英国英语和美国英语的区别英语短文

Comparing American English and British English When confronting differences between the English language of the United States and Great Britain one notes that spellings of the same words can be decidedly different.The following list shows some common examples of the variances between American and British spellings.American British center centre check (money) cheque color colour curb kerb gray grey honor honour inquire enquire jail gaol jewelry jewellery labor labour organization organisation pajamas pyjamas peddler pedlar program programme realize realise recognize recognise theater theatre The two versions of the English language also diverge when it comes to the names for many everyday objects and events.It is easy for a visitor from across the Atlantic to provoke amusement from the natives by calling a cloth used to wipe one's mouth a napkin in England,or by asking an American waiter for the W.C.The following is a list of some common American terms and their counterparts in the United Kingdom.American British apartment flat bathroom toilet,W.C.,or loo candy sweets checkers draughts closet cupboard corn maize cracker biscuit diaper nappy drugstore chemist's faucet tap gas,gasoline petrol hood (of car) bonnet line queue napkin serviette oven cooker round-trip ticket return ticket suspenders braces truck lorry trunk (of car) boot underpass subway undershirt vest vacation holiday Compounding spelling and word choices,there are also punctuation differences between American and British English.While American English always uses double quotation marks to indicate speech,British English,especially in older texts,sometimes uses single quotation marks.More recent British publications sometimes use double quotation marks.In both American and British English,periods and commas at the end of a quote come before the closing marks when the quote is a full sentence,or a full sentence broken up by a connecting phrase such as "He said":"When we go to the beach," he explained precisely,"we always take tanning oil." In American English,the placement of periods and commas remains the same even when the quote is a sentence fragment.But in British English,periods and commas punctuating sentence fragments are placed outside quotation marks.American English:They described the forum as "a stimulating event," but decided that in the future "they would return only on certain conditions." British English:They described the forum as "a stimulating event",but decided that in the future "they would return only on certain conditions." Differences Between American and British English 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 鈥 color is American spelling and flavour is British),this is of course not always easy 鈥 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 to 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 鈥 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 鈥 angry,bad humored,British English 鈥 not generous,tight fisted) Rubber:(American English 鈥 condom,British English 鈥 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 鈥 hood British English 鈥 bonnet American English 鈥 trunk British English 鈥 boot American English 鈥 truck British English 鈥 lorry Once again,your dictionary should list whether the term is used in British English or American English.For a more complete list of the vocabulary differences between British and American English use this British vs.American English vocabulary tool.Prepositions There are also a few differences in preposition use including the following:American English 鈥 on the weekend British English 鈥 at the weekend American English 鈥 on a team British English 鈥 in a team American English 鈥 please write me soon British English 鈥 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 鈥搊r (American) 鈥搊ur (British) color,colour,humor,humour,flavor,flavour etc.Words ending in 鈥搃ze (American) 鈥搃se (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.British vs.American English vocabulary tool Check British to American English or American to British English with this interactive tool.American-British/British-American Dictionary An impressive resource for reference information concerning the differences in vocabulary use between American and British English.American Vs.British English An exhaustive study by the University of Tampere on the differences between American and British English and the geo-political reasons behind these differences.English Around The World An excllent link page to information,recordings,and vocabulary examples of English as it is used in many different countries around the world.United Kingdom English for the American Novice An amusing (some might find patronizing) instructive site dedicated to helping Americans understand United Kingdom English.