Past simple vs past perfect; British- vs American English


According to this site the use of past simple and present perfect is quite strict in British English, while in American English you can normally use simple past instead of present perfect:



In British English, the use of Simple Past and Present Perfect is quite strict. As soon as a time expression in the past is given, you have to use Simple Past. If there are no signal words, you must decide if we just talk about an action in the past or if its consequence in the present is important.


Note that the following explanations and exercises refer to British English only. In American English, you can normally use Simple Past instead of Present Perfect. We cannot accept this in our exercises, however, as this would lead to confusions amongst those who have to learn the differences.



In the case of the noun to choose, if I'm correct, the difference between "did choose" and "have chosen"; the second is more definitive than the last.


Can somebody give me a clear example of where the British use diverges from American English?


As a non-native speaker, I find it hard to see/feel the difference between its use in British- and American English respectively.




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