While there are certainly many more varieties of English, American and
British English are the two varieties that are taught in most ESL/EFL programs.
Generally, it is agreed that no one version is "correct" however,
there are certainly preferences in use. The most important rule of thumb is to
try to be consistent in your usage. If you decide that you want to use American
English spellings then be consistent in your spelling (i.e. The color of the
orange is also its flavour color is American spelling and flavour is
British), this is of course not always easy or possible. The following guide
is meant to point out the principal differences between these two varieties of
English.
Use of the Present Perfect
In British English the present perfect is used to express an action that has
occurred in the recent past that has an effect on the present moment. For
example:
I've lost my key. Can you help me look for it?
In American English the following is also possible:
I lost my key. Can you help me look for it?
In British English the above would be considered incorrect. However, both
forms are generally accepted in standard American English. Other differences
involving the use of the present perfect in British English and simple past in
American English include already, just and yet.
British English:
I've just had lunch
I've already seen that film
Have you finished your homework yet?
American English:
I just had lunch OR I've just had lunch
I've already seen that film OR I already saw that film.
Have your finished your homework yet? OR Did you finish your homework yet?
Possession
There are two forms too 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 accepted in both British and American
English), have got (have you got, he hasn't got, etc.) is generally the
preferred form in British English while most speakers of American English employ
the have (do you have, he doesn't have etc.)
The Verb Get
The past participle of the verb get is gotten in American English. Example
He's gotten much better at playing tennis. British English He's got much
better at playing tennis.
Vocabulary
Probably the major differences between British and American English lies in
the choice of vocabulary. Some words mean different things in the two varieties
for example:
Mean: (American English angry, bad humored, British English not
generous, tight fisted)
Rubber: (American English condom, British English tool used to erase
pencil markings)
There are many more examples (too many for me to list here). If there is a
difference in usage, your dictionary will note the different meanings in its
definition of the term. Many vocabulary items are also used in one form and not
in the other. One of the best examples of this is the terminology used for
automobiles.
|
American
English hood
|
British
English bonnet
|
|
American
English trunk
|
American
English trunk
|
|
American
English trunk
|
British
English lorry
|
Once again, your dictionary should list whether the term is used in British
English or American English.
Prepositions
There are also a few differences in preposition use including the following:
|
American
English on the weekend
|
British
English at the weekend
|
|
American
English on a team
|
British
English in a team
|
|
American
English please write me soon
|
British
English please write to me soon
|
Past Simple/Past Participles
The following verbs have two acceptable forms of the past simple/past
participle in both American and British English, however, the irregular form is
generally more common in British English (the first form of the two) and the
regular form is more common to American English.
|
Burn
|
Burnt
OR burned
|
|
Dream
|
dreamt
OR dreamed
|
|
Lean
|
leant
OR leaned
|
|
Learn
|
learnt
OR learned
|
|
Smell
|
smelt
OR smelled
|
|
Spell
|
spelt
OR spelled
|
|
Spill
|
spilt
OR spilled
|
|
Spoil
|
spoilt
OR spoiled
|
Spelling
Here are some general differences between British and American spellings:
Words ending in or (American) our (British) color, colour, humor, humour,
flavor, flavour etc.
Words ending in ize (American) ise (British) recognize, recognise,
patronize, patronise etc.
The best way to make sure that you are being consistent in your spelling is to
use the spell check on your word processor (if you are using the computer of
course) and choose which variety of English you would like. As you can see,
there are really very few differences between standard British English and
standard American English. However, the largest difference is probably that of
the choice of vocabulary and pronunciation. For further information concerning
these areas please refer to the following links below.
