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I’m writing this story about super heroes which takes place in the US, but one of the main characters was raised in England (I’m thinking nearby Oxford but I’m not sure yet) for the majority of her childhood. My question is, how much slang/British English should she use, how much would be too much for any Brit reading it, and is there anyone who would be willing eventually go over my story with the distinct purpose of catching this character’s misuse of words? (I’m still working on it and probably will be for a while so you don’t have to answer that last one just yet)
A Very Tookish Hobbit (a.k.a. Fool of a Took)
@charisetter Well I’m actually English. So fire away. And I’d be willing to go over your story when you need.
That one English guy.
@theacornman Thank you so much!
Are there certain common words Americans use that English would say differently?
How much should I make my character use these? Her parents were American, but she grew up in England.
A Very Tookish Hobbit (a.k.a. Fool of a Took)
@charisetter I’m from southern England which is a little ways away from Oxford. But hopefully I can be helpful, anyways.
I don’t know what your impression of a brit is. If it a snobby posh person that’ll just annoy us. Your average brit is quite the opposite. Although it is kinda hard to say what an average brit is. It is so diverse for such a tiny place. Depending on where you live your accent can vary hugely, the way you speak. Even just the income class you come from can influence this. So it would be helpful to know what you are going for.
Down here in the South-East, for example, we tend to drop our ‘t’ s in speech. So water sounds more like wor’er. Also because tends to become cos’. Sometimes use double negatives, but not that common. (I don’t) If you have an specifics as to what common words please tell me. Maybe you could send me a snippet of dialogue.
Using slang too often could be a little distracting. But it depends on how heavy the slang is as well. It can almost become like its own language.
Oh yeah. And tea. Not that many people drink tea (at least in the younger generation).
Could you tell me a bit more about your character? What are you going for?
That one English guy.
@charisetter Don’t ever write wor’er though.😀
That one English guy.
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@theacornman This is interesting. *goes to write down a story idea set in south-east England*
@emily Go ahead. Any questions, just ask.
That one English guy.
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1330
@theacornman I’ve got to figure out the story first. I’ve got another story I’m working on too right now, so maybe I’ll start a topic like this in a while and torture you with my questions. 😀
- Rank: Eccentric Mentor
- Total Posts: 1330
@theacornman I’m not sure if that was sarcastic or not…You’re welcome anyway! 🙂 🙂
@theacornman I know it’s been a while (like a year lol) and idk if you’re even still on here, but if you (or any other UK/Brit) are still interested I can send you my book now. It’s still not finished, but most of her storyline is covered.
A Very Tookish Hobbit (a.k.a. Fool of a Took)
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