American English vs.

British English 1

AMERICAN ENGLISH VERSUS BRITISH ENGLISH

SPELLING

? Exercise 1
a. Decide whether the examples in the pairs below are typical of American English (AmE) or of British
English (BrE).
b. Find further examples of each case from 1 to 8.

1. a) ______ -l-: traveler, traveling, traveled, ________________________________________

b) ______ -ll-: traveller, travelling, travelled, ______________________________________

2. a) ______ -ill(-): fulfill, skillful, ________________________________________________

b) ______ -il(-): fulfil, skilful, __________________________________________________

3. a) ______ -mme: programme, kilogramme, _______________________________________

b) ______ -m: program, kilogram, ______________________________________________

4. a) ______ -ment: judgment, ___________________________________________________

b) ______ -ement: judgement, _________________________________________________

5. a) ______ en-: enquire, ensure, _________________________________________________

b) ______ in-: inquire, insure, __________________________________________________

6. a) ______ em-: empale, empanel, _______________________________________________

b) ______ im-: impale, impanel, ________________________________________________

7. a) ______ (-)e(-): anesthesia, encyclopedia, _______________________________________

b) ______ (-)ae(-): anaesthesia, encyclopaedia, ____________________________________

8. a) ______ (-)e(-): esophagus, fetus, _____________________________________________

b) ______ (-)oe(-): oesophagus, foetus, __________________________________________

9. a) ______ tyre 13. a) ______ specialty

b) ______ tire b) ______ speciality

10. a) ______ nite 14. a) ______ sulfur

b) ______ night b) ______ sulphur

11. a) ______ whiskey 15. a) ______ artifact

b) ______ whisky b) ______ artefact

12. a) ______ airplane 16. a) ______ practise (verb)

b) ______ aeroplane b) ______ practice (verb)

English Language 3 Self-Correction Exercises Mª Riera

 2 American English vs. British English

GRAMMAR

? Exercise 2
Decide whether the sentences in the pairs below are typical of American English (AmE) or of British
English (BrE).

1. a) ______ How about meeting with them tomorrow?

b) ______ Shall we meet them tomorrow?

2. a) ______ What are you doing at the weekend?

b) ______ What are you doing on the weekend?

3. a) ______ I’(ve) never met such a rude person.

b) ______ I’ve never met such a rude person.

4. a) ______ Over five hundred (and) sixty fans attended the concert.
b) ______ Over five hundred and sixty fans attended the concert.

5. a) ______ You’re staying at home this evening, aren’t you?

b) ______ You’re staying home this evening, ok?

6. a) ______ We suggested that they bought / should buy a new computer.

b) ______ We suggested that they buy a new computer.

7. a) ______ She doesn’t study as much as she could.

b) ______ She doesn’t study as much as she could (do).

8. a) ______ You / One can never know what the future will bring.
b) ______ You can never know what the future will bring.

9. a) ______ I’ll be in town till / until the end of the week.

b) ______ I’ll be in town through the week.

10. a) ______ Some of the victims of the terrorist attack are still in (the) hospital.
b) ______ Some of the victims of the terrorist attack are still in hospital.

11. a) ______ Should I help you carry those suitcases?

b) ______ Shall I help you to carry those suitcases?

12. a) ______ Have you ever touched a snake?

b) ______ Have you ever touched / Did you ever touch a snake?

13. a) ______ I’ll go and get some ice-cream.

b) ______ I’ll go (and) get some ice-cream.

14. a) ______ You don’t need to fill out another form.

b) ______ You needn’t / don’t need to fill in another form.

English Language 3 Self-Correction Exercises Mª Riera

 American English vs. British English 3

15. a) ______ Look for the dog outside the house.

b) ______ Look for the dog outside (of) the house.

16. a) ______ It’ll certainly / sure be to your advantage if you come.

b) ______ It’ll certainly be to your advantage if you come.

17. a) ______ We’ve already finished this exercise.

b) ______ We’(ve) already finished this exercise.

18. a) ______ — What does it say here? — 25/03/2005.

b) ______ — What does it say here? — 03/25/2005.

19. a) ______ The children are spoiled.

b) ______ The children are spoilt / spoiled.

