British English vs American English (BrE vs AmE)

British English vs American English(BE vs AE)So I (an American) was playing Frisbee with a British girl. I threw it to her and while trying to catch it she broke a nail. She was whining about it so I told her, Suck it up! To us this means just deal with the pain and continue. To them it has a bad sexual meaning. Embarrassing! (From Daniel). misunderstanding between British and American!?British English vs American English

Ever get confused by these following:Who lives on a street, and who lives in a street?

Who takes a bath, and who has a bath?

Who says Neither do I, and who says Nor do I?

After thank you, who says Not at all and who says You re welcome?

Whose team are on the ball, and whose team is?(from British or American English?)British English vs American English

Differences between BE and AEGrammarvocabularypronunciationBritish English vs American English

I. Pronunciation:Pronunciation variationsstressaffixessoundsBritish English vs American EnglishI.1. Stress: In many English-French words (which have more than one syllable), BE often stresses on the first syllable, AE on the last syllable. Example: adult,ballet,baton,beret,bidet,blas,brevet,brochure,buffet,cafA2,canardB2,chagrin,chaletA2,chauffeurA2,B2,chiffon,clichB2,coup,croissant,debrisB2,debut,dcor,detailA2,dtenteB2,flamb,frapp,garageB2,gateau,gourmetA2,lam,montageA2,parquet,pastel,pastille,pt,prcis,sachet,salon,soupon,vaccine;matine,nglige, nonchalant,nondescript; also some French names. (Wikipedia)

British English vs American EnglishAccording to Wikipedia, most 2-syllable verbs ending-atehave first-syllable stress in AE and second-syllable stress in BE. Such verbs includes:

castrate,dictate, donate ,locate,mandate,migrate,placate,prostrate,pulsate,rotate,serrate,spectate,striated,translate,vacate,vibrate. (Wikipedia).I.1. Stress:British English vs American EnglishI.2. Affixes:-ary -ery -ory : when these suffixes are stressed, AE will pronounce them as /ri/ or /ri/. Meanwhile, BE often reduces the affixes to schwa /ri/ or even omits the vowel sound to /ri/.Example:MilitaryAE /mltri/

BE /mltri/ or /mltri/

VictoryAE /vktri:/

BE /vktri/ or /vktri/

British English vs American EnglishI.3. Sound variations:

AEBEExample////Hanoi, annato, Caracas, Natasha, Pablo, pasta///i/aesthete, anaesthetize, devolution,ecumenical,epoch/o///compost, homosexual, produce (noun), yogurt, interpol/e///compatriot, patriot, patronise, phalanx, plait, repatriate/a///dynasty, idyll, livelong, long-lived, privacy, simultaneous////Asia, Persia, version/u//ju/Student, news, barracuda, puma(From wikipedia)British English vs American EnglishII. Vocabulary:

Lexical variation between the two dialects is increasingly noticeableAEBEcounter-clockwiseanti-clockwiseautumn, fallautumnbarristerbarristerdrugstore, pharmacychemist's shopthe moviesthe cinemagarbage can, trash candustbingarbage collectorDustman(The above table is just an example, not all differences are listed)British English vs American EnglishIII. Grammar:Grammar variationnounsverbsDefinite articlesAdverbs and prepositionsBritish English vs American EnglishIII.1. Nouns:In British English, collective nouns can agree with either singular or plural verb forms. It depends on whether the emphasis is on each individual or all members as a whole.Example: Oliver's Army are on their way / Oliver's Army is here to stay.

In American English, however, collective nouns often goes with singular verb forms.The exception will appear when a speaker wishes to emphasize separate individuals.Example: the team takes their seatsor the team take their seats11British English vs American EnglishIII.2. Verbs:Verb variationVerb morphologyVerb tensesTransitivityAuxiliary verbsBritish English vs American EnglishIII.2.1. Verb morphologyThe past tense and past participle of the verbslearn,spoil,spell,burn,dream,smell,spill,leap, and others, can be either irregular (learnt,spoilt, etc.) or regular (learned,spoiled, etc.). (Wikipedia).In British English, both forms are popular:Example: Learn learnt or learned.Spoil spoilt or spoiledIn American English, however, the irregular form is old-fashioned:Example:Learn learnedSpoil spoiledBritish English vs American EnglishIII.2.2. Verb tenses:- American English has recently inclined to use simple past with just or already to replace the present perfect tense.American EnglishBritish EnglishThe Cable broadband just got fasterThe Cable broadband has just got faster

I just arrived homeI have just arrived homeI already ateI have already eatenBritish English vs American EnglishIII.2.3. Transitivity: The following verbs show differences in transitivity between British English and American English:agree: Transitive or intransitive in BE (agree a contract/agree tooron a contract), usually intransitive in AE. However, in formal AE legal writing one often sees constructions such asas may be agreed between the parties(rather thanas may be agreeduponbetween the parties).

appeal(as a decision): Usually intransitive in BE (used withagainst) and transitive in AE (appeal the decision to the Court).cater("to provide food and service"): Intransitive in BE, transitive or intransitive in AE (to cater for a banquet/to cater a banquet).

claim: Sometimes intransitive in BE (used withfor), strictly transitive in AE.( from wikipedia )British English vs American EnglishIII.2.4. Auxiliary verbsShall(as opposed towill) is more commonly used by the British than by Americans.Shan'tis almost never used in AE (almost invariably replaced bywon'toram not going to) and is increasingly rare in BE as well."be going to, as future form, is about twice as frequent in AE as in BE.May is used in British English in expressions of unrealized possibility inthe past, for which American (and most British usage) would require might Dare without to is British, rare, and mainly negative as in dare not, darentor interrogative as in dare I? British English vs American EnglishIII.3. Definite article:A few nouns take nodefinite articleswhen a certain role is implied: for example,at sea(as a sailor),in prison(as a convict), andat/in college(for students). Among this group, BE hasinhospital(as a patient) andat university(as a student), where AE requiresinthehospitalandattheuniversity(though AE does allowat collegeandin school). When the implied roles of patient or student do not apply, the definite article is used in both dialects.

BE distinguishesin future(from now on) fromin the future(at some future time); AE usesin the futurefor both senses.In BE, numbered highways usually take the definite article (for example "the M25", "the A14"); in America they usually do not ("I-495", "Route 66").British English vs American EnglishIII.4. adverbs and prepositionsIn the AE,on the weekendis used instead of the British equivalent,at the weekend.

British sportsmen playin a team; American athletes playon a team. American homeless people live on a street, and British homeless people live in a street.In AE, "on line" (two words) refers to the state of waiting in a line or queue; for example, standing on a sidewalk waiting for a table at a restaurant. In other parts of the USA, one waits "in line". In BE,queueis the universal term and no variants oflineare used in relation to waiting in turn.