English is one of the most significant languages in the world. Many people prefer English over other languages. It is because it is pretty straightforward to learn. Apart from that, the language is exquisite.
Only a few people know that there are some differences between British English and American English. Before learning either of them, you must know the differences in detail. If you aren’t aware of them, we will help you in understanding them. In this article, we will compare both the nations, Britain and America, in terms of the language.
Nowadays, learning English is not as challenging as it seems to be. You can take help from some websites that offer English learning services. But you have to research well to identify which one provides the best services. You can also visit anglish.org to know more about the language. They offer reliable information to the users.
Learning a language often comes with challenges, especially for those who know nothing. That is why one must gain sufficient knowledge to become better at it. Otherwise, it will be impossible for you to understand it entirely.
You might be eager to know about the differences between American and British English. So, without wasting any more time, we should begin explaining everything in detail.
What are the things that make British and American English different from each other?
Source: blog.blarlo.com
If you want to learn about the differences genuinely, you can look at the following list. Once you know everything about both and make a better decision-
Vocabulary is different: The proper use of vocab is necessary when you are learning anything. The words that Americans use for some objects are not the same as Brits. For example, Americans say they live in apartments. On the contrary, Brits say they live in flats. However, the meaning behind both apartments and flats is quite similar.
The difference in vocabulary is significant because it has a unique role. If you don’t know the right words to use, how can you be efficient at speaking? So, the essential thing is to focus on vocabulary. You can easily compare both by looking at the words people use in America and Britain.
Collective nouns: The collective nouns of both American and British English aren’t similar. In America, collective nouns like band, team, and a group of musicians or employees are singular. For instance, they would say, “The team is playing better than in the previous game.”
Source: bbc.com
On the contrary, Brits always consider collective nouns as plural or singular. They might also say the same thing like this, “The team are playing better than in the previous game.” That is why you need to be careful when identifying the two varieties of this particular language. Otherwise, you might make a mistake.
Auxiliary verbs: Another common difference between American and British English is auxiliary verbs. Both varieties use them differently, and you can recognize the same quickly. Do you know what auxiliary verbs are? Well, they are used to create a grammatical function correctly. Without their usage, you can’t expect anything to be much more detailed.
Let’s take an example. Here we will take the auxiliary verb ‘shall.’ People often use this verb in the language. If we talk about Brits, they might consider the usage of ‘shall’ for future expressions. They would say, “I shall go back to my office now.”
The same verb is not as useful for Americans. They think of this verb as something to ask or explain formally. So, they would likely convey the above message like this, “I will go back to my office now.”
There is another example that we can explain to understand it better. Suppose you want to ask a question. In America, you will probably create a sentence like this, “Should I take a look at the house?” But in Britain, you will say, ” Shall I take a look at the house.”
In simple words, we can say that Americans don’t use auxiliary verbs as frequently as Brits do. Even if they do, there is a vast difference between the sentences.
Past tense verbs: The past tense verbs also do not have similar usage in American and British English. We are saying this because there are some things that people don’t know exactly about the same. Here we will explain those things with some examples.
The past tense of some words used in American English is dissimilar to British. For instance, the past tense of the word learn is ‘learned’ in America. On the other hand, it is ‘learnt’ in Britain. Do you know what this means? It implies that Americans always consider past tense words with an ending of ‘ed,’ and Brits consider them with ‘t.’ You can look at other verbs to understand this thing precisely.
Some people don’t have sufficient knowledge regarding the same. Therefore, they often get confused regarding the past tense verbs of both varieties. You should now focus on researching more about these types to understand the language better. In this way, you can also make other people learn a lot about the same. So, it will be beneficial for you.
Spelling: The difference in spelling of some words is also significant in both varieties of the language. You will only recognise it when you make a list of words spoken and written in America and Britain.
Source: nativespeakeronline.com
After that, you can compare the spellings in detail and find out the main dissimilarities. It is a crucial thing to note down when you are in the process of understanding the language precisely. You might already know that without proper research, it is impossible to have an excellent grasp of English. So, why don’t you try using different techniques that might be beneficial for you to compare the varieties of this particular language?
Final Words
The differences between American and British English are not a challenging thing to find out. All you have to do is research each language carefully.