20. a) ______ I no longer talk to her nor write to her.

b) ______ I no longer talk to / with her nor write (to) her.

VOCABULARY

? Exercise 3 McCarthy & O’Dell 1994 | P. 187 | Ex. 93.4

Write the sentences below in British English.

1. It’s in the trunk, not in the hood. ____________________________________________

2. A one-way or a round trip ticket? ____________________________________________
3. He left the faucet on. ____________________________________________
4. Have you ever changed a baby’s diaper? ____________________________________________
5. I hate waiting in line. ____________________________________________

? Exercise 4
Decide whether the speaker saying the sentences below is using British English or American English
and cross out the incorrect option.

_______ 1. The lorry / truck came past us on the highway.

_______ 2. My apartment is on the fourth floor, but I’m afraid there’s no lift / elevator.

_______ 3. The people next door are on holiday / vacation. They’ll be away for a fortnight.

_______ 4. We left the car in the car park / parking lot and took the subway to the center.

_______ 5. My trainers are in the wardrobe / closet.

English Language 3 Self-Correction Exercises Mª Riera

 4 American English vs. British English

? Exercise 5
Fill in the blank spaces in the table below.

Catalan Spanish British English American English

pas de vianants paso de peatones

mitges medias

via de tren vía de tren

billar billar

llauna lata

? Exercise 6
What are the American English equivalents to the following British English terms?

British English American English

1. film ________________________
2. cinema ________________________
3. railway carriage ________________________
4. pram ________________________
5. subway ________________________
6. university ________________________
7. toilet ________________________
8. label ________________________
9. shop ________________________
10. undertaker ________________________

? Exercise 7 McCarthy & O’Dell 1994 | P. 187 | Ex. 93.5

Can you avoid some of the most common confusions arising between British and American speakers?
Try the following quiz.
1. You have just come into an unknown block. If (a) an American (b) a Brit says that the office you
need is on the second floor, how many flights of stairs do you need to climb?

2. If (a) an American (b) a Brit asks for the bill, is he or she more likely to be in a bank or in a café?

3. Would a man wear a vest under or over his shirt (a) if he is British (b) if he is American?

English Language 3 Self-Correction Exercises Mª Riera

 American English vs. British English 5

SPELLING, GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY

? Exercise 8
a. Decide whether the sentences below are typical of American English or of British English?
b. Transform the American English sentences into British English ones.
c. Transform the British English sentences into American English ones.

____ 1. Last nite I felt a cold draft coming in thru my bedroom window.

____ 2. I’ll go get a pencil and an eraser to do these math problems. They’re real difficult and I need to
practice a lot before the exam.

____ 3. There’s a rumor that beggars are sleeping in the subway corridors as well as in underpasses.

____ 4. I’m staying home this weekend because I need to write a paper on the advances of civilization
for one of my college courses.

____ 5. The hamburger and the chips have been included in the bill, but the crisps and the tin of beans
haven’t.

____ 6. He dreamt that he had to swim one hundred and fifty kilometres non-stop to get a lifeguard
licence.

____ 7. Please, come and talk to me or write to me if you need help.

____ 8. One never knows if the audience have enjoyed the show until the end of it.

____ 9. I am a bit sceptical about the government’s assurance that railway connexions are being
improved.

____ 10. She had to wait in line for half an hour before she got onto the railway car.

____ 11. Do make sure you end all your sentences with a full stop.

____ 12. I would like to inquire about why our antenna is different than yours.

English Language 3 Self-Correction Exercises Mª Riera

 6 American English vs. British English

____ 13. It is necessary that the flashlight have high-quality batteries.

____ 14. There was a car parked on the pavement blocking the zebra crossing.

____ 15. I was waiting behind the curtains for the morning post to arrive.

____ 16. I haven’t been able to find this encyclopedia in any place around here.

____ 17. There’s no water coming out of the tap in the kitchen, so I can’t wash up.

____ 18. Wait for me outside of the bank while I get some ten-dollar bills.

____ 19. He lost his job as an anaesthesiologist, but he is starting a new job as an undertaker next
autumn.

English Language 3 Self-Correction Exercises Mª Riera