Hi everybody, this is Mr Duncan in England.
How are you today?
Are you OK?
I hope so.
Are you happy?
I hope so.
In today's lesson, we will look at one of the most varying parts of the English language, which seems to cause a great deal of confusion for those who are in the process of learning it.
Today we will look at the differences between British and American English.
When we say British English, what we are actually referring to is the way in which English is spoken in the United Kingdom.
This includes Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, where English is spoken widely.
For some people, the term British English is a misleading one, but the fact remains that this terminology is the usual one when it comes to describing the way in which English is spoken here in the UK.
These days, the term standard English is slowly being used less and less, mainly due to the realisation that there is no real standard way of speaking English.
The basic academic rules of English tend to be the same wherever in the world it is being used.
It is a common question and one which is often posed to me.
What are the differences between the way English is spoken here in England and the way it is used in the USA?
Well, this is not an easy question to answer quickly.
It would be better to break the differences down into sections.
Differences between nouns.
Differences between spelling and grammar.
Differences between pronunciations.
When it comes to word usage, there are quite a large number of words which differ between British and American English.
Now we will take a look at some of these words.
This list is not exhaustive, but many of the words here are in common use.
General words.
Flat.
Apartment.
Building.
Block.
Pavement.
Sidewalk.
Road Route Motorway Freeway Junction Fork Roundabout Traffic circle Phone box Phone booth These days, payphone is used in both British and American English.
Film Movie Headmaster
Principal Caretaker Janitor Photo Snapshot Public school Private school State school Public school Marks Grades Term Semester
When it comes to actually speaking English, then the slight differences between British and American English become more obvious.
American English tends to put more emphasis on the consonant sounds, especially the letter R. This is very apparent in words beginning with R, such as red.
Really.
Robert.
And rich.
Rich.
Vowel sounds, such as those made by the letter A, are also emphasised.
The letter T is a good one to look closely at.
Occasionally in American English, the T sound is not pronounced the same as it is in British English.
For example, letter.
Letter.
Better Bottle Throttle Metal More general words.
Tap Faucet Power socket Power outlet Power cut Outage Tin Can
Shopping trolley Shopping cart Shop Store Food shop Grocery store Corner shop Convenience store Sellotape Scotch tape Tippex Whiteout Settee Sofa Couch Holiday
Vacation Maths Math Iced lolly Popsicle Crisps Potato chips Sweets Candy Candy floss Cotton candy Cashpoint ATM Till Cash register
Estate agent Realtor There are many ways of finding out the differences between American and British English.
Most English dictionaries now point out these variations within their word definition listings, normally with the alternative spelling being placed next to whichever word is being defined.
Parts of a car or an automobile
Bonnet Hood Boot Trunk Petrol Gas Windscreen Windshield Number Plate Licence Plate Gear Lever Gear Shift Exhaust Pipe Tailpipe Lorry
truck fire engine fire truck caravan trailer police car patrol car estate car station wagon car park parking lot car journey road trip overtake
Pass Clothing Trousers Pants Slacks Pants Underwear Shorts Jockey Shorts Pumps Plimpsols Gym Shoes Trainers Sneakers
Polar Neck Jumper Turtleneck Sweater Dressing Gown Bathrobe Wellington Boots Galoshes Jumper Pullover Sweater Nappy Diaper Waistcoat Vest Vest
undershirt.
The British slang word for a cigarette is fag.
While in American English this word has a very different and offensive meaning, it is a derogatory and insulting word for a gay man or homosexual.
So asking an American for a fag may at the very least cause some confusion, and at the very worst, a great deal of offence.
Past simple.
Past participle.
The following verbs have two acceptable forms of the past simple, past participle in both American and British English.
However, the regular form is generally more common in British English and the regular form is more common to American English.
burn burnt or burned dream dreamt or dreamed
lean lent or leaned learn learnt or learned smell smelt or smelled spell spelt or spelled spill spilt or spilled
spoil, spoilt or spoiled.
In present perfect tense, there are some slight differences.
For example, I've lost my wallet.
I lost my wallet.
Possessive clauses.
There are two forms to express possession in English.
Have or have got.
Do you have a car?
Have you got a car?
He hasn't got any friends.
He doesn't have any friends.
She has a beautiful new home.
She's got a beautiful new home.
While both forms are correct and acceptable in both British and American English, have got, have you, he hasn't got are generally the preferred forms of British English, while most speakers of American English use do you have, he doesn't have, they don't have.
The verb get.
The past participle of the verb get is gotten in American English.
For example, He's got much better at playing tennis.
He's gotten much better at playing tennis.
There are some words which are unique to American English.
A good example of this is the word busboy, which means a person in a restaurant who collects the dirty plates and cutlery from the tables.
Not to be confused with a waiter who takes the orders and serves the food.
There are some differences between the spelling of British and American English words.
For example, words ending with –er such as centre and metre and words ending with –ce such as license and defence.
Words ending in –ise
Such as minimise, patronise, prize, recognise, specialise.
There are some differences in the way prepositions are used.
For example, at the weekend, on the weekend, in the team, on the team, right to me soon,
Write me soon.
Some words are pronounced differently between British and American English.
For example Aluminium Aluminum Basil Basil Data Data Duty Duty Oregano Oregano
process process tomato tomato tube tube vase vase More differences between spelling.
The most well-known difference between British and American English appears in words ending with O-U-R, such as colour, favour, flavour, honour, neighbour, and of course words such as coloured, favourite, dishonour, neighbourhood,
When it comes to word definitions, there are not that many serious variations between words used in England and those used in the USA.
It is not as if you are having to learn two new languages.
I know that when someone says mailman, they mean postman.
I know that a freeway is a motorway.
And I know that pants are trousers.
When it comes to basic grammar, British and American English are almost the same.
It is also worth remembering that word usage can vary even in one country.
A word used in one part of the USA may not be used in another.
The same rule is also true here in the UK.
More general words.
Property or Land Real Estate Supermarket Assistant Clerk Bank Cashier Teller Postman Mailman Chemist Pharmacy Drugstore Label Tag Helicopter Chopper
Injection Jab Shot Rubbish Garbage Trash Waste bin Garbage can Trash can Mobile phone Cell phone TV aerial Antenna Wardrobe Closet Curtains Drapes
Mortuary Morgue Coffin Casket Prison Penitentiary Child Kid Mum or Mother Mom Queue Line
Believe it or not, English is one of the easiest languages to learn, but it can also be one of the most confusing.
The differing uses between British and American English may appear to make the language very complicated, but in oral English the differences are far fewer.
If I were to visit the USA, I would have very little trouble understanding what people were saying.
In fact, when it comes to speaking, the only real difficulty may come from the misconception or negative thinking that there will be a problem.
I may imagine that there will be difficulties, when in fact there are virtually none.
The real differences tend to exist within the various regional accents rather than the type of English being spoken.
When it comes to speaking English, be it British or American, there are many accents around.
That subject we will save for another lesson.
There is one important word which I have left off the long list as I have decided to leave it till last.
In British English, you go to the toilet or lavatory.
In American English, you go to the washroom, men's room or bathroom.
The British slang words for toilet are bug or loo.
While the American slang words for toilet are... Well, that is all I have for you today.
I hope you will drop by for another lesson real soon.
Until then, this is Mr Duncan in England saying thank you for watching me teaching you.
Ta-ta for now, and have a nice day!