Pági

na9

Pro

f. An

abel

la M

endo

za d

el V

alle

UNJBG – FECH – IETIAmerican and British Culture

AMERICAN AND BRITISH ENGLISH LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES

There is an amazing variety of spelling, meaning, pronunciation, usage, and even punctuation in the English language among the many people who speak it. The two main forms of English are American English and British English. Here is a list of the most

common vocabulary differences between American and British English. Fuente: http://phirunnhean.hubpages.com/hub/ESSAYThree-differences-between-use-

of-the-British-English-and-American-Englishhttp://www.englishleap.com/other-resources/british-american-english

1. DIFFERENCES IN VOCABULARY While some words may mean something in British English, the same word might be something else in American English and vice versa. For example, Athlete in British English is one who participates in track and field events whereas Athlete in American English is one who participates in sport in general. There are also some words like AC, Airplane, bro, catsup, cell phone etc. which are common in American English and not used very often in British English. Some words widely used in British English and seldom in American English are advert, anti clockwise, barrister, cat's eye.Let us consider some vocabulary differences:1. Americans use the word apartment whereas in India (or Britain) the word is

replaced with flat.2. Trash is a common term in USA but British English uses the word ‘rubbish’

for the same.3. The term ill is specific to the British form of the language. In America, it is

replaced with the word sick.4. The word schedule is specific to the American form. The British form of the

word is timetable.5. The commonly used term toilet or public toilet is hardly heard in America. If

in need, ask for a rest room.

This is a list, but there are more words:

US: antenna UK: aerialUS: apartment UK: flatUS: apartment building

UK: block of flats

US: area code UK: dialing codeUS: ATM UK: cashpointUS: baby carriage UK: pramUS: band-aid UK: plasterUS: bathroom UK: loo/ WC/ toiletUS: beet UK: beetrootUS: buddy UK: mateUS: busy (phone line) UK: engagedUS: cafeteria UK: canteenUS: can (of food) UK: tinUS: candy UK: sweets

Pági

na9

Pro

f. An

abel

la M

endo

za d

el V

alle

UNJBG – FECH – IETIAmerican and British Culture

US: check (rest.) UK: billUS: chips UK: crispsUS: chopped beef UK: minceUS: cookie UK: biscuitUS: corn UK: maizeUS: cotton candy UK: candy flossUS: crosswalk UK: zebra crossingUS: dead end UK: cul-de-sacUS: diaper UK: nappyUS: first floor UK: ground floorUS: flashlight UK: torchUS: fries UK: chipsUS: game (sports) UK: matchUS: guy UK: bloke, chapUS: gas UK: petrolUS: freeway UK: motorwayUS: to honk K: to hootUS: hood (car) UK: bonnetUS: jello UK: jellyUS: jelly UK: jamUS: kerosene UK: paraffinUS: laundromat UK: laundretteUS: line UK: queueUS: mail UK: postUS: motor home UK: caravanUS: movie theater UK: cinemaUS: muffler UK: silencerUS: napkin UK: servietteUS: overpass UK: flyoverUS: pants UK: trousersUS: pacifier UK: dummy US: parking lot UK: car parkUS: period UK: full stopUS: private school UK: public schoolUS: résumé UK: CVUS: to rent UK: to hireUS: sidewalk UK: pavementUS: soccer UK: footballUS: store UK: shopUS: trash/garbage can UK: rubbish binUS: truck UK: lorryUS: trunk (car) UK: bootUS: turn signal UK: indicatorUS: windshield UK: windscreenUS: z (pron. "zee") UK: z (pron. "zed")

Pági

na9

Pro

f. An

abel

la M

endo

za d

el V

alle

UNJBG – FECH – IETIAmerican and British Culture

2. DIFFERENCES IN SPELLINGThere are some well-known spelling differences between British English and American English. Many of these spelling differences result from French influence on English. British English has a tendency to keep the spelling of many words of French origin. Americans try to spell words more closely to the way they sound phonetically and they tend to omit some letters. The general spelling differences between British and American English are listed below.

