Program TEFL Cert

British vs American EnglishBritish English abbreviated as BrE is the form of English used in the united kingdom and it comprises of all the English languages used within the UK. American English on the other hand is abbreviated as AmE and it?s the form of English used in the united states including all English dialects used with the US. American English and British English are the most taught English varieties in most EFL/ESL programs. There are several differences between these two types of English (Rohdenburg, 2009). The use of present perfect tense is one way to differentiate the two varieties. The present perfect tense is used in British English to articulate an action that has occurred recently and that one that has an effect on present events. A good example is saying ?I have lost my pen, can you help me find it?? This is considered right in British English, however in American English I is proper to say ?I lost my pen. Can you help me look for it?? the main difference here is that British English uses the present perfect tense while American English uses simple past tense (Rohdenburg, 2009). Word spelling is also another way of differentiating the two varieties. Words ending in ?or are American words such as color, humor, flavor etc. Whereas words ending with -our are British words such as colour, humour, flavour etc. Words ending in ?ize are American such as recognize and patronize while word ending with ?ise are British such as recognise and patronise (Rohdenburg, 2009). The greatest differences between standard American English and standard British English is the choice of pronunciation and vocabulary. Some words have different meanings in the two language varieties. A good example is the word mean. In British English it denotes tight fisted or not being generous while in American English it signifies bad humored or being angry. Another example is the word rubber which stands for a tool used in erasing pencil marks in British English while in American English it denotes a condom (Rohdenburg, 2009). Possession can also be used to differentiate British English and American English by using ?Have? and ?Have got? examples include Do you have a car and have you got a car, she has a beautiful daughter and she?s got a beautiful daughter. Both forms are accepted in both British and American English however have got is preferred in British English while have is preferred in American English (Rohdenburg, 2009). The verb get is also used in differentiating British English and American English. Most American English speakers use the past participle of the verb get while British English speakers use past simple tense of the verb get. In American English an example can be ?he has gotten much better at playing soccer.? In British English one will say ?he?s got much better at playing tennis.? When using past simple and past participle, different verbs are both acceptable in both varieties. However, the irregular form is common in British English while the regular form is common in American English. Examples include burn, burnt or burned, spill, spilt or spilled, lean, leant or leaned and smell, smelt or smelled (Rohdenburg, 2009). There are also differences in some prepositions in both varieties. In American English, one would say on the weekend while in British English it is said at the weekend. Another example one would say in American English, please write me soon while in British English it is said please write to me soon (Rohdenburg, 2009). References Rohdenburg, G. (2009). One language, two grammars?: differences between British English and American English. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.