Differences between British and American English

Here are some of the main differences in vocabulary between British and American English. This page is intended as a guide only. We'll start with words from A-C.

British English	American English
anti-clockwise	counter-clockwise
articulated lorry	trailer truck
autumn	autumn, fall
barrister	attorney
bill (restaurant)	bill, check
biscuit	cookie
block of flats	apartment building
bonnet (clothing)	hat
bonnet (car)	hood
boot	trunk
bumper (car)	bumper, fender
caravan	trailer
car park	parking lot
chemist's shop	drugstore, pharmacy
chest of drawers	dresser, chest of drawers, bureau
chips	fries, French fries
the cinema	the movies
clothes peg	clothespin
coffin	coffin, casket
crisps	potato chips
crossroads	intersection; crossroads (rural)
cupboard	cupboard (in kitchen); closet (for clothes etc)

Facts about the language

There are many different versions of English around the world: British English, Scottish English, Irish English, American English, Canadian English, English of the Caribbean, English in Africa, English in Asia, Creoles and Pidgins, and Australian English are just a few.

But did you know that:

• Despite the fact the most Americans speak English, it is not the official language of the U.S. - it does not actually have one, but classes itself as a 'multi-lingual' nation.
• Of all the words in the English language, the word 'set' has the most definitions
• The shortest complete sentence in the English language is “I am.”
• The most used letter in the English alphabet is ‘E’, and ‘Q’ is the least used!
• The longest word in the English language is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, which is a medical condition caused by volcanic dust
• "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
• No words in the English language rhyme with orange, silver or purple.

... and that of all the world's languages (over 2,700) English is arguably the richest in vocabulary; and that the Oxford English Dictionary lists 500,000 words.

Learn on the go!

We love podcasts, and so should you!

Listening activities usually represent the most challenging moments our students face in class.
Not seeing the person who’s speaking, and not having images linked to that speech requires much more concentration from the language learner, and  represents a real test.
There's lots out there that we can do/use to improve our listening skills, not just films, music, internet (youtube), we mean podcasts! You can take them with you on your MP3 player , phone or ipod, and listen to them while queuing somewhere (we all do too much of that), or while driving, making the most of your available time.

If you haven’t yet entered the world of podcasts, we think that you should, it will help you in every way better your understanding of the language! (and you can practice your pronunciation)

Here's a list to help you:

VOA (voice of America) has this great short programme called 15 Minutes, from their Learning English site. It's great material for intermediate learners of the language, and even if some of the topics covered might not be of great interest at times, it will help you improve your (American) English, and you'll learn new things in a general knowledge kind of way. Here's where to subscribe.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/15-minute-features/id275197330

The BBC is a wonderful tool, there's so much linked to that institution that we wouldn't know where to start, but we particularly like their Global News podcast. It's probably more for upper-intermediate + levels, but worth a try even for lower levels.
It’s on the spot reporting from around the world, and gives us an opportunity to listen to accents from other places, the way English is spoken on the globe... It's 30 minutes, and covers all sorts of different events. Twice a day.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/globalnews
For our elementary + level students, we recommend the Learning English BBC website. Here you can download interesting material that will surely help you:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/081222_download.shtml


There's an interesting website with various podcasts called how stuff works. There's plenty of curious information, and we invite you to have a look. We like Brain Stuff, it helps us learn answers to life's everyday questions like "what creates snow?" "How do cellular phones work?" etc... strange at times but short 2-5 minutes podcasts. Great to learn new vocabulary.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/brain-stuff-podcast.htm

The Economist has got an audio version, basically reviewing the contents of its paper edition. This is geared towards business English students, and apart from business news it also covers general news, tech. innovations, culture...
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-economist/id151230264

For movie fans,  we strongly recommend the Kermode and Mayo Film Review, also from the BBC. A good humoured programme that covers new film releases and talks about movies in general. It's fun and entertaining, and when a movie's bad, they don't hesitate to "trash" it on the air! They also interview actors and directors and don't ask the usual silly questions. A great podcast!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/kermode

If you're passionate about football, there's the Football Weekly podcast from the Guardian, it covers European and International football, making a great addition to the best football website (Guardian Football) on the web today. Podcasting should start again in august.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/football-weekly/id188674007

National Public Radio (NPR) offers many good podcasts, we recommend This American Life and Great Voices. Have a look at their directory, there might be something in there for you.
http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php