British -our vs. American -or

difference

armour armor

behaviour

behavior

colour color

favourite favorite

flavour flavor

harbour harbor

honour honor

humour humor

labour labor

neighbour

neighbor

rumour rumor

saviour Savior

favour favor

British -re vs. American -er

difference

amphitheatre

amphitheater

centimetre centimeter

centre center

fibre fiber

kilometre kilometer

litre liter

lustre luster

louvre louver

manoeuvre maneuver

metre meter

spectre specter

theatre theater

British -ae/-oe/-oeu vs. American

-e/-o/-eu difference

archaeology archeology

gynaecology gynecology

leukaemia leukemia

manoeuvre maneuver

mediaeval medieval

mementoes mementos

oestrogen estrogen

orthopaedic orthopedic

paediatric pediatric

palaeontology

paleontology

toxaemia toxemia

In summary and considering the origin of words, we can affirm:Latin-derived spellings -our (British) and -or (American). e.g. colour vs color -re (British) and -er (American). e.g. centre vs center -ce (British) and -se (American). e.g. defence vs defense Greek-derived spellings -ise (British) and -ize (American). e.g. centralise vs centralize, specialise vs

specialize, commercialise vs commercialize. -yse (British) and -yze (American). e.g. analyse vs analyze -ogue (British) and -og (American). e.g. dialogue vs dialog, catalogue vs

catalog. Simplification of ae and oe in American English. e.g. gynaecology vs

gynecology

Pági

na9

Pro

f. An

abel

la M

endo

za d

el V

alle

UNJBG – FECH – IETIAmerican and British Culture

Let us now take a look at some more rules.

British English American EnglishWoollen, Jewellery , Travelling Woolen, Jewelry, TravelingOmelette OmeletPyjamas PajamasSulphur SulfurCounsellor CounselorTransferral Transferal

3. DIFFERENCES IN GRAMMAR

3.1. Verbs agreement with collective nounsIn British English collective nouns, (i.e. nouns referring to particular groups of people or things), (e.g. staff , government, class, team) can be followed by a singular or plural verb depending on whether the group is thought of as one idea, or as many individuals, e.g.:

• My team is winning.• The other team are all sitting down.

In American English collective nouns are always followed by a singular verb, so an American would usually say:

• Which team is losing? whereas in British English both plural and singular forms of the verb are possible, as in:

• Which team is/are losing?

3.2. Use of delexical verbs HAVE and TAKEIn British English, the verb have frequently functions as what is technically referred to as a delexical verb, i.e. it is used in contexts where it has very little meaning in itself but occurs with an object noun which describes an action, e.g.:

• I'd like to have a bath.Have is frequently used in this way with nouns referring to common activities such as washing or resting, e.g.:

• She's having a little nap.• I'll just have a quick shower before we go out.

In American English, the verb take, rather than have, is used in these contexts, e.g.:

• Joe's taking a shower.• I'd like to take a bath.• Let's take a short vacation.• Why don't you take a rest now?

3.3. Use of Auxiliaries and ModalsIn British English, the auxiliary do is often used as a substitute for a verb when replying to a question, e.g.:

A: Are you coming with us?B: I might do.

In American English, do is not used in this way, e.g.:A: Are you coming with us?

Pági

na9

Pro

f. An

abel

la M

endo

za d

el V

alle

UNJBG – FECH – IETIAmerican and British Culture

B: I might.In British English needn't is often used instead of don't need to, e.g.:

• They needn't come to school today.• They don't need to come to school today.

In American English needn't is very unusual and the usual form is don't need to, i.e.:

• They don't need to come to school today.In British English, shall is sometimes used as an alternative to will to talk about the future, e.g.:

• I shall/will be there later.In American English, shall is unusual and will is normally used.In British English shall I / we is often used to ask for advice or an opinion, e.g.:

• Shall we ask him to come with us?In American English should is often used instead of shall, i.e.:

• Should we ask him to come with us?

3.4. Differences in the use of PrepositionsThere are also a few differences between British and American English in the use of prepositions. For example:

British English American EnglishBritish would play in a team. Americans would play on a team.At the weekend On the weekendIn Oak Street On Oak StreetAt the corner On the cornerDifferent from/ to Different from/ thanCheck something Check something outDo something again Do something over/ againSunday to Saturday Sunday through/ to Saturday

In British English, at is used with many time expressions, e.g.:• at Christmas/five 'o' clock• at the weekend

In American English, on is always used when talking about the weekend, not at, e.g.:

• Will they still be there on the weekend?• She'll be coming home on weekends.

In British English, at is often used when talking about universities or other institutions, e.g.:

• She studied chemistry at university.In American English, in is often used, e.g.:

• She studied French in high school.In British English, to and from are used with the adjective different, e.g.:

• This place is different from/to anything I've seen before.In American English from and than are used with different, e.g.:

• This place is different from/than anything I've seen before.In British English to is always used after the verb write, e.g.:

• I promised to write to her every day.In American English, to can be omitted after write, i.e.:

• I promised to write her every day.3.5. Differences in use of tenses

Pági

na9

Pro

f. An

abel

la M

endo

za d

el V

alle

UNJBG – FECH – IETIAmerican and British Culture

In British English the present perfect is used to express an action that has occurred in the recent past that has an effect on the present moment. For example: I've misplaced my pen. Can you help me find it? In American English, the use of the past tense is also permissible: I misplaced my pen. Can you help me find it? In British English, however, using the past tense in this example would be considered incorrect. Other differences involving the use of the present perfect in British English and simple past in American English include the words already, just and yet.British English: I've just had food. Have you finished your homework yet? American English: I just had food. OR I've just had food.I've already seen that film. OR I already saw that film.

