(no subject)

[doyle]

Hmm. Looking through some old BBF discussion and I saw this comment by Gyrus (whose LJ handle I forget, sorry):

(For example, I recently read a fic in which something bad happens and Giles tries to tell Buffy that there was no way she could have anticipated it. She replies, "But I should've done!" That just looks weird to a Yank like me.)

I'm sure I'm guilty of using that myself. Why's it wrong? Should it be 'shoulda' instead of should've?

...any other glaring errors any of you have noticed non-Americans making? Because god knows I could go on for pages in obsessive Brit-picking of both Harry Potter fics and Buffy fics set in England (the language thing I get, but some of the cultural stuff, the 'my character's British so they've never heard of ___' : we do have pizzas and action movies and strange flavours of chips/crisps in Britain and Ireland, I promise you)

Comments

[airawyn.livejournal.com]

"Should've" is fine. I think it's the "done" that's the problem. I would change it to "But I should've known!", I think, depending on context.

[airawyn.livejournal.com]

Wow, everyone replied at once. *g*

...any other glaring errors any of you have noticed non-Americans making?

As long as you're asking... I noticed in a fic recently that you had Andrew and Jonathan seeing the Rio Grande when they crossed into Mexico. Unless they took a really long detour, they wouldn't see the Rio Grande; it doesn't come near California. (They might see the Tijuana River, although that's less than impressive.) Also, U.S. citizens don't need passports to travel in Mexico (or Canada). In fact, nobody looks twice at the people crossing in to Mexico; they only care when you want to get back in the U.S. (I grew up in San Diego, so I've been to Mexico multiple times.)

I enjoyed the story otherwise. That just stuck out to me. :)

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Good stuff. Although I have a thing for the characters not knowing dumb basic facts, so I might just have Andrew still thinking it's the Rio Grande and Jonathan correcting him on what river it is *g*