have got: always British English?

[nekocat]

They had hardly got the door closed when the telephone rang again.

This is from a book of a publisher in New York. I learned that "have got" is British English, but that Americans woulds say "have gotten."

Would the sentence in quote sound British English?

 

[Mikawa Ossan]

I think that American English could go both ways on this one. Perhaps "had gotten" is more common, but "had got" sounds perfectly fine to me, too.

 

[DoctorP]

got is actually a word that is frowned upon when writing proper. I am actually surprised that you see it published. Most schools (at least schools with good English teachers) try to stear students away from using got.

 

[Sarapva]

The differences in "got" and "gotten" are described more in the "British/American Words" thread. "Got" seems to be used more in British English, and "gotten" in American. "Gotten" in this sentence would sound more right to me than "got", but I'm used to American English. If "had" wasn't used, "got" would sound okay in American English: "They hardly got the door closed...."

 

[EmperorHirohito]

To me that sentence is fine, but I would have re-written it to say :- 'They had hardly managed to get the door closed when the telephone rang again'.

 

[pugtm]

don't worry about the differences too much. Everyone can understand both.

 

[thistle]

Always remember finding the word 'gotten' in an english conversation textbook when I was teaching a small group of Japanese ladies one day, and I just frowned and said 'well, this is just wrong - I would never use gotten, we use got', without even checking into it.
It just sounded so wrong to me, in fact I had never even heard 'gotten' used before, thought it was american slang!

 

[DoctorP]

It just sounded so wrong to me, in fact I had never even heard 'gotten' used before, thought it was american slang!

And yet, got is being frowned upon now days in America!

 

[nekocat]

And yet, got is being frowned upon now days in America!

Really!?:gohan: Does the sentence "They had hardly got the door closed when the telephone rang again." sound British to you?

 

[DoctorP]

It would sound better as "They had hardly closed the door when the telephone rang again." But I can't say that it sounds British.

 

[Mister Micawber]

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Well! I('ve) finally got(ten) to the end of this thread!
.

 

[Taiko666]

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Well! I('ve) finally got(ten) to the end of this thread!
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That's what you think Welcome to JREF.

Gotten is definitely North American English.
Got is British English, but with the under 25s, gotten is gaining favour as N.A. English gradually conquers the world.

(see also arse/***, take away/to go, lie/lay, torch/flashlight etc)

 

[bakaKanadajin]

In speech I personally wouldn't say 'I had hardly gotten', I'd say 'I'd hardly gotten' instead. But, yes I would say gotten vs. got. I don't know why but because its a perfect tense the addition of the extra syllable seems fitting as with other verbs, i.e. stolen, taken, forsaken, etc. Why this is a rule I do not know! I was just raised this way!

The contraction is far more natural in speech because the 'H' sound requires an open mouth and the sound is being created from the back of the throat. The throat is a less precise instrument than the lips and tongue, so the 'I'd hardly' is much nicer for me than 'I had hardly', it feels less choppy.