British English and American English Archives -

The main difference between British English and American English is vocabulary. It is said that there is an old saying that Britain and America are “2 nations divided by a common language” although it is not known who said this quote. Americans and English both understand what is being said whether British English or American English is being spoken. Here are 25 major differences between British English and American English. Accents Although there are different dialects both within the UK and America, there is a big difference in accents. For example, in British English the letter ‘r’ is only pronounced when it is the first letter of a word whereas in American English the letter ‘r’ is pronounced in every word. Vocabulary Here are some examples of differences in vocabulary between British English and American English. British English Holiday American English Vacation British English Aubergine American English Eggplant British English Jumper American English Sweater British English Post box American English Mail box British English Jacket potato American English Baked potato British English Flat American English Apartment British English Chemist American English Drugstore British English Underground American English Subway British English Bonnet (of a car) American English Hood (of a car) British English Boot (of a car) American English Trunk (of a car) British English Lorry American English Truck British English Nappy American English Diaper British English Torch American English Flashlight British English Mobile American English Cell phone Already know all these difference between British English and American English but still not fluent in English? Try our unique Conversational method Spellings There are also differences between British English spellings and American English spellings. Here are some examples: British English Behaviour American English Behavior British English Favourite American English Favorite British English Humour American English Humor British English Centre American English Center British English Theatre American English Theater British English Metre American English Meter British English Organise American English Organize British English Licence American English License British English Sulphur American English Sulfur British English Tyre (for a car) American English Tire British English Programme American English Program Grammar Some prepositions are used differently in British English to American English. Here are a few differences: British English I am going to a wedding at the weekend American English I am going to a wedding on the weekend British English The working week is Monday to Friday American English The working week is Monday through Friday British English He studied maths at university American English He studied maths in high school British English We will come at the weekend at 10 o’clock American English We will come on the weekend at 10 am Past tenses The present perfect is used more than the past simple in British English whereas the past simple tense is used by Americans. British English I’ve eaten too much this evening American English I ate too much this evening. British English I’ve been shopping today American English I went shopping today The past tense of the word ‘get’ In British English, the word ‘gotten’ which is the past participle of ‘get’ has not been used for many years. In American English, ‘gotten’ is still used. British English I’ve not got any news about what happened at the weekend American English I haven’t gotten any news about what happened at the weekend. Collective nouns In British English, a collective noun (for example government or team) could be either singular or plural due to the fact that there can be more than 1 person in a government or team whereas in American English, these same words are always singular defining the group as a whole. British English The government are doing all they can to rectify the situation American English The government is doing all it can to rectify the situation. British English Their team are winning the hockey match American English Their team is winning the football match Irregular verbs The irregular form of verbs in the past tense is more noticeable between British English and American English when writing in the past tense. British English He leapt off the wall American English He leaped off the wall British English She dreamt most of the night American English She dreamed most of the night British English You burnt the toast American English You burned the toast British English She learnt her times tables for her maths test American English She learned her times tables for her maths test Pronunciation There are many words used in British English that have a different pronunciation when used in American English. Here are some examples: Word British English American English Advertisement uhd-VER-tis-muhnt AD-ver-ties-muhnt Leisure LEZH-uh LEE-zhur Missile MIS-eye-ul MIS-uhl Privacy PRIV-uh-see PRAI-vuh-see Schedule SHED-jool SKED-joul Tomato tuh-MAR-toe tuh-MAY-toe Vitamin VIT-uh-min VAI-tuh-min Professions British English Estate agent American English Realtor British English Solicitor American English Lawyer British English Barrister American English Attorney Punctuation British English Mr or Mrs or Dr American English Mr. or Mrs. or Dr. There can be a difference in where question marks are placed after quotes/speech together with the position of commas. This does not alter the meanings. Telling the time British English 10.15 or quarter past 10 American English quarter after 10 or a quarter after 10 for 10.15 In both British English and American English: half past the whole British English (uses a point) 9.15 American English (uses a colon) 9:15 Usage of word ‘quite’ before an adjective In British English, the word ‘quite’ it means not very good or excellent. For example, the restaurant is quite good but this means that there are better restaurants to go and eat in than instead of this one. In American English, quite means very so if an American says: “it is quite hot”, it means that it is hot. Use of verbs ‘to have’ and ‘to take’ British English speakers tend to use the word ‘have’ and American English speakers will use the word ‘take’. British English I will have a bath tonight American English I will take a bath tonight Use of word ‘shall’ British English speakers will use the word ‘shall’ to imply the future which is not so in American English. British English I shall go home later today American English I will go home later today Using the words ‘can’ or ‘could’ In British English, the words ‘can’ and could’ are used with verbs such as seeing, hearing, tasting, feeling and smelling whereas American English does not connect these words. British English When I went into the garden, I could smell the roses. American English When I went into the garden, I smelled the roses. Verbs – regular and irregular Some verbs in British English are regular in the past tense whereas they are irregular in American English. British English All the boots fit in to the cupboard American English All the boots fitted in to the cupboard Phrases and slang British English and American English contain different phrases and expressions. An example of this is: British English Stand in the queue American English Wait in line Dates In British English, the day of the month is put first, then the month, then the year. In American English, the month is put first, then the day, then the year. British English 10 October 2017 American English October 10 2017 Single l or double ll In British English, double ll is used whereas a single l is used in American English. British English He travelled the world in his gap year American English They travelled to India to see The Taj Mahal Learning British English or American English is dependent on which language a student wants to speak. Most Europeans will learn British English and this is taught in schools. South Americans and countries closer to North America will learn American English. At the end of the day, learning British or American English will help you wherever you go to visit on holiday but perhaps if you want to work in Britain or America then the choice will be made for you as to whether to learn British English or American English. English is one of the most commonly used languages in the world. The choice as to whether to learn British or American English is yours

British English and American English Archives -

British English and American English: 20 Major Differences

British English vs. American English: A Guide For English Learners