Many people ask
me if there are great differences between the English language
spoken in Great Britain and America. Actually there are some
differences, but it doesn't prevent the people from
understanding each other.
Let's take a
look at some of the main differences.
Americans use
a simple past tense while the British use a present perfect.
Ex.
American: He just finished his homework
British:
He's (he has) just finished his homework.
Americans use
the verb "to have" differently.
Ex. American: Do you have a car?
British:
Have you got a car?
Americans
sometimes use "his" while the British say "one's"
Ex. American: One should know
his capabilities.
British: One should know
one's
capabilities..
There are also
some small differences in the use of prepositions
American
British
To check
something out to check something
To do
something over to do something
again
To stay
home to stay at home
In informal
speech, many Americans use "like" where most British people
would prefer "as" or "as if"-
American It looks
like it's going to rain.
British
It looks
as if it's going to rain.
Sometimes
different words are used for the same idea.
American
British
Apartment flat
Candy sweets
Can tin
Cookie biscuit
Elevator lift
Flashlight torch
Gas
petrol
Movie film
Eraser
rubber
Bar pub
Garbage
can dustbin
Crazy mad
These are
just a few.
Let the
students look up some advertisements from British and American
magazines to notice the vocabulary and expressions used. Have
them listen to conversations in both British and American
English.
These
activities will help them be aware of the various ways English
is used in these countries.
A Nice
Thought
"The English
language is nobody's special property. It's the property of the
imagination: it is the property of the language itself"