American vs' British English Quiz

[Pubsted]

@SHUKLAPUTELA

Actually, English did not originate from England itself. The symbols based off Greek letters, and the pronunciation grew from there up. American English is the revolutionized British English. Neither say "ye" or "thou" anymore, but American English is less complex, making it a more comforting language to immigrants.

[tomothy61]

@imatravis198683 . I don't mean to be disrespectful, and I rarely criticize people's spelling, etc. as I think it's rude. However... as you're a teacher of ESL... do you teach your students to start sentences in lower case, omit apostrophes and not capitalize proper nouns?

[brentacon]

english is english it comes from england not difficult really.

[NomiofYouth15]

Actually, I'm from America (Kansas), and I say Autumn. I've never really said fall.

[Fetch26291]

Modern English (spoken since the 16th century) is, at it's core, French verbs and German nouns.

[nostalgiamelancolia1]

@megs173 It's the same language but used by different cultures in different ways.in order to know more about its origin,we need to go back in history right from the beginning.Keep in mind that Britain is way older than America which means that the language was first used over there then spread to other parts of the world during British colonization.that's how Americans inherited the language through the British who came to America and colonized the land.Don't you know the history of America?

[lonelycompany]

What is aubergine?

[TwilightMadness19]

@lonelycompany british for eggplant

[PIANOPHUNGUY]

zucchini



[imatravis198683]

im an American ESL teacher and no ofsnse to anyone, but American english should be the standard taught worldwide. i say this because British english really doesnt go beyond the bristish isles and the British carribean and hong kong. thats what 80 million people? then you have new zealand australia and canada which all have variations. but american engish is the english if south/central america of the philippines, the USA, and generally the global english used for business.

[lindenbeck]

@imatravis198683

I am happy that I learned BE at school. Only idiots say to undergrround subway or to terminates ending

[imatravis198683]

@lindenbeck " Only idiots say to undergrround subway or to terminates ending"...what??????

[nostalgiamelancolia1]

@imatravis198683 you forgot to mention that British English is the form of English taught in Europe,Africa and some Asian countries.however,American English is taught in Latin America owing to its proximity with the United States.both British and American English are the two primary branches of English,but British English being first and American English being second since Britain is the birthplace of the language,not America.

[lindenbeck]

@imatravis198683

I am happy that my English teacher teached us British English. And sometimes as American he said that American English is not so good as British English

[travis8683]

@lindenbeck happy that my English teacher teached us British English.....I think you mean TAUGHT. teached is not a proper english term. :) I don't care if he is not a fan of American english

[lindenbeck]

Auf dieses Video antworten...

Sorry but as English teacher your spelling is not good. I would be ashamed if I were you

[travis8683]

@lindenbeck oh gee im so sorry if I messed up TYPING some words on youtube. :( you have too much time. dont be an ignorant and rude asshole

[lindenbeck]

I am happy that American English is not the standard. It is bad enough that 13 colonies declared war to the mother country.

[travis8683]

@lindenbeck first learn our history. we never declared war. we declared INDEPENDENCE. the British attacked us in order to restore order.

[travis8683]

@lindenbeck and look around buddy, outside of Europe and some small pockets such as BVI, India, , American English IS the norm.

[GMasis001]

American English should be the standard English...

[MrSkycity007]

put another shrimp on the barbie

[SHUKLAPATELA]

@siemunki information in wikipedia can be altered.

but the TRUTH and HISTORY cannot be altered thats fixed, no variables to change.

[SHUKLAPATELA]

ENGLISH WAS ORIGINATED IN ENGLAND, BEFORE AMERICA CAME INTO EXISTENCE IN THE WORLD OR WORLD MAP..

BRITISH EMPIRE TRANSFERRED THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ALL OVER THE WORLD. AT THAT TIME AMERICA IS JUST A COLONY OF MIGRATED PEOPLE FROM EUROPE AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.

NOW WHAT U CALL AS AMERICAN ENGLISH IS NOT ACTUALLY AMERICAN, IT IS BRITISH ENGLISH, THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS AMERICANS USE DIFFERENT SLANG.

BEFORE U COMMENT, PLZ GO TO THE PROOFS AND THEN COMMENT.

[theadambudd]

@SHUKLAPATELA sorry bro there are a lot more grammatical differences between american and british english, it's not just different "slang". different spelling too, e.g. american = color, british = colour. subtle differences, yes, but differences none the less. if you went into another country with the attitude that "only the slang's different", you risk being misinterpreted in even the simplest of sentences.

just look up the differences in nouns, verb morphology, etc.

