7 Important differences between British and American English grammar

There are not many differences between American and British English grammar, especially when compared to other differences between British and American English like spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary.

However, there are still some minor grammar variations that can make your English sound more natural to either an American or a Brit.

So, let’s take a look at British vs American grammar, including examples to make the differences clear.

7 Differences between British and American English grammar

Here are seven of the main grammar differences between American and British English that you should know about if you’re communicating internationally or learning English as a second language.

Have and have got

The verb ‘have’ can be used to indicate necessity or possession, for example:

• What do you have to do this afternoon? (necessity)
• I have to buy some vegetables for dinner. (necessity)
• Do you have any pets? (possession)
• I have two dogs and a cat. (possession)

In British English, you may often hear ‘have got’ being used in either of these contexts, although its use is slightly less formal than using ‘have’:

• What have you got to do this afternoon?
• I’ve got to buy some vegetables for dinner.
• Have you got any pets?
• I’ve got two dogs and a cat.

In American English, ‘have got’ is only really used to add emphasis to a statement of necessity, and is usually stressed in speech:

• I have to pay the water bill tomorrow. (This is something I need to do)
• I have got to pay the water bill tomorrow. (I absolutely must do this)
• Do you have to go out tonight? (A simple inquiry about someone’s plans)
• Have you got to go out tonight? (I would really prefer you to stay in)

You may also hear ‘got’ used as a verb to replace ‘have’ in very informal American English:

• I got to lose some weight this month.
• We got a problem!

Simple past and present perfect

In British English, it’s correct to use the present perfect tense when talking about past actions using ‘just’, ‘already’, and ‘yet’. In American English, you may find the present perfect tense and simple past tense used interchangeably:

• Have you brushed your teeth yet? (BE or AE)
• Did you brush your teeth yet? (AE)
• I have just eaten my lunch. (BE or AE)
• I just ate my lunch. (AE)
• She’s already seen this play. (BE or AE)
• She already saw this play. (AE)

We also use the present perfect tense to talk about recent actions that have an effect on the present, and in this context, Americans may also use the simple present tense:

• I’ve broken my leg! Call an ambulance! (BE or AE)
• I broke my leg! Call an ambulance! (AE)

Simple past and past participle verb forms

The English language has plenty of irregular verbs, but some are made even more irregular by having different forms in British and American grammar.

This table shows how simple past and past participle verb forms can vary between American and British English grammar.

Discover more words that are spelled differently in British and American English in our separate article about UK vs US spelling.

Auxiliaries and modals

There are a few ways in which auxiliary and modal verbs differ in British vs American grammar.

‘Shall’ is chiefly British; Americans tend to use ‘will’ or ‘should’ instead, for example:

• Shall I take these boxes upstairs? (BE)
• Should I take these boxes upstairs? (AE)
• What time shall we meet? (BE)
• What time will we meet? (AE)

You can read more about shall vs will here – don’t miss the nuance in British English that reverses the standard usage of these words.

‘Needn’t’ is also mainly found in British English. The sentence “You needn’t do that” would be considered British, but could be said as “You don’t need to do that” or “There’s no need to do that” in American or British English.

‘Do’ is often used in place of a verb when replying to questions or requests in British English, whereas in American English it is more often omitted, for example:

Q: Are you coming to the party tonight?
A: I might do. (BE)
A: I might. (AE)

Q: Please complete this report before Friday.
A: Ok, I will do. (BE)
A: Ok, I will. (AE)

Verb forms with collective nouns

When you have a collective noun – a singular noun that refers to a group of people – should you use a singular or plural verb with it?

In American English, the answer is simple: the verb agrees with the noun and takes the singular form. For example:

• The medical team is on the way.
• A group of protesters is marching along the street.
• The team takes the game very seriously.
• Our class has some great ideas for the school fair.

In British English, however, we can use the singular or plural verb form. The singular form is used when we think of the group as a whole, as above, and the plural form is used when we think of the individual members of the group.

So, if referring to the individual members of the group, it’s also valid to say the following in British English:

• The medical team are on the way.
• A group of protesters are marching along the street.
• The team take the game very seriously.
• Our class have some great ideas for the school fair.

One notable exception is ‘police’, which is always followed by a plural verb.

Prepositions in British vs American grammar

Here are some examples of differences between American and British English grammar when it comes to preposition use:

Regional grammatical differences

There are many regional grammar differences between American and British English that stem from different dialects – too many to cover in detail here.

It’s usually the case that regional grammatical differences are non-standard English and sound strange (or even uneducated) to anyone from another region or country. However, for the people in that region, they are completely normal.

For example, “I wish I would have…” is used in American English, particularly in Minnesota and other Midwestern and Southern US states. The phrase is used to express regret in sentences like “I wish I would have canceled my subscription before it renewed.”

If you’re wondering “Is ‘I wish I would have’ grammatically correct?” the answer is no. The correct way to express regret about a past action is with the past perfect tense: “I wish I had canceled my subscription before it renewed.” But it’s still acceptable in certain areas.

Another regional grammatical variation that’s heard in both American and British English is ‘need + past participle’, replacing the standard ‘need + to be + past participle’. For example:

• This shirt needs washed. (regional)
• This shirt needs to be washed. (standard)
• My phone needs fixed. (regional)
• My phone needs to be fixed. (standard)

This construction is thought to have originated in Scotland in the UK, but is also found in parts of the North Midland region of the US (see a coverage map here).

Again, this wording would sound quite normal to someone from the region but odd to anyone else.

Why is British grammar different from American English?

The grammar of British English and American English both evolved from the same roots in Old English. However, over time, they diverged due to the influence of different dialects, regional variations, and language changes in each location.

This separation started with the colonization of North America by the British in the 17th century.

Conclusion

We hope this article has helped you understand more about American and British English grammar differences.

Ultimately, making small slips with the points mentioned here will, at worst, lead to some confusion or a bad impression. Differences between British and English words, however, can result in a much bigger misunderstanding in some unfortunate cases.