Meaning & use
Queen's English
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Meanings
noununcountableBritishformal
The standard form of spoken and written British English, traditionally associated with educated southern British usage and careful pronunciation.
Grammar: Always used with 'the' and treated as singular: 'She speaks the Queen's English.'
Patterns
- speak the Queen's English
- in the Queen's English
- the Queen's English
The newsreader spoke the Queen's English, with every consonant clearly pronounced.
He was taught to write in the Queen's English, avoiding slang and contractions.
In some former colonies, the Queen's English was once the model for schoolteachers.
noununcountableBritishformal
Correct, polished English usage, especially in contrast to regional dialects or informal speech.
Grammar: Often used after a possessive or in phrases like 'a command of the Queen's English'.
Patterns
- command of the Queen's English
- master the Queen's English
Her command of the Queen's English impressed the interviewers.
He prided himself on speaking the Queen's English even among friends.
Common combinations
- speak the Queen's English
- She learned to speak the Queen's English at boarding school.
- in the Queen's English
- He delivered his speech in the Queen's English, without any regional accent.
- the Queen's English Society
- The Queen's English Society campaigns for good grammar.
- a command of the Queen's English
- A command of the Queen's English is useful in diplomacy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Standard English
- More neutral and widely used; it refers to the accepted grammar and vocabulary without the royal association.
- BBC English
- Old-fashioned term for the accent once used by BBC announcers; it focuses on pronunciation rather than grammar.
- Received Pronunciation
- Specifically the accent, not the whole language; the Queen's English can include vocabulary and grammar too.
Commonly confused: Queen's English or King's English?
Queen's English vs King's English
The same phrase with 'King' when the British monarch is male. Both mean the same standard.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'the Queen's English' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase requires 'the' and the possessive 'Queen's': 'the Queen's English'. Option 2 misses 'the', option 3 wrongly adds 'a', and option 4 omits the possessive 's'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Queen's English”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.