(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

[kindkit.livejournal.com]

It's the "done" that's the problem. An American would just say, "But I should have."

[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.

[swmbo.livejournal.com]

It's the 'done' that looks odd...we would normally have just said 'But I should have!'

[kimera.livejournal.com]

I think it should just be "But I should've!". The "done" is more implied by context rather than actually spoken.

[kimera.livejournal.com]

JINX!

[janedavitt.livejournal.com]

Really? ::files away:: It's little things like that that make me want to write nothing but Giles, Ethan, Spike and Wes, just to be safe ;-)

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Ahhh. That makes sense. And it's something I never would have thought of.

[mpoetess.livejournal.com]

What kindkit said. We don't say "I should have done" or "I could do." Just "I should have" and "I could." (We say have done or could do when there's an object, like "I should have done my chores" or "I could do the other project now" but we don't end the phrase with the do verb.)

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

It's the "done." She would probably say "But I should've known!"

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Me too *g* Because while I can catch the easier stuff there has to be a ton that I miss.

[mpoetess.livejournal.com]

Holy fluck, a lot of people replied, really fast!

[swmbo.livejournal.com]

Hee! I hope you feel special with a gazillion people answering at the same time! *hugs*

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

I will make you all my mind-controlled slaves! :prepares The Machine:

[kimera.livejournal.com]

strange flavours of chips/crisps in Britain and Ireland

Yes, but do you have *ketchup* flavoured ones?

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Yep. They're vile.

[kindkit.livejournal.com]

I'm sure I make tons of horrid linguistic errors when I write Giles. The differences can be *so* subtle. I remember an English beta letting me know that a character of Giles' class would never say "though" instead of "although," which was something I would never have thought about.

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Yeep, I wouldn't have known that either!

[amberwaves2.livejournal.com]

Do you have those odd bologna-flavoured chips? I had some in Germany. Nobody could figure out what they were, but the bag said bolongese, which we translated as bologna. We're possibly horribly wrong, but here's hoping it's a European thing.

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Can't say as I've ever heard of those... I'm scratching my head wondering what those could be.

[mynxkytten.livejournal.com]

Chiming in because I'm a grammar freak...

Yes, it's the "done" in the phrase that sounds awkward; however, "shoulda" can also be appropriate - depends on the context. For example, I don't think Buffy would say "shoulda", but Starsky would. (woo - jarring fandom cross-reference!)

::slinks back to hide amongst the reference books::

[swmbo.livejournal.com]

Hee! Stop trying to pretend you haven't already!

[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. :)

[kimera.livejournal.com]

Gasp! They're yummeh!

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Woo, Starsky! Although you just put a S&H/Buffy crossover in my head, and that's bad and wrong.

[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*