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"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for joining me today as we explore the
fascinating world of language and dive into the syntactical differences between British and
Indian English. Language is a powerful tool that not only helps us communicate but also reflects
the rich cultural diversity across the globe. As we delve into this topic, we will unravel the
unique syntactical variations found in these two varieties of English.

Understanding syntactical differences is not only important for effective communication but
also sheds light on the cultural influences and historical context that have shaped these two
variations.

In this presentation, we will delve into several key areas of syntactic variation, including
sentence structure, word order, use of prepositions, and idiomatic expressions.

Throughout the presentation, I will provide examples, comparisons, and practical insights to
help us grasp the syntactical discrepancies between British and Indian English.

Without further ado, let's explore the syntactical differences between British and Indian English
and discover the unique flavors they bring to the world of language.

British English and Indian English are two distinct varieties of the English language. While they
share a common foundation, there are notable grammatical differences between them. Here
are some key differences:

Verb forms:

 Present perfect tense: British English tends to use the present perfect tense more
frequently, while Indian English often uses the simple past tense. For example, in British
 English, "I have just finished my work," whereas in Indian English, "I just finished my
work."
 Past continuous tense: British English commonly uses the past continuous tense,
whereas Indian English often uses the simple past tense. For instance, in British English,
"I was watching television when she called," whereas in Indian English, "I watched
television when she called.

"Present Progressive tense instead of static verbs:

In Indian English Present progress tense is used instead of static verbs to tell the habitual
actions.

Standard English: I like it very much/ I do it often /She has many friends.

Indiana English I am liking it very much/ I am doing it often /She is having many friends.

One of the most indicative signs of Indian English grammar is the use of the progressive aspect
with habitual actions, completed actions, and stative verbs. This produces sentences such as "I
am doing it often" rather than "I do it often"; "Where are you coming from?" instead of "Where
have you come from?";

 Use of auxiliary verbs:

British English tends to use the auxiliary verb "shall" in the first person for future actions,
whereas Indian English often uses "will" instead. For example, in British English, "Shall I open
the window?" whereas in Indian English, "Will I open the window?"

Indian English: I am liking it very much / I am doing it often / She is having many friends.

 Transitive verbs used intransitively

is a feature which is used 'in a distinctive manner by large numbers of educated Indian
speakers of English' (p. 65). To support this claim, however, she only provides one example:

-- I would appreciate if you would reply quickly."

  Indian English do not use the complex, rule-generated tag questions available in
English, such as you have eaten, haven 'tyou? You haven 'teaten, have you? You went to
the store, didn't't you? You didn't go to the store, did you? Instead they use a finite set
of simple tag questions consisting of Is it?, Isn't it?, and No?

 Indian English is showing variation in WH-questions; i.e., there are examples with
AUX-movement/no AUX. i.e., What you know? Instead of What do you know?
 Arbitrary use of articles 'a' and 'the'. The and a are often dropped when they should
be said and used when they should be left out. Example "And one black lady came up
to.."
 British English generally uses definite articles (e.g., "the") more frequently than
Indian English, especially with general nouns. For example, in British English, "I'm going
to the hospital," whereas in Indian English, "I'm going to hospital."
 Omission of the definite article "the":

Indian English: "I am going to hospital."

British English: "I am going to the hospital."

Omission of articles before certain professions:

Indian English: "He is doctor."

British English: "He is a doctor."

 Use of prepositions:
In some cases, British English and Indian English may differ in the choice of prepositions. For
example, in British English, "at the weekend," whereas in Indian English, "on the weekend."

Other prepositional variations can be found in expressions like "take care of" (British English)
versus "take care about" (Indian English).

Certain verbs like-describe, discuss never follow prepositions in standard English

Standard English: They discussed a serious issue / They entered the hall / He described the
accident/

I have ordered two cups of tea.

Indian English: They discussed about a serious issue / They entered into the hall / He

described about the accident / I have ordered for two cups of tea.

Use of “of ”:

Standard English: Yashwanth has so much work to do.

Indian English: Yashwanth has so much of work.

 Indirect speech:

Reporting of speech or thoughts can be expressed differently. British English often uses the past
tense in reported speech, whereas Indian English may use the present tense. For instance, in
British English, "He said that he was tired," whereas in Indian English, "He said that he is tired."

 Plural forms:

Certain nouns may have different plural forms. For instance, in British English, "trousers"
(plural), whereas in Indian English, "trouser" (singular) is commonly used.

 Word order variations

Standard English: My closets are all empty.

Indian English: My all closets are empty

Standard English: She always does like this.

English: She does like this always.

 Emphasizing Terms:-

The usage of “only” and “itself”: These two are used in Indian English to emphasize time and
place and they are not found in other varieties of English.

Eg: "I am in Tripoli only" and

"Can we meet today itself?".

Reduplication: Indian English speakers often use reduplication as a way of emphasizing an

action -- I have been told before to "Come come! Sit sit!" Reduplication can also extending
something, as in hot, hot water and long, long hair. Such usage is common in spoken Hindi.

It's important to note that these differences are generalizations, and there can be variations
within both British English and Indian English due to regional dialects and individual speech
patterns.