Would do

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Larry Cooper - 22 Oct 2004 22:36 GMT

My sons and I are fans of British television shows and recently have begun
watching BBC America. I've noticed that there appears to be a tendency
among the English to use phrases like "I would have done" or "I might do"
where Americans would say "I would have" or "I might." Would the American
phrase sound odd to English ears?

Reply to this Message

einde. ocallaghan - 22 Oct 2004 23:49 GMT

> My sons and I are fans of British television shows and recently have begun
> watching BBC America. I've noticed that there appears to be a tendency
> among the English to use phrases like "I would have done" or "I might do"
> where Americans would say "I would have" or "I might." Would the American
> phrase sound odd to English ears?

I can't say I really noticed this as a widespread tendency during many
years living in Britain. The American phrases sound quite natural to me,
although i context the other phrases would also sound natural.

Regards, Einde O'Callaghan

Reply to this Message

Peter Duncanson - 23 Oct 2004 12:46 GMT

>My sons and I are fans of British television shows and recently have begun
>watching BBC America. I've noticed that there appears to be a tendency
>among the English to use phrases like "I would have done" or "I might do"
>where Americans would say "I would have" or "I might." Would the American
>phrase sound odd to English ears?

30 or 40 years ago I think I would have answered that "I would have" and "I
might" are correct educated English, whereas "I would have done" and "I
might do" are uneducated forms. The reason being simply that "done" and "do"
are redundant.

Today things are, I think, much less clear-cut. People who use the "done and
"do" version might find the other versions a little odd because, to them,
they are incomplete.

There are very many styles and varieties of British English, most of which
never find their way on to BBC America.

In Britain and Ireland we see a large number of American TV programs (on our
main networks). This gives us considerable exposure to the types of American
English that are used in American networked TV shows. I imagine there are
many localised styles of American speech that never get on to networked TV
because "no one" would be able to understand them.

Signature

Peter Duncanson
UK
(posting from u.c.l.e)

Reply to this Message

Discussion Groups / British English / October 2004

Would do