Some time has passed since literate writers and speakers ceased quoting G.B. Shaw's famous quip that Britain and America were two continents separated by the same language. A recent AP release covering the Olympic Games was a timely reminder of the long-gone playwright's bon mot, and the event in Atlanta renewed the centuries-old battle over British and American English.

Supporters of British English re-entered the fray, maintaining that early education in England was, and still is, superior to ours. If so, why do the British continue to make the same mistakes we note in our own?

Have our ears been deceiving us, or do we hear blunders from BBC speakers such as the one we just heard of John Major -- that "the dissension between he and Queen Elizabeth II has softened"? Shortly before the Republican glitterama in San Diego, we read that Colin Powell was booed by delegates for asking them "to respect he and others in the party." Just between you and I, this boo-boo hurts my spine.

The misuse of "got" for "have" also springs up wherever English is the prevailing language, even among British Royalty. Prince Charles considers himself an authority on the language, and is forever decrying the substandard English of his countrymen. Yet the prince is as guilty as the rest in using "got" for "have," and Queen Elizabeth also vows again and again that they "have got to" do thus and so. President Clinton and First Lady Hillary have shown themselves to be in tune with their British compeers in this as well as in other solecisms, whatever their pursuits apart from politics and language.

In frequent conversations with myself, I may declare I "gotta see" the next episode of a Jane Austen classic on TV, or "gotta read" James Redfield's next book. But no one with any sense of fitness uses "gotta" in writing or public address. I may also tell friends about an upcoming concert that is "a must." To make sure "a must" was acceptable as a noun, I forced myself to look it up. Wary readers, "a must" has been acceptable as a noun since 1616!

Several weeks ago, on BBC, a British accent averred "There is no point in us learning textbook grammar these days." Sorry to dispute anyone who is in no position to answer back, but the possessive form of English with gerunds (verbals ending in "-ing") has been the rule almost ever since English became an official language. Although many British accuse us Americans of being too picky-picky, we insist on "our learning," not "us learning." Also on "my, your, his, and their learning."

Honesty forces me to grant that American scholars have had little success in teaching this construction, though President Reagan took my word for it after his first inaugural address, and so did Gary Rust of Rust Publications after a single lesson.

Misplacing "only" is a virtual given on both sides of the Atlantic, as is confusion over the use of singulars and plurals with referents. From a recent London news report, we learned that "one of the queen's gardens `have' been sold." At the same time, an American writer wrote of a movie featuring retired actors and actresses: "If anyone of the group were let alone, `they' would probably not do a better job of reminiscing than Carol Reiner." One "have" been sold? Anyone "they"?

"Try and" for "try to" is in common usage wherever English prevails. Countless instances sparked by my column, "Lo, the poor infinitive!" more than a decade ago, but few readers seem to have profited despite frequent reminders in succeeding columns.

Differences in idiom are another matter, though modern transportation between our two continents since G.B. Shaw's day has helped bridge the gap. I have no way of knowing whether the Mother Country still has road signs reading DUAL CARRIAGEWAY instead of our less-refined DETOUR, or warnings above doorways for our more physical WATCH YOUR STEP. But to judge by what we read and hear, enormous changes in everything from language to fashion and morals have taken place since my visit to the Old World in 1970.

Never mind the changes in everything the world over. We still gotta do grammar and usage the American way.

~Aileen Lorberg is a language columnist for the Southeast Missourian.