it. I have confidence in you!