Differences Between American English And British English Lesson 3
Prepositions Differences Between American English And British English
1-American English
Monday through Thursday
write someone/write to someone
different from/than,
ten minutes past/after six
five minuts to/of ten
on the weekend
live on X street
a player on the team
British English
Monday to Thursday
write to someone
different from/to
ten minutes past six
five (minuts) to ten
at the weekend
live in X street
a player in the team
2-Some verbs can end with ize or ise in British English, but they end with ize in American English (e.g. realize/realise).
Here are some of the commonest words with different spellings:
American English
dialog/dialogue
honor
jeweler
program
meter
realize
skillful
theater
traveler
analyze
apologize
catalog/catalogue
center
check
color
defense
British English
dialogue
honour
jeweller
programme
metre (= 100 cm)
realise/realize
skilful 1
theatre
traveller
Analyse
apologise/apologize
catalogue
centre
cheque (money)
colour
defence
3- Vocabulary
Here are a few examples of differences in vocabulary.
American English
mad
anyplace/anywhere
airplane
British English
angry
anywhere
Aeroplane
4-American English
busy
movie/film
apartment
two weeks
gear shift
first floor, second floor, etc
pocket book/purse/handbag
vacation
pitcher
elevator
highway/freeway
corn
diaper
sidewalk
gas/gasoline
mail
practice (noun and verb)
rest room
coin-purse
line
railroad
round trip
raise
pavement
eraser
garbage/trash
one-way/one-way ticket
candy
faucet/tap
spigot/faucet
cab/taxi
schedule/timetable
flashlight
sneakers
pants/trousers
subway
truck
windshield
zipper
fall/autumn
cookie/cracker
check/bill
trunk
hood
french fries
crib
chips/potato chips
intersection
garbage can/trashcan
British English
engaged(phone)
film
flat/apartment
fortnight/two weeks
gear lever (on a car)
ground floor, first floor, etc.
handbag
holiday/holidays
jug
lift
main road/motorway
maize/sweet com
nappy
pavement
petrol
post
practice (noun) \practise (verb) J
public toilet
purse
queue
railway
return/return journey
rise (in salary)
road surface
rubBritish Englishr/eraser
rubbish
single/single ticket
sweets
tap (indoors)
tap (outdoors)
taxi
timetable
torch
trainers (= sports shoes)
trousers
underground
van/lorry
windscreen (on a car)
zip
autumn
biscuit
bill (in a restaurant)
boot (of a car)
bonnet (on a car)
chips
cot
crisps
crossroads
dustbin
5-The verbs burn, dream, lean, learn, smell, spell, spill and spoil have both regular (-ed) and irregular forms. The British prefer the irregular forms.
Americans normally use the regular forms. For example, the form dreamt is more common than dreamed in British
English; in American English dreamed is the usual form.
The verb dive is regular in British English but it is often irregular in American English.
British English/American English : dive – dived – dived
American English only : dive – dove – dived
British English : He dived into the water.
American English : He dove (or dived) into the water.
6-Spelling
In American English it is not doubled (e.g. quarrelled/quarreled).
While in British English – l is doubled in an unstressed syllable British Englishfore a suffix British Englishginning with a vowel,
7-Some words end in -our in British English and -or in American English (e.g.
colour/color)
8-Some words end in tre in British English and ter in American English (e.g. centre/center).
