British and American English
British and American English
British and American English
British
and
American
English
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Differences between
British and American
English
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Spelling
Pronunciation (sounds)
Grammar
Vocabulary
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1. SPELLING DIFFERENCES
American: -or
British: -our
American: -er
British: -re
color
colour
center
centre
honor
honour
meter
metre
favorite
favourite
theater
theatre
American: -og
British: -ogue
American: -ll
British: -l
analog
analogue
enrollment
enrolment
catalog
catalogue
fulfill
fulfil
dialog
dialogue
skillful
skilful
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2. PRONUNCIATION (SOUNDS)
WORD
Teacher
Father
Letter
Water
Aunt
Tomato
AMERICAN
PRONUNCIATION
BRITISH
PRONUNCIATION
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PRONUNCIATION (STRESS)
There are many words borrowed from French
that feature stress differences.
British English stresses the first syllable;
American English stresses the last syllable:
moustache cigarette brochure buffet
chauffeur salon
detail
debris
address
magazine limousine
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donate
rotate
locate
mandate migrate
translate vacate vibrate
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2. GRAMMAR
Verbs
Nouns
In British English, collective nouns can
take either singular or plural verb
forms, depending on whether the
emphasis is on the body or the
members within it.
i.e.A committee was appointed.
The committee were unable
to agree.
Morphology
American -- "-ed v British -- "-t"
i.e. learned/learnt, dreamed/dreamt
British English rarely use gotten; instead, got
is much more common.
Past participles often vary:
i.e. saw : American = sawed; British = sawn
Tenses
British English employs the present perfect to talk
about a recent event. American English uses the
Simple Past, e.g. Ive just eaten. (BrE)
I just ate (AmE)
Auxiliaries
British English often uses shall and shant
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4. VOCABULARY
What does this mean?
I put on a jumper and raced to catch a
lift. Once outside, I discovered it was
dark and I was feeling mad. "I should
have brought a torch," I thought. At the
underground I bought a return ticket.
"How am I going to get a rise from my
boss?" I wondered.
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British
Petrol
Lorry
Toilet/Loo
Queue
Hob
Motorway
Nappy
Pavement
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British English:
American English:
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AmE/BrE
Appetizer/Entre
Flashlight/Torch
Bank Teller/Cashier
A flirt/tart
French Fries/Chips
Hood (car)/Bonnet
Cigarette/Fag
Jello/Jelly
Dessert/Pudding
Jelly/Jam
Eraser/Rubber
Pants/Trousers
Soccer/Football
Sweater/Jumper
Suspenders/Braces
Undershirt/Vest
Underwear/Pants
Potato chips/Crisps
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A note on schooling
In the US, a public
In England, a public
school is government school requires
funded.
tuition fees.
In the US, a private
school requires tuition
fees.
In England, a state
school is government
funded.
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Eraser
Eraser
Condom
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Eraser
Underwear
Trousers
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If a British person
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Ask for chips in England, and youll get French Fries, not
potato crisps
Tell a British friend to pick up some jelly at the store, and
theyll bring home gelatin (Jell-o) not jam
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QUESTION:
Do you prefer American English or
British English? Why?
What are the advantages and
disadvantages of each one?
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The End