READ
If you are planning a trip to America
but you’ve been studying British English (or
vice versa), you could have a few problems
on your trip. For example, imagine one day that you
really fancy eating this->
If you ask someone in the UK where you can
buy
‘chips’ from, they’ll probably send you to a local
chippy (fish and chips shop) or to MacDonald’s.
However, if you ask someone in America the same
question, they
will probably tell you to go to a
supermarket, thinking you want this ->
Although technically we all speak the same language (English),there
are many differences between British English and American English:
Pronunciation – Although the word might
be spelt the same, it is possible that people
from the UK and America pronounce it
differently.
E.g. the word ‘tomato’ is pronounced
‘tomahto’ in the UK but ‘tom-ay-to’ in the
USA and the word ‘mobile’ is pronounced
‘mowbile’ in the UK but ‘mow-bl’in the
USA.
Spelling – There are a few major spelling
differences between British and American
English. This is because British English has
generally kept the spelling of words that it
has taken from other languages but
American English has changed the spelling
to look more like how the word actually
sounds when you say it.
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For example:
British English American English
colour color
centre center
organise organize
travelling traveling
licence license
programme program
Grammar – There are many grammatical
differences between American and British
English. For example, if someone asks if
you are hungry but you have just finished
your lunch, in British English you would
need to use the present perfect tense, “No,
I’ve eaten already”, but in American English you can use the past tense,
“No, I ate already” (this would be incorrect in British English).
Vocabulary – As you can see, there are many differences between
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British English and
American English.
However, the most
complicated for English language
learners is probably the differences
in vocabulary, including idioms and phrasal verbs. Below you will see a
few of the main vocabulary differences between British and American
English:
American
British English English
anti-clockwise counter-clockwise
autumn fall
boot (of a car) trunk
chips fries or French fries
crisps potato chips
dustbin or bin garbage can or trash can
film movie (or film)
flat (to live in) apartment
garden yard
holiday vacation
lift elevator
motorway freeway or expressway
nappy diaper
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pavement sidewalk
petrol gas or gasoline
postcode zip code
queue line
sweets candy
torch flashlight
trousers pants (or trousers)
tube or underground subway
zip zipper
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As you can see, there are many differences between AmericanEnglish and
British English but don’t worry about it too much. Most Americans and Britons
know many of the differences so you shouldn’t find yourself in too much trouble
when you go on holiday! The most important thing to remember is try to be
consistent (especially when you are writing English) – decide which type of
English you are going to use and stick with [Link] is also useful to decide which type
of English you want to workon.
ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING
INSTRUCTIONS: Look at these pairs of words below. From the
meaning or spelling, can you guess the word whether if they are British English or
American English? On top of the word, write (AE) for American English and (BE) for
British [Link] a picture of your answers and send it the Facebook messenger or
email address of your instructor ([Link]/animenald or
animenald89@[Link])
1.(BE)Aeroplane – (AE)airplane
2. (BE)Car park – (AE)parking lot
3. (BE)Theatre – (AE)theater
4.(AE)Drugstore – (BE)chemist
5.(AE)Aluminum –
(BE)aluminium
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(AE)football
–
6. (BE)Soccer
7. (BE)Lorry – (AE)truck
8.(AE)Cell
(BE)mobile
–
phone
phone
9. (AE)Trainers – (BE)sneakers
10.(AE)Defense – (BE)defence
REFERENCES
1. [Link]
2. [Link]
3. [Link]
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