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Differences and Similarities Between British and US English

The document compares and contrasts British and American English. It discusses differences in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, idioms, and date/number formatting between the two dialects. Some key differences highlighted are the pronunciation of "r" sounds, collective noun agreement, use of prepositions like "at" versus "on", past tense usage, spellings like "colour" versus "color", and punctuation within quotations. However, the conclusion states that the two forms of English share more similarities than differences and understanding one helps with understanding the other.

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MsM Yaqoob
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416 views5 pages

Differences and Similarities Between British and US English

The document compares and contrasts British and American English. It discusses differences in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, idioms, and date/number formatting between the two dialects. Some key differences highlighted are the pronunciation of "r" sounds, collective noun agreement, use of prepositions like "at" versus "on", past tense usage, spellings like "colour" versus "color", and punctuation within quotations. However, the conclusion states that the two forms of English share more similarities than differences and understanding one helps with understanding the other.

Uploaded by

MsM Yaqoob
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Assignment: Differences and Similarities

between British and US English

Subject: The Study of Language


Submitted To: Dr. Aneela Gill
Submitted By: Muhammad Yaqoob
Roll No: NUML-F19-18957
Class: M.A English (Morning)

Submitted Date: 24December, 2019


Differences and Similarities between British
and US English
The old saying that “American and Britain are two nations divided by a common language and
culture” largely true in one or other but these two languages show clear differences from
grammar to pronunciation. It is very amazing that English language in the US as an inference of
British colonization, which commenced in North America in the 17th century. The dialects
which are used in America are called American English (AmE) while the dialects used in British
are regarded as British English (BrE).
Differences between American and British English include pronunciation, grammar,
vocabulary (lexis), spelling, punctuation, idioms, and formatting of dates and numbers.

Pronunciation
British English and American English dialects have a clear distinction in the utterance. The most
obvious is the usage of ‘r”. In British English, when r comes after a vowel in the same syllable as
the r is not pronounced. In American English, the same word pronounced with the r.
E.g. In British English the word car, park, form, world, and so on, are pronounced like /kɑː/,
/pɑːk/, /fɔːm/, /wɜːld/ while in American English /kɑr/, /pa:rk/, /fɔrm/, and /wɜrld/ respectively.
In some other words as well have differences like in the verb form, globalize, are pronounced
the same in both British and American English. But British English maintains this same
pronunciation in the noun form globalization while American English changes the sound of the
letter “i.”

Grammar
1)Use of Preposition
There are some prepositional differences between the two dialects.
In British English, 'at' is the preposition in relation to time and place. However, in American English, 'on'
is used instead of the former and 'in' for the latter.
E.g.
I’m going to a Lahore on the weekend. I’m going to a Lahore at the weekend.
What are you doing on Eid-ul-Azha? What are you doing at Eid-Ul-Azha?
Monday through Friday. Monday to Friday.
It’s different from/than the others. It’s different from/to the others.

2) Past Simple Vs Present Perfect


There is a slight difference in the use of tenses. American used past simple instead
of present perfect to describe something happened in recent while in the UK they
tend to use present perfect.

American English British English


We ran toward the goal. We have run toward the goal.
She went to Lahore. She has been to Lahore.
Did you get the newspaper? Have you got the newspaper?

3) Collective nouns: singular or plural?


In British English, a collective noun plural but can be singular while in US collective nouns are
always singular. The first one emphasizing collective nouns as the members of the group and
later stressing the group as one whole entity. Team, school, police and all the collective noun
take the singular verbs in British English and opposite in the US.
E.g.
The police is responsible for capturing criminals…British

The School are experiencing water penetration problems…American

4) The past participle of “get”

In American English the past participle of get is gotten while in British it ‘got’ is used with a more
argumentative way.

American English British English


Get…..got….gotten Get…..got…….got
We have not gotten any information regarding war with Russia Have you got any news?

5) Regular or irregular verbs

There is a slight difference in regular and irregular verbs as well. The verbs which are irregular
in British dialects; regular in American English. It shows the flexibility of the English language
and ease for those who choose English as a foreign language. For example, have been made
regular in America

American British

Leaped, dreamed, burned, learned. Leapt, dreamt, burnt, learnt

Vocabulary
One of the obvious differences between BrE and AmE language is vocabulary. It is not so
wonderful difference because in the dialects within the US and Britain are also deviate to
some extent. Here are some words which different in spelling but having the same meaning
and function. For example British Fries, flat, boot, barrister, bill, rubber, shop, zip, sweets,
trousers are used crispy, apartment, trunk, attorney, eraser, store, zipper and candy paints
respectively in America.
Spelling
There are some differences in spelling as well between these two dialects. The difference clearly
shows in Noah Webster’s dictionary. For example, colour, honour,  labour,
behaviour, theater, metre change into color, honor, labor, behavior, theater, and
meter respectively.

Punctuation
Full stops; In American English, we write "Mr.", "Mrs.", "St.", "Dr." etc., while in British it is
usually "Mr", "Mrs", "St", "Dr", In quotation marks, there are also a vivid differences like, In
British English, single quotation marks are used, and in American English, double is used.
Comma, In British English, the comma is placed outside quotation marks. However, if the
punctuation sign is a part of the quote itself, then the quotation sign is put after the period. In
American English, the period and comma are always put inside quotation marks.

Idioms
Then there are differences in idioms as well. For example, in the U.S. if you want to add
your view to a conversation, you put in your two cents. In the U.K., they put in their
tuppence worth, we say, “Don’t beat a dead horse!” The British, on the other hand,
against flogging one. And, if you are having secrets in the United States, you
have  skeletons in the cupboard. In Great Britain, your skeletons would be hiding in
a cupboard.

Formatting of dates and numbers


The date format in American English
When you prefer to write the date in American English, usually the month comes before the
day, and then followed by the year.

September 6

September 6, 2019

Monday, September 6, 2019


The date format in British English
In British English, the day is followed by the month, which is then followed by the year .

6 Sept

6 September

6 September 2019

6th September 2019

The 6th of September 2019

The 6th of September, 2019

Conclusion
British and American English, of course, more similarities than differences. We think the
difference between American and British English is just based on exaggeration. If anyone able to
understand one easily understands the others. Both watch each other’s TV shows and study each
other’s literature and books as well.

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