(i) In sentences which talk about an action in the past that has an effect in the present:

British English American EnglishJenny feels ill. She's eaten too much. Jenny feels ill. She ate too much.I can't find my keys. Have you seen them anywhere?

I can't find my keys. Did you see them anywhere?

(ii) In sentences which contain the words already, just or yet:American English / British English

British English American EnglishA: Are they going to the show tonight?B: No. They've already seen it.

A: Are they going to the show tonight?B: No. They already saw it.

A: Is Samantha here?B: No, she's just left.

A: Is Samantha here?B: No, she just left.

A: Can I borrow your book?B: No, I haven't read it yet.

A: Can I borrow your book?B: No, I didn't read it yet.

3.6. Past tense formsBelow is a table showing verbs which have different simple past and past participle forms in American and British English. Note that the irregular past forms burnt, dreamt and spoilt are possible in American English, but less common than the forms ending in -ed.Infiniti

veSimple past

(Br)Simple past

(Am)Past participle

(Br)Past participle

(Am)burn burned/burnt burned/burnt burned/burnt burned/burntbust bust busted bust busteddive dived dove/dived dived dived

dream dreamed/dreamt dreamed/dreamt

dreamed/dreamt

dreamed/dreamt

get got got got gottenlean leaned/leant leaned leaned/leant leanedlearn learned/learnt learned learned/learnt learnedplead pleaded pleaded/pled pleaded pleaded/pledprove proved proved proved proved/provensaw sawed sawed sawn sawn/ sawedsmell smelled/smelt smelled smelled/smelt smelledspill spilled/spilt spilled spilled/spilt spilled

Pági

na9

Pro

f. An

abel

la M

endo

za d

el V

alle

UNJBG – FECH – IETIAmerican and British Culture

spoil spoiled/spoilt spoiled/spoilt spoiled/spoilt spoiled/spoiltstink stank stank/stunk stunk stunkwake woke woke/waked woken woken

Note that have got is possible in American English, but is used with the meaning 'have', gotten is the usual past participle of get, e.g.

American English British EnglishYou've got two brothers(= you have two brothers)

You've got two brothers

You've gotten taller this year You've got taller this year

4. DIFFERENCES IN PRONUNCIATIONWe can practice in: http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british

Some words that are pronounced differently in American vs British English are controversy, leisure, schedule etc. There are also some words like Ax (Axe in British) and Defense (Defence in British) which have the same pronunciation but different spellings in both languages.

5. TIME TELLING IN BRITISH VS AMERICAN ENGLISH

Both languages have a slightly different structure of telling the time. While the British would say quarter past ten to denote 10:15, it is not uncommon in America to say quarter after or even a quarter after ten.

Date and Time: Let us consider some differences in date and time – 1) In the United States, dates are written in the month/date/year format

(12/13/2011). Followers of the British form, though, are more familiar with the ‘date/month/year’ format (13/12/2011).

2) British English teaches us to write time using a full stop (6.00). American English uses a colon in place of the period, making it look like 6:00.

6. DIFFERENCES IN PUNCTUATION: titles and acronyms

While the British would write Mr, Mrs, Dr, the Americans would write Mr., Mrs., Dr.The British form omits the period after Dr, Mr, Mrs, etc, while American speakers feel the need for one. They would write, Dr., Mr., and Mrs., etc.  The rule works differently when it comes to acronyms. The American form believes in the use of the period after each initial (U.S.), whereas, the British form does not (US).

Pági

na9

Pro

f. An

abel

la M

endo

za d

el V

alle

UNJBG – FECH – IETIAmerican and British Culture

7. COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDSTake a look at these two sentences – one of them contains a mistake:I poured over book after book.We pored over the catalogues. Are you uncertain which one is right? There are a lot of words in English that look or sound alike but have very different meanings, such as pore and pour or flaunt and flout. It’s easy to get them confused and most electronic spellcheckers won’t be much help in this type of situation: they can tell you if a word has been spelled wrongly but they can’t generally flag up the misuse of a correctly spelled word. Here’s a quick-reference list of pairs of words that regularly cause people problems. The words follow the accepted British English spelling. Some of them do have alternative American spellings and you will find these at the main dictionary entry on this website.

