Grammar and Usage Straw Poll

Just a few questions of usage that vex me when I'm trying to put words in other people's mouths. If you've got time, I'd appreciate opionions on which of the following are already acceptable mainstream forms and which are not:

1) Me as subject pronoun - eg: 'Me and my mate wrote a sketch ...'

I use this most of the time because it's easier to say, unless the phonemes happen to fall out such that the more conventional form is easier (eg: My Dad and I ...). Do most people do this, or is this an unconventional use?

2) do you have?/ don't have vs. have you got?/ haven't got vs. have you?/ haven't. eg: 'I'm sorry, I don't have/ haven't got/ haven't a clue'.

Is the third form there pretty much archaic these days, or do any of you still use it/ hear it used on a regular basis?

3) Meet vs. Meet with.

I have to admit, every time I hear someone talk about 'meeting with' someone else I feel like dragging my knuckles across a cheese grater, but I suspect I'm a dinosaur bound for extinction on this one. Do you use 'meet with' and would you say it was pretty much mainstream British English already?

4) Different to vs. different from vs. different than

Aside from questions about whether one of the first two is more formal than the other, it's the third one I'm worried about. Is this now an acceptable usage? I can't judge objectively because every time I hear it with British accent, it's like having my finger stuck in an open electrical socket.

Please don't redirect me to a grammar site - I don't think prescriptive grammarians have much useful to say. And please don't tell me I need to think about what the character would say - I'm trying to get them to say what they would say, but in the cases above I'm not sure if I'm flagging them up as a mainstream user, an unconventional user, a dinosaur (like me), an early adopter or what.

So, what do you say? What do other people say? thoughts welcome.

I do not know what you mean by 'acceptable usage'. You obviously understand correct usage, that other usages are current and that in dramatic dialogue usage depends on character.

Not all well educated people use all forms correctly all the time and not all less well educated people use all forms incorrectly all the time. I would make a point of using the correct form in a business letter, because I know there are pedants out there; but I am sure I have been guilty of using the incorrect forms in speech. I just don't really care that much.

But I would suggest that if you want to convey that the user is well-educated you should use correct form, and that if you are trying to emphasise that the character is ill-educated you might want to use the incorrect form. Otherwise I do not see that it matters much.

Mostly what Timbo said.

1) "My mate and I" is the correct one but "me and my mate" seems acceptable when speaking, I wouldnt expect to see it in writing.

2) Either one. Just don't mix them up: Do you have?/ No I don't got. Horrible, horrible, horrible!

3) Meet with = I am having an actual meeting with. Meet = I'm going to meet my mate.

4) "Different from" every time.

Quote: Timbo @ June 16 2010, 6:35 PM BST

dramatic dialogue usage depends on character.

View original

Dialogue should reflect the setting and the nature of your characters. Presuming this is wotcha wanna know, I'd say that watcha write is that wot would naturally be issued from the mouths of those characters of whom you write.
But as this is SO obvious I probably missed the point?

As Stephen said: all rules are breakable if that's what your character would say.

How many characters speak good? It's not up them to be A level English experts.