PP1

British and
American
English
PP2

Differences between
British and American
English
PP3

“England and America are two countries

divided by a common language.”
~George Bernard Shaw
PP4

Differences between British

and American English.

1. Spelling
2. Pronunciation (sounds)
3. Grammar
4. Vocabulary
PP5

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
PP6

2. PRONUNCIATION (SOUNDS)

WORD AMERICAN BRITISH

PRONUNCIATION PRONUNCIATION
Teacher
Father
Letter
Water
Aunt
Tomato
PP7

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
PP8

Pronunciation: stress in words

ending with –ate.

Most 2-syllable verbs ending –ate have first-

syllable stress in American English and second-
syllable stress in British English:

dictate donate locate mandate migrate

pulsate rotate translate vacate vibrate
PP9
2. GRAMMAR
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.”
Verbs
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. I’ve just eaten. (BrE)
I just ate (AmE)
Auxiliaries
 British English often uses “shall” and “shan’t”
American English uses “will” and “won’t”
PP10

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.
PP11

Word confusions with one meaning.

American British
Gas Petrol
Truck Lorry
Bathroom Toilet/Loo
Line Queue
Stove Hob
Highway Motorway
Diaper Nappy
Sidewalk Pavement
PP12

Translate this sentence!

 British English:
 “I was waiting in queue for the loo before getting some
petrol for my lorry when I realized I left the hob on and
the aubergines were probably burning!”

 American English:
 “I was waiting in line for the bathroom before getting
some gas for my truck when I realized I left the stove
on and the eggplant was probably burning!”
PP13

Word confusion with multiple meanings

AmE/BrE AmE/BrE
Appetizer/Entrée 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 Private school/Public school
Sweater/Jumper Public school/State school
Suspenders/Braces Undershirt/Vest
Underwear/Pants Potato chips/Crisps
PP18

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 In England, a state

school requires tuition school is government
fees. funded.
PP14

Potentially embarrassing situations: “rubber”

Eraser
Eraser Condom

“Excuse me, do you

have a rubber?”
PP15

Potentially embarrassing situations: “pants”

Eraser
Underwear Trousers

“My other jeans ripped, so

I’ve been wearing these pants
for the past three days!”
PP16

Potentially confusing situations

 If a British person …

… asks you about football …

… they mean soccer.

… asks if you want pudding …

… they mean dessert.
… puts on a jumper …
… they mean a
sweater.

… wears braces ….
…. wears suspenders.
… wears suspenders …
… wears garters.
PP17

Other confusing situations …

 Ask for chips in England, and you’ll get French Fries, not
potato “crisps”
 Tell a British friend to pick up some jelly at the store, and
they’ll bring home gelatin (Jell-o) not jam
PP19

Just for fun!

PP20

QUESTION:

 Do you prefer American English or

British English? Why?
 What are the advantages and
disadvantages of each one?
PP21

The End ☺