Comments on: British and American English: How To Teach English You Don’t Speak

By: Lexy

Lexy — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:52:49 +0000

Yeah, Americans rarely ever give time like “twenty to seven.” When I visited England, I was constantly frustrated in trying to understand the time! People were always saying things like, “twenty past” or “twelve of”. Generally, Americans will say the time in a straightforward manner: “two fifteen, noon, one thirty.”

(Report comment)

By: Alouise

Alouise — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:34:50 +0000

I’m from Canada and we spell a lot of words the British way, like colour or cheque and it always bugs me when spell check marks the words down as incorrect. I didn’t realize (or realise) that dates were different too. I’ve been told that English is one of the hardest languages to learn, and with the article it’s easy to see why.

One time at work someone asked my coworker for the time and she said twenty to seven. Then the person asked what time it was in American…which prompted some strange looks from my coworker. Anyways would most Americans just say 6:40? And which method do the British prefer?

(Report comment)

By: Mauro Paim

Mauro Paim — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:15:54 +0000

Academics aside, I loved the article. Yes, I acknowledge that there is a monumental difference between the Englishes and I think it is wonderful, by the way. Yes, we should let our students know that those differences are significant in many ways. It is the diversity in the world that makes our lives worth living. Now, I wax philosophical…

(Report comment)

By: Alaina

Alaina — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:59:58 +0000

I just started teaching English in Austria alongside numerous Brits. At the orientation program, the differences in British and American English were a huge topic of discussion and the base for a lot of jokes. Learning British slang was especially hilarious!…Cheers!

(Report comment)

By: Bettina

Bettina — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:08:52 +0000

Great article! Am about to move from Hong Kong to Prague to teach English, and I will certainly be mindful of your advice!

Thank you =)

(Report comment)

By: Nancy

Nancy — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:58:39 +0000

Fascinating stuff, Zoe. Kept me glued in throughout the article! I’ve always found the language differences intriguing (and have sometimes secretly preferred the British way to my native American tongue.)

(Report comment)

By: Marissa

Marissa — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:45:55 +0000

I remember stumbling upon some language learning programs at a bookstore when I was a lot younger and seeing one for American English and one for British English. I thought “Aren’t they the same language?” I was so wrong but I love learning all the minor differences.
Also, an Australian friend of mine though an American “crosswalk” was the most hilarious thing ever, hahaha.

(Report comment)

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:27:17 +0000

Natasha, you just cracked me up.

Zoe, great article! I taught English in Brazil and Korea with British/Canadian teachers too. Leads to some interesting conversations. To be honest, even though I’m American, I always wanted to default to the British way when in doubt – it is the original, after all!

(Report comment)

By: AdventureRob

AdventureRob — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:52:06 +0000

I always used ‘Quilt’ for duvet. Duvet is the French word that the English language adopted as far as I can tell

(Report comment)

By: Natasha

Natasha — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 02:51:40 +0000

I’ll never forget the first time I went to the States. Nobody had a clue what I was on about and sometimes I struggled to understand the natives too.

I was horrified when a girl asked me if I’d seen her fanny pack (bum bag) and was checking my undies when somebody yelled ‘nice pants’ (knickers) at me.

I got my own back by asking if I could ‘bum a fag off them’.

I teach British English but I always try to show them the American version if I know it. For some reason, cars seem to be the topic with the most differences.

(Report comment)