Comments on: Surprising things about British and American English

By: Jackie and Richard

Jackie and Richard — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:49:01 +0000

This is our url: http://www.podcastsinenglish.com

By: Jackie and Richard

Jackie and Richard — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 13:48:02 +0000

We are the pie team (podcastsinenglish.com) and we have just done a level 1 podcast on some differences between US and UK English - have a look! There are worksheets and extra vocabulary tasks that go with the podcast too.

By: Alex Case

Alex Case — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:14:07 +0000

One more British and American English worksheets/ lesson plan- this one being not just my favourite lesson for that point, but possibly one of my favourite lessons ever!

http://www.usingenglish.com/files/pdf/how-british-is-your-english-questionnaire-and-speaking.pdf

By: Alex Case

Alex Case — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 02:18:15 +0000

Hi Katie

Long time no comment!

I had a class of Cert TEFL trainees in which the Americans absolutely refused to believe that “the government are…” was correct in British English. But then that same class also refused to believe that “Yours faithfully” was something we still really use nowadays, so maybe they were just a stubborn bunch…

By: Katie

Katie — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:04:50 +0000

Most of the American ones sound right to me! I agree with the above comment on sports, and would note there is also something that I can never quite remember with team names in plural or singular.

Another one: I would say “The Chicago Bulls are winning” and “Chicago is winning”, but I’ve heard for example “Arsenal / Real Madrid are winning” (?) in British English which just sounds wrong, I guess because the name is not plural. There is something similar with “family” that also sounds strange to me.

For math, I would only say nine minus five is four…never with “are.”

Take care Alex!

By: ikinari

ikinari — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:52:54 +0000

- In AmE, the score in “The Seattle Sea Hawks beat the Cincinnati Reds 7-O is pronounced” “seven nothing” or “seven to nothing” or “seven zip”

***

First off, I’m not sure why the Seahawks (American football) are playing the Reds (baseball). Oh, that’s right, the Seattle Mariners suck this season — may as well field the football team. (Or did they intend the Cincinnati Bengals (football)? And would they have written it “Ben Gals” — which sounds like a group of women who have undergone sex reassignment therapy?)

Anyway, my American English instinct says, “seven to nothing” is the most common. “Seven zip” I can buy — sort of, but I would never say it. “Seven nothing” is just not hearing the muttered “to,” IMO.

By: Alex Case

Alex Case — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:57:28 +0000

Yup- my mistake rather than CUPs, that one. Not sure what I feel the British has to go first in “British and American English”, is that very nationalistic of me??

By: Mike Long

Mike Long — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:32:32 +0000

- She lives on/ in Leonora Street is a Br/ Am thing

shouldn’t that be the other way round? i.e. on Leonora st is US English?