British English VS. American English

**البرنسيسة** · 03-15-2009, 09:09 AM

British English VS. American English

Although English is generally the same all over the world , there are several differences between British and American English.

Spelling

Sometimes British and American English users spell things differently . some of the main differences are

British words end in …………………American words end in
-our …………………………………………. –or
colour , labour , humour …………………color , labor , humor

-tre …………………………………………� �… -ter
theatre , centre , metre ……………theater , center , meter

-nce …………………………………………� �……-nse
defence , offence , licence ……………… defense , offense , license

-elled , -elling …………………………….. –eled , -eling
travelled , cancelling …………………… traveled , canceling [/align]

vocabulary

some words
for the same things are different in British and American English. here are some examples

British …………………………American
Tap ………………………………faucet
****er ……………………………stove
Petrol ……………………………….gas
Toilet …………………………bathroom
Trousers …………………………..pants
Railway …………………………..railroad
Wash up ………………………..do the dishes
Wash your hands ………….…………….wash up
Jug …………………………….pitcher
Campsite …………………….campground

Sometimes words are neither specifically British or American . but a British or American speaker is more likely to use one word than another . for example , the word ' angry ' is correct in British and American English , but Americans usually use the word ' mad ' . the phrase ' a bit ' is also acceptable in both , but Americans are more likely to say ' a little ' . similarly , British speakers are more likely to use the noun and verb ' post ' instead of ' mail ' , although ' mail ' is correct in both British and American English .

Grammar

There are also some grammatical differences between British and American English , for example when you are choosing the correct preposition to use . here are some examples

in British :-
you can phone us on 12345678
in American :-
you can phone us at 12345678

in British :-
he looked round the corner
in American :-
he looked around the corner

in British :-
her accent is different from/to mine
in American :-
her accent is different from/than mine