American English vs.

British English

American English (AmE) - the form of English used in the United States.

It includes all English dialects used within the United States.

British English (BrE) - the form of English used in the United Kingdom.

It includes all English dialects used within the United Kingdom

Differences between the two include:

PronunciationGrammarVocabulary (lexis) SpellingPunctuation IdiomsFormatting of dates Numbers

Differences in pronunciation between American English (AmE) and British English (BrE) can be divided into:

Differences in accent 

Differences in the pronunciation of individual words in the lexicon

Differences in GrammarUse of the Present Perfect:

In British English it is used to talk about past actions that have an effect in the present

In American English past simple and present perfect are used in the same situations.

I have lost my pen. Can you borrow me yours? (BE)

I lost my pen. OR I have lost my pen. (AE)

Other differencesOther differences include the use of: already,

just and yet. The British use the present perfect with

these adverbs of indefinite time. In American English simple past and present

perfect are both possible.

Examples:Yet:She hasn't come yet. (BE)She hasn't come yet. OR She didn't come yet. (AE)Already:I have already seen this movie. (BE)I have already seen this movie. OR I already saw

this movie. (AE)Just:He has just gone home. (BE)He just went home. OR He has just gone home.

(AE)

British English - American English VocabularyBritish English American EnglishBiscuits Block of flatsBonnet (clothing)Bonnet (car)BootCar parkChemist's shopsChipsThe cinema

CookieApartment buildingHatHoodTrunkParking lotDrugstore, pharmacyFries, French friesThe movies

AmE: CookieBrE: Bisciuts

BrE: Block of flats AmE: Apartment biulding

BrE: Bonnet AmE: Hat

BrE: Bonnet AmE: Hood

BrE: Boot AmE: Trunk

BrE: Car park AmE: Parking lot

BrE : Chemist’s shop

AmE : Drugstore,Pharmacy

BrE : ChipsAmE : Fries, French Fries

BrE : The cinema AmE : The movies

Spelling DifferencesMany of these spelling differences result

from French influence on English.

1. British English has a tendency to keep the spelling of many words of French origin.

2. Americans try to spell words more closely to the way they sound phonetically and they tend to omit some letters.

Spelling DifferencesBritish AmericanArmourBehaviourColourFavouriteFlavourHarbourHonourHumour

ArmorBehaviorColorFavoriteFlavorHarborHonorHumor

American vs. British English.flv

THANK YOU!

Prepared By:

Alba Hysi

Eva çota