American English vs. British English
Are you a proficient English speaker? Which English are
you more familiar with: American English or British English? Today, let us go
over some differences between the two. Can you fill in the following blanks?
1. The party
before getting married
In the UK, the word bachelorette (a combination of the
word bachelor and the feminine noun suffix -ette) for an unmarried young woman
is less commonly used than it is in the US and Canada. So, a bachelorette party
in the UK is instead referred to as a ______________party. Interestingly,
unmarried UK men must also be party animals because the term ________________
party is more commonly used there than bachelor party.
2. The name
of a board game
The American and Canadian name for the game of checkers
seems to be based on the checkerboard surface the game is played on. In the UK,
the game is instead known as _______________________after a pluralization of
the word draught that was once used to refer to a move in chess.
3. Soccer
shoes
Americans refer to shoes with rubber or metal projections
underneath them as _________________ while Brits prefer the term studs.
4. Teenagers’
social distancing
In America, young boys and girls know to keep their
distance from one another or risk getting___________________. In the UK, not so
much. This name for a fictional disease seems to be based on the word cootie to
refer to a body louse, which originates from the Malay word kutu.
5. Parties
where food is cooked outside
The word _____________________is an American way to
express cooking outside. In the UK, the word barbecue (also an Americanism) is
more commonly used to refer to parties where food is cooked outside.
6. Sugary
dessert
A mass of fluffy sugar on a stick is called cotton candy
in the US and ______________________ in the UK. Both names likely reference the
shape and texture of the candy.
7. The place
that sells medicines
The word ________________________is an Americanism that
refers to a store that sells (pharmaceutical) drugs and possibly other items.
In the UK, the term pharmacy is used to refer to a place that sells
pharmaceuticals.
8. A man/
a guy
The word dude, whether it refers to a cowboy on a ranch
or a California surfer hanging ten, is an Americanism with an unknown origin.
As a result, you are unlikely to hear it used in the UK. You might hear bloke
or ____________________ instead.
9. An Electric
lamp
The word flashlight is used by Americans to refer to a
battery-powered electric lamp. In the UK, this device is instead known as a
_______________________.
10.
High Schoolers’/ College Kids’ School
Years
The US and UK take different approaches when it comes to
school and that includes how people refer to students. In the US, a high school
or college student is referred to as a ___________________, sophomore,
____________________, or senior usually depending on what year of school they
are in. None of these words are used to describe UK students, and phrases such
as first year or second year are used instead.
11.
Tools
The word Jackhammer is an Americanism resulting from
combining the names of two tools, jack and hammer. In the UK, this tool is
usually called a _______________________drill or similar name.
12.
Bugs of Good Luck
The names ladybug and ladybeetle for the Coccinellidae
family of beetles are popularly used among Americans, but Brits prefer the name
lady____________ for these creepy
crawlies. Regardless of which name is used, it seems that the “lady” that all
of these beetles are named after is Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.
13.
A path for pedestrians to walk along
In the US, the word ____________________ refers to a
paved path that people can walk along the side of a road. In the UK, the words
pavement or footpath are more likely to be used instead.
14.
Casual footwear
Most sources claim that the word sneakers or sneaks
referring to shoes emerged in the 1800s to refer to noiseless shoes with rubber
soles. These words aren’t common in the UK, and Brits are more likely to use
the word _____________________ to refer to casual footwear.
15.
The pins on the bulletin board
While the word ______________________ isn’t totally alien
to the UK, the term drawing pin is the more common name for the tiny fastener.
16.
Junk
In the US, the words trash and garbage are commonly used
to refer to unwanted junk people throw away. In the UK, other words such as _________________
or ____________ are more commonly used. Along the same line, Brits are more
likely to chuck something into a dustbin rather than a trash can.
*Source from Dictionary.com
<Answer Keys>
1. hen,
stag
2. drawghts
3. cleats
4. cooties
5. cook-out
6. candyfloss
7. drug
store
8. mate
9. torch
10. freshman, junior
11. pneumatic drill
12. ladybird
13. sidewalk
14. trainer
15. thumbtack
16. rubbish or litter