[leonia97]

@SHUKLAPATELA Good job u want a cookie.... no one is saying they are different languages they are saying they are different DIALECTS ie "mum/mom,torch/flashlight etc"

[SHUKLAPATELA]

@leonia97

anyway you are sharing our language, so sharing a cookie with you is not a big deal.

[SHUKLAPATELA]

ENGLAND = ENGLISH.

AMERICA = AMERICAN ENGLISH.

ENGLAND AND ENGLISH WERE PRESENT IN THE WORLD BEFORE 11th -CENTURY.( FOR PROOF U CAN CHECK WIKIPEDIA)

IN 11th-CENTURY THERE IS NO COLONY OR COUNTRY CALLED AMERICA.

THERE IS NO? AMERICA IN THE 11th-CENTURY.

IN 1513-APRIL-2 SPANISH CONQUISTADOR JUAN PONCE DE LEON LANDED ON WHAT HE CALLED 'LA-FLORIDA'-THE FIRST DOCUMENTED EUROPEAN ARRIVAL ON WHAT WOULD BECOME THE U.S MAIN LAND. ( CHECK FOR PROOF IN WIKIPEDIA).

[Ondrus21]

Interesting, I always thought the "appartment" is purely American expression, but I also heard it from British, instead of "flat". Really interesting. But maybe I´m surprised, beacuse I am neither British, nor American.

[GMasis001]

WTF is Aumbergine???

[lillagah]

@GMasis001 eggplant.

[audience2]

@GMasis001 Eggplant

[llywiwr]

The difference between UK english & US english :-

US sidewalk. UK pavement.

US pants. UK trousers.

US buried at sea. UK chained naked to a metal bed frame with a car battery connected to his testicles whilst being beaten for answers.

[ClinicallyObeseMule]

@llywiwr hahaha! love you! :D

[fosterslover]

We say autumn in America.

[audience2]

@fosterslover If she held up a card saying "Fall" instead of "Autumn" it would have been unambiguously American usage as "Fall" is never used in the UK.

[rhinodanny1]

why av a posh git do it, it just proves the english stereotype

[DommesTemp]

I never understood why the world thinks Brits are all like Hugh Grant or Prince Charles. 97% of us are nothing like that.

Think about it. Britain once conquered a quarter of the entire globe. You don't do that being a nancy boy.

[TS57ovr4]

@DommesTemp No--you do it through military industrialization and colonial economic imperialism.

[klabkebash]

What no Canadian or Irish?

[saintcasper91]

HOW DO YOU DO???

What on earth is she on about, I never say that, we usually just say 'alright mate' or 'alright love'. We're not all that posh

[Aheadstix85]

Fuck aussie?, stop buying our beer, wine, fruit, natural recources then, its the best in the world, your just jealous, must suck being you, lol.

the world loves us!, not you.

[DommesTemp]

@Aheadstix85 I'm a Brit and I love Aussies - best sense of humour in the world, Aussies.

[ClinicallyObeseMule]

@Aheadstix85 I love you :) I'm a pommy

[SylvanaForrester]

We DO say Autumn in the U.S. Perhaps not as much as "fall", but no one would give you a second glance if you said "autumn". Also, the word "aubergine" is used in certain parts of the U.S. but only refers to one of many specific breeds of eggplant.

[nostalgiamelancolia]

@SylvanaForrester Autumn is the correct form.fall is just an American slang.

the Spring,the Summer,the Autumn and the Winter

[SylvanaForrester]

@nostalgiamelancolia The word "fall" in this sense is far too widely used in the U.S. to be considered slang. It is merely an alternative use that is equally as acceptable; a synonym, if you will. Linguistic prescription certainly has its place, but a perusal of some of your comments suggests to me that you don't have a background in that field of study. The idea that British pronunciation is "correct" while American pronunciation is "incorrect" is both elitist and patently false.

[englishsinger]

Th'as towking a load a tripe. Tha shud cum up to Yorkshire and we'll teach thee 'ow to speak reight!

[chickenruler]

The annoying thing about cookies, biscuit, jam and jelly is that in the UK a biscuit is a snack like a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate and a cookie is with the chocolate. In the US a cookie is without chocolate and a biscuit is like a scone.

