Issues with using American Grammar?

I know when I was at (Edinburgh) university the US students had to use British grammar.  Maybe it was just my degree course though.  Similarily, British students had to use US grammar on their exchanges.  I thought it was common practice.

Can't speak to the university milieu over this subject, but at work... I of course have to use British spellings and like springhaze said, some things tend to be worded a bit differently (often more wordy which isn't a problem for me - lol!)...but apart from that...  My work colleagues have generally recognised over time that my grammar, punctuation & general communication etc skills are actually a level up from theirs, and so now I'm the 'go to' person for proofreading and editing.  (Which I think is kind of funny all things considered.  )

In the workplace here (limited to my experiences of course), I am profoundly appalled at the poor communication skills used (emails, etc) from senior management on down - but at the same time, I do not believe that's a UK/US thing in particular.

In the workplace here (limited to my experiences of course), I am profoundly appalled at the poor communication skills used (emails, etc) from senior management on down - but at the same time, I do not believe that's a UK/US thing in particular.

It's crazy that so many high-up people in companies can't grasp basic punctuation and grammar... I was doing some health and safety training at work a few weeks ago and I spent the entire time correcting all the grammatical mistakes in the manual... there were typos everywhere and some of the sentences in there didn't even make sense!!

...there were typos everywhere and some of the sentences in there didn't even make sense!!

I feel your pain.  We routinely get policy & procedure updates, etc (via email) from senior management on down that are written in a completely unclear, nonsensical way - it's no wonder a lot of staff don't understand what they need to be doing or not doing.  Also I think a lot of people can't be bothered to read their emails because you tend to get inundated with (badly written) emails in the workplace - it's reached the brain saturation point. 

There are a few spellings I struggle with though.  I came across one today.  American = enrollment - British = enrolment.

My partner sounds a like less British when he speaks to me then when he speaks to anyone else.

It took me YEARS to figure out that there was a single L/double L distinction!

Also, my partner does the 'speaking less Britishly to me' thing too, and it makes me sad because I love his accent.   

If I'm not mistaken, regarding spelling issues, is there a difference in the way Americans or Brits spell the word "travelling"? I seem to notice that in the US most people seem to spell it with one "l" -- "traveling" -- while over here there seems to be two Ls.

Is this a mistake on either part? It's something I'm no longer clear on anymore!!

If I'm not mistaken, regarding spelling issues, is there a difference in the way Americans or Brits spell the word "travelling"? I seem to notice that in the US most people seem to spell it with one "l" -- "traveling" -- while over here there seems to be two Ls.

Is this a mistake on either part? It's something I'm no longer clear on anymore!!

The single L is American; the double L is British. 

My American friend was chastised in class for using American English. The irony was she did her undergrad at a Welsh uni. As far as I know she was never told that again and none of my lecturers brought that up to me. I did switch to the UK spelling of things, but I didn't change the way I phrased sentences. However, if using a lot of commas is a UK thing, then it's no wonder. I love my commas! 

The single L is American; the double L is British. 

Thanks; I think I've been spelling it the wrong way in each country!

My American friend was chastised in class for using American English. The irony was she did her undergrad at a Welsh uni. As far as I know she was never told that again and none of my lecturers brought that up to me. I did switch to the UK spelling of things, but I didn't change the way I phrased sentences. However, if using a lot of commas is a UK thing, then it's no wonder. I love my commas! 

I hadn't noticed a particular difference in comma usage between the two countries. Seemed about the same to me in both media/reading material and in the way friends write from both sides of the pond (e-mails, letters etc).
Perhaps, I've just, you know, not been, well, particularly observant. 

I've noticed some individual Brits that I know personally will use commas where I would use a period or a semi-colon. What they are doing is not British - it is just incorrect; they are creating run-on sentences.

You won't find that type of writing in British books , unless the author is intentionally violating the rules of grammar for effect, for example, to help illustrate a fictional character's personality.

Maybe it has to do with the way British schoolchildren are taught grammar - how they are taught to recognise a complete sentence, and how to recognise run-on sentences.

Maybe it has to do with the way British schoolchildren are taught grammar - how they are taught to recognise a complete sentence, and how to recognise run-on sentences.

Now that you've mentioned this, I've realized that every time I've been asked to correct a paper for my boyfriend when he was in uni, run-ons have always been an issue.  I just chalked this up to the fact that he was in a Computer Science program and wasn't required to write that many term papers.  He probably hasn't taken an English class for a very long time, either...

Maybe liberal arts is the way to go! 

My husband does the comma thing and he has an English degree! He also asks me to proofread things for him sometimes.

I think this is something that would be taught in the very early years of school - by the time you are in college or uni you either know it or you don't.

Interesting that the comma thing is so common - whenever I proofread things for my partner, splitting immensely long run-on sentences into smaller individual components is always the biggest issue.

As for which to use, definitely ask a supervisor or lecturer beforehand. I've tried both in papers that I've written, and have settled on defaulting to American spellings and style. No one has ever complained, or possibly even noticed it. Given that many university courses will use texts from both American and British authors, I don't think it's much of an issue.

It took me YEARS to figure out that there was a single L/double L distinction!

Also, my partner does the 'speaking less Britishly to me' thing too, and it makes me sad because I love his accent.   

I've noticed the same thing--DH sounds less "Yorkshire" when he speaks with me, but once we are with friends or family, he gets more "broad."  That was a surprise to me as when he came to the States for visits, I could understand him, but once I moved here, I could hardly understand what he was saying.

There was another point posted earlier about verb agreement.  I have also noticed this to be true as well.  For instance, was vs. were.  I've heard it said that "It were nice," as opposed to "It was nice."  Hmmm, I've had a tough time getting used to that one.

There was another point posted earlier about verb agreement.  I have also noticed this to be true as well.  For instance, was vs. were.  I've heard it said that "It were nice," as opposed to "It was nice."  Hmmm, I've had a tough time getting used to that one.

I'm pretty sure "were" instead of "was" is northern regional dialect. It's not proper formal English - not for writing or professional situations.