My English Has Gotten Better There are some grammatical differences between British and American variants. In British English, the past participle of ‘get’ is ‘got’. In American English, the past participle of ‘get’ is ‘gotten’. American English accepts the use of the Simple Past tense where British English requires Present Perfect: Did you see him yet? He just went out. Did you go there already?
Different Prepositions
There are a number of interesting Anglo-American differences in the use of certain prepositions. The British talk to their friends, the Americans talk with them. The British look out of the windows, throw something out of the window, and even fall out of the window. Americans simply look out the window. Americans check out the situation, while the British check up on it. If the British do not go out, they stay at home. Americans stay home. Citizens of the UK sit down to write to their friends. Holders of the US passports simply write their friends.
Verbal Misunderstanding
Some American words are simply unknown on the other side of the Atlantic, and vise versa. But a lot of words exist in both variants, and these can cause trouble. In his book ‘How ____________ Skies’ George Mikes gives several examples of this verbal misunderstanding: ‘You must be _______________ careful _______________ the names of certain _______________. If you ask suspenders in a man’s shop, you receive a pair of braces, if you ask for a pair of pants, you receive a pair of trousers and should you ask for a pair of braces, you receive a ___________ lock’. British visitors to America are often surprised at the different meanings that familiar words have acquired there. If an Englishman asks in an American store for a vest, he will be offered a ___________________. If he wants to buy a handbag for his wife, he should ask for a purse, and if she wants to buy a pair of tights, she should ask for pantyhose: tights in America are what ___________ ____________ wear.
What Shall We Wear?
| British
| American
| | trousers
| pants
| | pants
| underwear
| | jumper
| sweater
| | trainers
| sneakers
| | dressing gown
| bathrobe
| | tights
| pantyhose
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Understatement and Realism
Yet some of the most ______________ differences between the two variants are not in vocabulary but in usage. Britons in many areas of life still tend towards ___________________. Americans ________________.
| English understatement
| American realism
| | I suppose this meat could perhaps be a little more tender.
| This meat is as tough as old boots!
| | Our hotel room was not exactly the Ritz.
| The room was awful.
| | His speech could really have been a little more interesting.
| It was the dullest speech I’ve ever heard.
|
Match the underlined words from the text with their meanings in the following table. Find their Russian equivalents.
| Underlined words
| Meanings
| Russian equivalents
| |
| with the order reversed; the other way around
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| |
| to fail to understand a word properly
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| |
| an area in which many races, ideas, etc., are mixed
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| be the reason for a state or condition of disorder or unrest
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| to have a general disposition (to do something); be inclined
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| 14. Transcribe and learn the following words from the text:
suspenders – брит. подвязки; амер. подтяжки
braces – фигурные скобки; брит. подтяжки
pants – брит. трусы; амер. брюки
store=брит. shop
vest – брит. майка; амер. жилет
purse – брит. кошелек; амер. дамская сумочка
tights – брит. колготки
pantyhose – амер. колготки
Can you do this American English quiz? Give the American equivalents for the following British words. Use the English-Russian Dictionary.
1) lift; 2) post; 3) timetable; 4) flat; 5) ill; 6) holidays; 7) autumn; 8) trousers; 9) dinner jacket; 10) sweets; 11) petrol; 12) queue; 13) film; 14) shop; 15) maths.
Grammar Section
The Noun
Существительное
The Plural Number of the Nouns
Множественное число существительных
1. Множественное число исчисляемых имён существительных образуется при помощи окончания –s. E.g. a flower – flowers, a boy – boys. Если существительное оканчивается на –y, а перед ней стоит согласная буква, то во множественном числе –y меняется на –i и добавляется окончание –es. E.g. a copy – copies, a body – bodies. Если перед – y стоит гласная буква, то изменений не происходит, добавляется окончание -s. E.g., a boy – boys.
2. Если существительное в единственном числе оканчивается на s, ss, sh, ch, x, o, то добавляется окончание - es (исключения: photo - photos, piano – pianos). E.g. a bus – buses, a glass – glasses, a bench – benches, a potato – potatoes.
3. Если существительное оканчивается на -f (fe) , то во множественном числе -f меняется -v и добавляется –es. E.g. a life- lives, a knife – knives, a wife – wives. (Исключение: a roof – roofs).
4. Не имеют формы множественного числа такие исчисляемые существительные, как deer, sheep, swine. Существительные fruit, fish также не имеют формы множественного числа, если речь идет об одном виде.
5. Ряд существительных образует множественное число не по общим правилам.
| a man – men
a woman – women
a foot – feet
a tooth – teeth
a goose – geese
a mouse - mice
an ox – oxen
a child – children
| a crisis – crises
an index – indices
a criterion – a criteria
datum - data
phenomenon – phenomena
basis - bases
formula - formulae / formulas
memorandum - memoranda / memorandums
thesis - theses
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6. Неисчисляемые существительные употребляются только в единственном числе. E.g. linen, money, progress, food, chaos, furniture, business, traffic, sugar, knowledge, information, hair, advice, trouble etc.
7. Некоторые существительные, оканчивающиеся на –s, употребляются в единственном числе. E.g. news, politics, tactics, optics; the subjects: economics, mathematics/ maths, physics, statistics; the games: billiards, dominoes, darts, gymnastics, athletics; the illness: measles, mumps, rickets, shingles.
Mathematics is an exact science. The news is interesting.
8. Названия напитков не употребляются во множественном числе. Иногда перед названиями употребляются some/any. E.g. Is there any coffee? Will you have some tea? Если название напитка употребляется в заказе, то возможно употребление множественного числа. E.g. Two teas, please.
9. Собирательные существительные обычно употребляются в единственном числе. E.g. family, congress, majority, team, jury, government, audience, staff, army, media, company etc. Но если речь идет об отдельных членах объединения, возможно употребление формы множественного числа. E.g. The government wants (want is also possible) to reduce taxes. Majority believes that we are in no danger. The majority of the students have passed the exams well.
10. Существительные, обозначающие парные предметы, употребляются только во множественном числе. E.g. jeans, shorts, tights, trousers, binoculars etc.
11. Ряд существительных употребляются только во множественном числе. E.g. sights, contents, congratulations, goods, customs, sweets, clothes, riches, wages, people, cattle, police, jury etc.
These clothes are expensive. Where are the scissors? - They are on the table.
12. Некоторые существительные могут употребляться как в единственном, так и во множественном числе.
means a means of transport - various means of transport
series a television series - many television series
species a species of birds - different species of birds
works/factory The steel works has/have closed down
The Possessive Case of the Nouns
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