American English versus British English
by GetEnglishLessons on 18/01/12 at 8:06 am
If you are thinking: How to teach ESL students the difference between AE and BE.
If you are having trouble in teaching your students the difference between British and American English these might be useful:
1. Use the following drop-down list to find the American English equivalent of these British Expressions. How do you say truck in British English?
American English British English what’s the word?
2. Show this video where Hugh Laurie paid a house call to Ellen, and they played an exciting game of American slang versus English slang.
Charlie has a go at speaking in his best American accent.
3. List of words words related to cars and driving, different when you cross the Atlantic. In the United States, it’s a trunk, while in Britain you will probably hear boot. Here are some variations:
| American English | British English |
| hood | bonnet |
| fender | wing |
| windshield | windscreen |
| rearview mirror | driving mirror |
| gearshift | gear lever |
| turn signal/blinker | indicator/winker |
| back-up lights | reversing lights |
| license plate | number plate |
| flat tire | puncture |
| spare tire | spare wheel |
| driver’s license | driving license |
| gas | petrol |
| truck | lorry |
| rent a car | hire a car |
| trip | journey |
| traffic circle | roundabout |
| detour | deviation |
| parking lot | car park |
| sidewalk | pavement |
| intersection | crossroads |
| pick someone up | collect someone |
American English versus British English related to cars and driving – PDF FREE DOWNLOAD
Image via Wikipedia
4. Answer an On line quiz on the difference of American English and British English:
It’s hard to draw a precise line between AE and BE, but there are definitely cases where the vocabulary of the two languages diverges. For reasons of fair play the quiz tries to strike a balance between AE- and BE-centred questions .
5. Point Out that Spelling in American English and British English can be different too:
Go to this link to find a great explanation on words ending in -er/re, -yse/ -ise, -our/or, etc…
British x American
|
centre
|
center
|
|
fibre
|
fiber
|
|
litre
|
liter
|
|
theatre
|
theater or theatre
|
Related articles
- What Should America Steal From British English? (gawker.com)
- Another English lesson (istillfeelunusual.wordpress.com)
- David Crystal’s The Story of English in 100 Words (virtuallinguist.typepad.com)
Useful links for EFL teachers and learners « Learning English at University College Cork, Ireland
Feb 21st, 2013
[...] videos and resources here contrasting American and British accents and [...]
American vs British English…some differences « My English WebSchool, by Nikolaos Sfakianos (BA in ELT, Stirling University, Scotland, UK), ΙΔΙΑΤΕΡΑ ΜΑΘΗΜΑΤΑ ΑΓΓΛΙΚΗΣ ΓΛΩΣΣΑΣ,ΦΑΡΣΑΛΑ τηλ.6948896919
Jul 29th, 2012
[...] American English versus British English [...]
American English versus British English | English Teaching Daily
Jan 19th, 2012
[...] American English versus British English [...]