In the UK, jam is the American jelly and in the US jelly is the British jam.

Simple!

[valarmanwe]

I remember talking with an American lass who was over here on an exchange trip, teaching English to young kids. She told me how she turned bright red, hardly able to believe what she was hearing, when a little lad of 6 asked her if she had a rubber !

[englishsinger]

@valarmanwe .....and if she stays with you, needs an early morning call and hasn't got an alarm clock......for goodness sake - whatever you do - don't offer to knock her up in the morning.

[imaof4]

I guess she pantomimes drinking tea to emphasise one needs to be at a formal tea to use that phrase?Her examples are a bit off - autumn would be recognised in the US. Correct answer for the class with cookies, with one exception, chocolate chip variety is called a cookie in the UK.

She did leave Australia out, even after mentioning G'Day in her intro...

[lalalove66]

What's an aubergine?

[imaof4]

@lalalove66 an oval purple vegetable which is white inside and which is usually eaten cooked - "eggplant" in US

[xxchloxx14]

How do you do?! Hardly anyone says that in england :S

[nostalgiamelancolia]

@xxchloxx14 How do you do? is a formal way to introduce yourself.because most people speak casually,they usually say "Nice to meet you". I enjoy using formal language,so when somebody introduces themselves,I say;"I'm Ian,How do you do?

[xxchloxx14]

@nostalgiamelancolia Where abouts in England are you from? To me you sound like your from the posh area of London! I never say any of those stereotypical phrases like Cheerio (Cheerios are a cereal haha), How do you do? etc. I just usually say things like Hey, Hi, Hiya when am greeting someone and say how are you? you ok? what you up to? etc. It sometimes annoys me when Americans are trying to immitate an English person and they say " Hello, would you like some tea and scones?" NOBODY SAYS THAT!

[rainoflazra]

wtf? We say Autumn in the US too.

[HitodamaKyrie]

@rainoflazra It was the way she said it.

[xxchloxx14]

@rainoflazra I thought they say "fall" in the US

[rainoflazra]

@xxchloxx14

We do, but only informally. "Autumn" is the official name. 

[xxchloxx14]

@rainoflazra Fall makes more sense i guess. Tbh i think alot of thing Americans say make alot more sense than some of the British words we use.

[sirhcskoorb]

@xxchloxx14 Americans did simplify English in a lot of ways but we also added slang and contractions of our own.

If English wasn't my first language I don't think I'd bother to learn it.

It's like 500 languages in one. 

[xxchloxx14]

@sirhcskoorb I would rather speak American. American words make a lot more sense. Like the way English people say something like Deuce, we pronouce it like juice whereas American pronouce it as douse. I know it a really random example.

I wouldnt learn English either. I'm kinda glad i was born with this language because its meant to be one of the hardest languages to learn. So many meanings for a single word or different spellings for the same word.

[nostalgiamelancolia]

@xxchloxx14 English people pronounce these words;due,dew,deuce,reduce with the correct sound of "U" Americans pronounce it incorrectly. the sound is "U" like "You"

[xxchloxx14]

@nostalgiamelancolia Yeah British and Australians pronouce them words like that and Americans and Canadians pronouce them like OO sounds.

[nostalgiamelancolia]

@xxchloxx14 The Spring,the Summer,the Autumn and the Winter.

[EyePodX]

She forgot Canada!!

[luckycandy101]

WHO CARES if somoene speaks in a diffrent accent, its only bad when they speak in a diffent langugae and you cant understand them WOW ppl

[EbsNhexz]

@luckycandy101 I agree.(well not about different languages being bad) The "spoken English language" varies significantly even in the different regions of England itself, without even considering the other countries in the United Kingdom. In all English speaking countries the basic "written language" remains the same, but if we all kept to it by the letter then we wouldent be able to express ourselves nearly aswell. We know what each other mean so who gives a shit realy.

[DanielCMM]

British English all the way...!

guys be aware, british english has changed a lot so dont u dare to say * i like british english better because i was born in Britain*

I love british english due to its rhythm and sound... love ittttt

[matt2house]

@DanielCMM what do you mean change alot cos I was born and raised in england mate...northern england to be precise

[mymagnoliatree]

Actually, a lot of the things we think of as "Americanisms" were originally English, but British English was subject to fashions which didn't affect Americans because they were more remote. We use to say "fall" for instance; and the habit of not pronouncing the "r" and using a long "ahh" instead of "a" was an 18th century upperclass English fashion. Originally we would have said it was a "haRd path", not "a hahhd pahhth".

[mymagnoliatree]

But there are incorrect usages in American English because of it beginning as a second language for so many immigrants. They say "I could care less" - bit if they COULD care less, it means they care, because there's a possibility of less caring; the proper use is "I COULDN'T care less" - meaning something is so unimportant that it isn't possible to care less about it than you do.

[Aheadstix85]

I dont get it?, you yanks made some irrelevent changes, but thats just the way the language was.

[Aheadstix85]

Us brits invented it, deal with it yanks!.

[Sonicthecat7]

I thought Autumn was used in America sometimes? I mean, I've heard it in songs by American artists, so some people do use it.

And cookies is a British word too. A cookie is a brand-type over here - basically, a small, hard biscuit with chocolate chips in.

=)

[radsjeff]

It is used quite often, don't know why it is suppossed to be just British.

[WhatsaUserName321]

@specialfx34 honestly i think it has something to do with a switch- up to fit computer binary codes. im probably wrong though

[WhatsaUserName321]

americans dont spell them wrong they have just adapted them into there own form of the language like the word "through"

[MrSwasom]

autumn isn't really a british word its used in USA often

[torpedoinsight]

it's more like 'how's it going' rather than 'how do you do'. we never say 'how do you do'

[nostalgiamelancolia]

@torpedoinsight How do you do? is not actually a greeting.it's just a formal way when introducing yourself.for instance,"I'm Ian,How do you do?"

[Spuddfluff]

Both elevators and lifts go up but both languages forget they go down :(

[TeamEdward70]

some people in America say autumn most people say fall though.

[88Sabrine88]

"And England, 'How do you do?' "

What the hell??!

I've lived here all my life and nobody says that.

[nostalgiamelancolia]

@88Sabrine88 How do you do? is just a formal way to introduce yourself.most people speak casually,so that's why you don't hear it so often, but it is correct.

[nicolachandler]

Americans call aubergines Egg plants.

[TheElleLyn]

What on earth is an aubergine?

[3888james]

haha we brits love u aussies! yet u all come here for a gap year?! never understood that!! haha

Aussie - Time to put a shrimp on the barbie mate!

Brits - Pip tally ho! time for some tea

Yanks - So urm I thought I might .. like ... go for a coffee?? (sentence raises 5 octaves at the end!)

[Metallicman1985]

What about Aussie!!!, Aaaaaaa!, no one takes us serious!, yet we have an english language structure different from Yanks and Poms, well evey other English speaking county for that matter. So Bloody hell mates its a dead dingos donger of a deal, dead you hear that! aroom full of yanks just scratched their heads?. The poms are just laughing at us cos they kinda understand us, there more clued-in. no offence yanks.

[rob7613]

@Metallicman1985 fuck aussie

[x0xMsL0velyx0x]

@Metallicman1985 lol I have no fucking clue what you said :P

[SAPROBICTIMES]

@Metallicman1985

down with yanksX

[Fferiwr]

@Metallicman1985 Hey! you're sharper than a dingos arse stuffed with bullet chain! Except in one respect that of Pom, technically you're the Pom the term come from the days of transportation. The poor sods being sent to Botany Bay were referred to as Prisoners Of His Majesty or POHM ( the H have being subsequently dropped like a Wallaby winger running into a Welsh center)..... Oh Michael they are taking you away......!

[Woolstenholme]

aubergine bastards

[krankePrinzessin]

yanks are actually spelling words wrong

standardised incorrect spelling

to distance themselves from the uk

[Silvertrine]

Its not about spelling them wrong. Its that the language has evolved and changed from British English.

[krankePrinzessin]

The first and main cause of the different spellings between British and American English has everything to do with Americans distancing themselves from the UK.

Get your history straight.

[Silvertrine]

Trust me Americans dont sit around trying to figure out how to distance themselves from the UK. The revolution kind of took care of that. The English spoken in America is a dynamic language and immigrants from all over the world contributed to its evolution.

[krankePrinzessin]

Please search the first American dictionary, you prat.

[radsjeff]

The change was due to Noah Webster wanting to "Americanize" the English language. It was also done to simplify the language because British English was seen as being too complex. If you look at the OED it often times prefers American English. So you are correct but it's a little more complex than what you've stated.

[Aheadstix85]

@radsjeff Oh, yes because "colour" must just strain the poor simple americans minds as appose to "color", ITS ONE FUCKING LETTER LESS!!!!!!!.

[radsjeff]

@Ahead

And that's what makes it easier. The "u" isn't pronounced, who needs it?

[mymagnoliatree]

English was phonetic at the time it was first printed. And "humour" is still pronounced something a lot closer to "humur" than to hu-mOR, and so is "colour" and "favour". Since when have you asked some one for a "fa-VOR" or discussed the "co-LOR" of paint? It's subtle, but the difference is there, and just because one bumptious little school-master said otherwise, doesn't alter that.

[mymagnoliatree]

A lot of those phonetic spellings were stupid because the meaning of the word is held in the spelling (blew/blue; through/threw; raze/raise for example). English has one of the widest vocabularies of any language in the world, so some overlap is ineveitable. Anyway, the etymology is in the spelling, too, so don't you think it's a pity that one none-too-skilled man made unneccessary changes to a beautiful language, on a whim?

[radsjeff]

What is a prat?

[choongbren]

its like calling someone a fool or a twit it means stupid

[krankePrinzessin]

You want to talk about something completely fucking different. I was talking about where the majority of the spelling differences comes from, not dialects, which don't influence spelling AS MUCH AS WHAT I FIRST FUCKING SAID. You're wrong and I'm right. Please read through this whole conversation, cunt.

[Silvertrine]

ahahaha. :P Seriously distancing ourselves from the UK doesnt enter our head. Your Prime Ministers are our poodles anyway.

[nostalgiamelancolia]

@Silvertrine Dave Cameron is the new British PM and he is a Tory.he disagrees with the American policy.Britain has achieved more than America if you read the history of both nations.

[Silvertrine]

@nostalgiamelancolia Not since about 1865. Electricity, light bulb, personal computer, internet all American inventions. Also we saved you from being under the thumb of the Nazis. No need to thank us you're welcome in advance.

[10isdefinitely2]

@Silvertrine Just to be picky, but electricity was discovered, not invented :P

[MrJST87]

@Silvertrine William Gilbert (electricity) = British. Humphry Davy (lightbulb) = British. Alan Turing (computer) = British. Most troops on D-Day = British Commonwealth. All Air forces used on D-Day = RAF. Nearly all Naval forces used on D-Day = Royal Navy. Command of all Ground Forces during Normandy Invasion = Bernard Montgomery (British). Most fighting and losses during WW2 = Russians. Deluded, arrogant, insecure, chubby, generic, inward-looking yank = You.

[nasansia]

@Silvertrine Interenet was invented by a British person...

[xxchloxx14]

@nostalgiamelancolia Ugh David Cameron. I hate politics so much!!! Just my opinion :)

[BringEllisTheHoriZon]

@Silvertrine evolution is normaly a good thing, but evolution as in americans ruining the english language, thats not a got move...

[EbsNhexz]

@BringEllisTheHoriZon Im from manchester and i have been accused of "bastardizing" the English language. People speak differently per every square mile of the populated world, and even "The Queens English" is not completely correct. If an American is writing a formal letter/document/essay ect the written language they use will be the same as a British person.

[BringEllisTheHoriZon]

@EbsNhexz no they wouldnt, the american dictionary is different to the oxford english dictionary, so your wrong there, and yes the queens english isnt right... but its how its evolved over many decades.. northern english pronunciation is correct, its what the whole of england would have used, saying path instead of parth ect but its not like that anymore

[EbsNhexz]

@BringEllisTheHoriZon My mistake on the American dictionary, northern english may keep its more of its saxon roots, but i realy meant that no way of speaking english is correct and all ways of speaking english are correct. Beacuse in an area as small as manchester you would find it difficult to find that large a group of people who spoke with exactly the same dialect and accent...im just backing up your point really =D

[BringEllisTheHoriZon]

@EbsNhexz yeah, different places have different slang and different accents ect but anywhere in the uk you can get them to write a formal letter and it will be reasonably similar but if they all spoke it then there would be a very big difference and yes there is no place that has 100% correct english, but there are places that have good english lol

[radsjeff]

No, we just don't see the point in using a silent "u" or pronouncing it when it's unnecessary ie. jag-U-ar. We replace the "s" and use a "z" because it sounds like a "z", as in organiZe. If we're distancing ourselves we wouldn't speak English at all.