The differences between American English and British English
美式英语和英式英语的不同

If you are planning to take the IELTS test, you will have to know more about British English as your degree of familiarity with this variant of English directly affects your score on the listening test. But how about the writing and speaking sections? In the case of the writing section, the trick is not to mix the two since you will be penalized for that. Turning to the speaking section, your accent will not matter much on condition that you speak clearly and fluently. However, if you want to sit the TOEFL test, these subtleties will be far less important as the test does not favor a specific variant of English in any of the four sections.

What are the differences? 有什么不同？

George Bernard Shaw once said, “England and America are two countries divided by a common language.” This epigram simply highlights the striking differences that exist between these two variants of English language. But how do they differ?

1. Spelling 拼写：同一单词拼写方式不同

The way verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs are spelled in British English (BrE) and American English (AmE) sometimes presents challenges to learners and users of English. Let's consider 'fulfil, 'pretense', 'math', 'mom', 'litre', 'maneuver', 'programme', and 'practice'. Can you tell which spelling styles they follow?
 

 
2. Vocabulary 词汇：描述同一事物的常用词汇不同。
 
There are numerous differences in the way words are used. Some words are rarely used in American English while they are commonly used in British English when referring to the same concept. Take, for instance, the usage of 'lorry', 'petrol station', 'tube', and 'estate agent' in BrE which are, respectively, referred to as 'truck', 'gas station', 'subway', and 'realtor' in AmE.

3. Pronunciation：发音：同一单词读音不同

One area that can easily give us a better grasp of how these two differ is the way the same words are pronounced differently.

 
Quiz
Replace the underlined words with their American equivalents.

1. There was a break between the two acts. Int--------
2. The class lasted for four hours, with a break for lunch. Re----
3. The postcode for my new office is NA 036645. Z------
4. We bought return bus tickets to Seattle. Ro------
5. My uncle is a graduate of Yale University.  A------
6. Half of the students spend their Friday evenings at the cinema. M-----
7. Before buying that business, she has to consult an experienced solicitor. A-------
8. They requested a rise in the hourly rate but it was immediately rejected. R-----
 
 
 
 
 
 
*The answers are: