39 IRREGULAR VERB FORMS PAGE 386 Base form Past tense Past/passive participle... = estimated the cost Base form Past tense Past/passive participle PAGE 387 c The third person singular of
Trang 139 IRREGULAR VERB FORMS PAGE 386 Base form Past tense Past/passive participle
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NOTE
a For verbs which have forms both in ed and t, e.g burned / burnt, dream / dreamt, • 303(11).
b Cost as a transitive verb is regular.
They've costed the project (= estimated the cost)
Base form Past tense Past/passive participle PAGE 387
c The third person singular of do is does
d Fit is usually regular in Britain but irregular in the US.
e In GB the past tense of forbid is forbad or forbade, pronounced In the US it is
forbade, pronounced
f For the past participle gotten (US), • 303(5d).
g The third person singular of go is goes
For gone and been, • 84(6).
h We use hanged only to talk about hanging a person.
i The third person singular of have is has
j For the difference between lay and lie, • 11 (2) Note b Lie (= tell an untruth) is regular.
k The third person singular of say is says
1 Shined means 'polished': I've shined my shoes Compare The sun shone.
m We use sped for movement.
They sped down the hill.
But we say speeded up (= went faster),
n Weave is regular when it expresses movement.
We weaved our way through the traffic.
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301 Special participle forms
There are some special past/passive participle forms that we use mainly before a noun Compare these sentences
have + participle: The ship has sunk The metal has melted.
Participle + noun: a sunken ship molten metal
We can also form special participles from drink, shrink, prove, learn and bless.
a drunken spectator a shrunken old man a proven fact
NOTE
These participles can have special meanings and are used only in limited contexts.
For example, we talk about molten metal but NOT molten ice.
a learned professor a blessed relief
Trang 4American English
302 Summary
The grammar of British English and American English is very similar There are a few differences but not very many, and most of them are minor points
Differences with verbs • 303
Differences with noun phrases • 304
Differences with adjectives and adverbs • 305
Differences with prepositions • 306
Differences with conjunctions • 307
American spelling • 308
There are also some spelling differences, such as GB colour, US color.
The main differences between British and American English are in pronunciation
and in some items of vocabulary A good dictionary such as the Oxford Wordpower
Dictionary or the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary will give American variants
in spelling, pronunciation and usage The Hutchinson British-American Dictionary
by Norman Moss explains the meanings of words which are familiar in one country but not in the other
303 Differences with verbs
1 Linking verb + noun phrase
The British can use a noun phrase after a linking verb such as be, seem, look, feel.
• 9(1)
Mainly GB: It looks a lovely evening.
She seemed (to be) a competent pilot.
The Americans do not use this pattern except with be and become.
US: It looks like/It looks to be a lovely evening.
She seemed to be a competent pilot.
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2 Do for an action
The British sometimes use do to refer to an action • 38 (2c)
GB: He practises the piano, but not as often as he might (do).
You should reply if you haven't (done) already.
This usage is not found in American English.
US: He practices the piano, but not as often as he might.
You should reply if you haven't already.
But Americans use do so.
GB/US: You should reply if you haven't done so already.
3 Do for emphasis
The British can use do to emphasize an offer or invitation in the imperative form.
GB: (Do) have a glass of wine.
This usage is less common in American English.
US: Have a glass of wine.
Americans also avoid the emphatic Do let's and the negative Don't let's
• 19 (6a)
GB/US: Let's not invite them.
GB only: Don't let's invite them.
NOTE Let's don't invite them is possible in informal American English but not in Britain.
4 Question tags
Americans use tags much less often than the British The British may use them several times in a conversation, but this would sound strange to an American Americans use tags when they expect agreement They do not often use them to persuade or argue.
GB/US: Mary likes ice-cream, doesn't she?
GB only: You'll just have to try harder, won't you?
Americans often use the tags right? and OK?
Mainly US: You're going to meet me, right?
We'll take the car, OK?
5 Have, have got and have gotten
a Have and have got
GB: I've got/I have some money.
US (spoken): I've got some money.
US (written: I have some money.
Trang 6PAGE 391 303 Differences with verbs
b Negatives and questions with have and have got
GB/US: We don't have much time Do you have enough money? Mainly GB: We haven't got much time Have you got enough money?
GB only: We haven't much time Have you enough money?
c Negatives and questions with have to and have got to
GB/US: You don't have to go Do you have to go?
GB only: You haven't got to go Have you got to go?
d Got and gotten
GB: He's got a new job (= He has a new job.)
Your driving has got better (= It has become better.)
US: He's got a new job (= He has a new job.)
He's gotten a new job (= He has found a new job.)
Your driving has gotten better (= It has become better.)
e Get someone to do something and have someone do something
GB/US: We got the waiter to bring another bottle.
Mainly US: We had the waiter bring another bottle.
6 Present perfect and past simple
Both the British and the Americans use the present perfect for something in the past which is seen as related to the present • 65(2)
GB/US: I've just met an old friend.
Dave has already eaten his lunch.
Have you ever seen St Paul's Cathedral?
I've never had a passport.
But Americans sometimes use the past simple in such contexts especially with just,
already, yet, ever and never.
Mainly US: I just met an old friend.
Dave already ate his lunch.
Did you ever see the Empire State Building?
I never had a passport.
7 Gone and been
The British use been for 'gone and come back', • 84(6), but the Americans mostly use gone.
GB/US: Have you ever been to Scotland?
US only: Have you ever gone to Florida?
8 Will and shall
The British use will or shall in the first person, • 71(2) Americans do not often use
shall.
GB: We will/shall contact you.
US: We will contact you.
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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, • 1 0 1 , 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.