Test your knowledge of the differences between American and British English!
The biggest difference between British and American English is accent, however, there are plenty of words that change too!
Grab a pen and paper and read the story below! There are 20 words that are written in American English. How many words can you find that you know how to change to British English? Once you have finished, listen to the audio in which I retell the same story but using the British English words, and you can see how many you got right.
A few weeks ago I visited the United States for the first time. People told me that Fall was a good time to take a vacation in California, so I bought a ticket for September. I got off the airplane in San Francisco and took the train counter-clockwise around the city. The elevator in my hotel was broken so I had to walk up five flights of stairs. I found it so nice that the staff had left candy on my pillow!
The next morning, I took the bus downtown. It took a long time because a truck had crashed on the highway. San Francisco was so busy! I almost bumped into people on the sidewalk! I was a bit hungry so I went into a gas station to buy some potato chips. Around this time, I remembered that I had forgotten to call my Mom since arriving in the U.S. like she had told me to. She is a math teacher at elementary school, and told me that she had been very busy all day, organising a soccer tournament for 5th grade.
In the evening I met a friend and we went to the movie theater. It was pretty cold when we came out; I wished I had brought a sweater! On the way back to his house, we picked up a bottle of wine at the liquor store. It was delicious.
How many did you get already? Here is the same version again, but with the American words highlighted. See if you can think of a British word to put in their place.
A few weeks ago I visited the United States for the first time. People told me that Fall was a good time to take a vacation in California, so I bought a ticket for September. I got off the airplane in San Francisco and took the train counter-clockwise around the city. The elevator in my hotel was broken so I had to walk up five flights of stairs. I found it so nice that the staff had left candy on my pillow!
The next morning, I took the bus downtown. It took a long time because a truck had crashed on the highway. San Francisco was so busy! I almost bumped into people on the sidewalk! I was a bit hungry so I went into a gas station to buy some potato chips. Around this time, I remembered that I had forgotten to call my Mom since arriving in the U.S. like she had told me to. She is a math teacher at elementary school, and told me that she had been very busy all day, organising a soccer tournament for 5th grade.
In the evening I met a friend and we went to the movie theater. It was pretty cold when we came out; I wished I had brought a sweater! On the way back to his house, we picked up a bottle of wine at the liquor store. It was delicious.
British Version
(C) Did you get any more the second time?
Finally, here is the whole text again, with the British words in place of the American words.
A few weeks ago I visited the United States for the first time. People told me that Autumn was a good time to take a holiday in California, so I bought a ticket for September. I got off the aeroplane in San Francisco and took the train anti-clockwise around the city. The lift in my hotel was broken so I had to walk up five flights of stairs. I found it so nice that the staff had left sweets on my pillow!
The next morning, I took the bus to the centre of town. It took a long time because a lorry had crashed on the motorway. San Francisco was so busy! I almost bumped into people on the pavement! I was a bit hungry so I went into a petrol station to buy some crisps. Around this time, I remembered that I had forgotten to call my Mum since arriving in the U.S. like she had told me to. She is a maths teacher at primary school, and told me that she had been very busy all day, organising a football tournament for year 5.
In the evening I met a friend and we went to the cinema. It was pretty cold when we came out; I wished I had brought a jumper! On the way back to his house, we picked up a bottle of wine at the off-license. It was delicious.
How much did you get out of twenty the first time? And the second time? Let us know in the comments section below!
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