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off of (vs. off): "I make money off of YouTube" / "He broke the handle clean off of the door" (vs. I make money off YouTube / He broke the handle clean off the door)
real (vs. really): "Isn't that song real old?" / "His brother was trying real hard to please the shrink." (vs. Isn't that song really old? / His brother was trying really hard to please the shrink.)
-ward (vs -wards): "They worked backward from six-thirty." / "I can ride home with the others afterward." (vs. They worked backwards from six-thirty. / I can ride home with the others afterwards.)
couple (vs. couple of): "We can play guitar for a couple hours." / (vs. We can play guitar for a couple of hours.)
These are really regional rather than "American." I've lived all my life in the Northeast, and I hear both forms you've listed all the time.
The only one that really grates is "couple hours," which IME is a midwesternism. Here, it's "couple of hours" at least for written English. Dialogue, of course, is another thing entirely.
Basically, I think you can get away with any of these constructs. It's more idioms and paticular word choices that are likely to trip you up.
My story's set in the US,
Where in the U.S.?
My story's set in the US, and I'm from the other side of the pond (though I've lived there and have American relatives and friends). Most of my characters are American-born, and I'm looking to maintain consistency with certain phrases as used in the US. Can anyone help me out with these? The phrases listed first below are things I would never say because I don't speak American English, so I'm wondering if the alternative (which I would use) is *ever* used in the US, for example by older or more formal speakers, or if I should stick to the American forms. My characters are mostly in their teens and 20s, and from the west - Washington, Montana, California, Arizona.
off of (vs. off): "I make money off of YouTube" / "He broke the handle clean off of the door" (vs. I make money off YouTube / He broke the handle clean off the door)
real (vs. really): "Isn't that song real old?" / "His brother was trying real hard to please the shrink." (vs. Isn't that song really old? / His brother was trying really hard to please the shrink.)
-ward (vs -wards): "They worked backward from six-thirty." / "I can ride home with the others afterward." (vs. They worked backwards from six-thirty. / I can ride home with the others afterwards.)
couple (vs. couple of): "We can play guitar for a couple hours." / (vs. We can play guitar for a couple of hours.)
As I said: My characters are mostly in their teens and 20s, and from the west - Washington, Montana, California, Arizona.
I have counter-questions regarding my attempt to lip-read British subjects in Midsomer, the murder capital of England--perhaps the world. 1. Why don't mouth-forms of speakers match the words printed in subtitles? 2. How come many phrases in subtitles make no sense at all?
You get "Midsomer Murders" with sub-titles?
Yep, Without exception, Kay and I own every DVD through the myriad of sergeants and both Barnabys--though even after several viewings, some Midsomer idioms remain part of the mysteries.
If it weren't for the county's extreme rate of foul play, we'd live in Badger's Drift.
Well, that's the problem! Where I come from, we never say "couple" without "of", i.e. "a couple hours" is never heard.