Word 1 Meaning Word 2 Meaningaccept to agree to receive or do except not includingadverse unfavourable, harmful averse strongly disliking; opposedadvice recommendations about what to do advise to recommend somethingaffect to change or make a difference to effect a result; to bring about a resultaisle a passage between rows of seats isle an islandall together all in one place, all at once altogether completely; on the wholealong moving or extending horizontally on a long referring to something of great lengthaloud out loud allowed permittedaltar a sacred table in a church alter to change

amoral not concerned with right or wrong immoralnot following accepted moral standards

appraise to assess apprise to inform someoneassent agreement, approval ascent the action of rising or climbing upaural relating to the ears or hearing oral relating to the mouth; spokenbalmy pleasantly warm barmy foolish, crazybare naked; to uncover bear to carry; to put up with

batedin phrase 'with bated breath', i.e. in great suspense

baited with bait attached or inserted

bazaar a Middle Eastern market bizarre strange

berth a bunk in a ship, train, etc. birththe emergence of a baby from the womb

born having started life borne carriedbough a branch of a tree bow to bend the head; the front of a ship

brakea device for stopping a vehicle; to stop a vehicle

break to separate into pieces; a pause

breachto break through, or break a rule; a gap

breech the back part of a gun barrel

broach to raise a subject for discussion brooch a piece of jewellerycanvas a type of strong cloth canvass to seek people’s votes

censure to criticize strongly censorto ban parts of a book or film; a person who does this

cereala grass producing an edible grain; a breakfast food made from grains

serial happening in a series

chord a group of musical notes corda length of string; a cord-like body part

climactic forming a climax climatic relating to climate

coarse rough coursea direction; a school subject; part of a meal

complacent smug and self-satisfiedcomplaisant

willing to please

complement to add to so as to improve; an compliment to praise or express approval; an

Pági

na9

Pro

f. An

abel

la M

endo

za d

el V

alle

UNJBG – FECH – IETIAmerican and British Culture

addition that improves something admiring remark

councila group of people who manage or advise

counsel advice; to advise

cue a signal for action; a wooden rod queue a line of people or vehicles

curbto keep something in check; a control or limit

kerb(in British English) the stone edge of a pavement

currant a dried grape currenthappening now; a flow of water, air, or electricity

defuse to make a situation less tense diffuse to spread over a wide area

deserta waterless, empty area; to abandon someone

dessert the sweet course of a meal

discreet careful not to attract attention discrete separate and distinctdisinterested

impartialuninterested

not interested

draught a current of air draft a first version of a piece of writingdraw an even score at the end of a game drawer a sliding storage compartmentdual having two parts duel a fight or contest between two peopleelicit to draw out a reply or reaction illicit not allowed by law or rules

ensureto make certain that something will happen

insureto provide compensation if a person dies or property is damaged

envelop to cover or surround envelope a paper container for a letter

exercisephysical activity; to do physical activity

exorcise to drive out an evil spirit

fawn a young deer; light brown faun a mythical being, part man, part goatflaunt to display ostentatiously flout to disregard a rule

flounderto move clumsily; to have difficulty doing something

founder to fail

forbear to refrain forebear an ancestorforeword an introduction to a book forward onwards, aheadfreeze to turn to ice frieze a decoration along a wallgrisly gruesome, revolting grizzly a type of bearhoard a store horde a large crowd of peopleimply to suggest indirectly infer to draw a conclusionloath reluctant, unwilling loathe to hateloose to unfasten; to set free lose to be deprived of; to be unable to findmeter a measuring device metre a metric unit; rhythm in versemilitate to be a powerful factor against mitigate to make less severepalate the roof of the mouth palette a board for mixing colourspedal a foot-operated lever peddle to sell goodspole a long, slender piece of wood poll voting in an election

pour to flow or cause to flow porea tiny opening; to study something closely

practicethe use of an idea or method; the work or business of a doctor, dentist, etc.

practiseto do something repeatedly to gain skill; to do something regularly

prescribeto authorize use of medicine; to order authoritatively

proscribe to officially forbid something

principal most important; the head of a school principle a fundamental rule or beliefsceptic a person inclined to doubt septic infected with bacteriasight the ability to see site a locationstationary not moving stationery writing materialsstorey a level of a building story a tale or accounttitillate to arouse interest titivate to make more attractivetortuous full of twists; complex torturous full of pain or suffering

wreatha ring-shaped arrangement of flowers etc.

wreathe to surround or encircle