Distinguish between British English and American English

The American use the words like (like + N/ V-ing, as + clause, or work as + N) "just", "already", or "yet" in the simple past tense, meanwhile the British often use them in the present perfect tense.

A. Differences in using words in speech

The use of "just", "already" or "yet":

Americans use above words in the simple past tense, meanwhile British people often use them in the present perfect tense.

The American say: "I already had lunch." or "She didn't arrive yet"

The British say: "I've already had lunch." or "She hasn't arrived yet"

How to tell time

In the UK, we can say:

2:45: "Quarter to three"

3:15: "Quarter past three".

In America, time can be told:

"Quarter of three" for 2:45,

"Quarter after three" for 3:15.

The American and the British also differ from parlance:

Americans use "good" instead of “well", for example: I feel good(A)= I feel well(B)

The British use "have got" or "has got" when talking about possession, while Americans use "have" or "has".

For instance, in American English, we can say: I have a new car."

But in British English, it can be said: "I've got a new car."

- With Past Participle of GET, the American use GOT, the British use GOTTEN.

- With the verb AIM, the American use structure " to aim to + V", the British use the one " to aim at + V-ing"

For example: We aim to do something nice = We aim at doing something nice.

B. Spelling

Spelling is the factor that makes the biggest difference between the two types of English: British English and American English.

American English.	British English
color, humor, flavor	colour, humour, flavour.
recognize, patronize	recognise, patronise.
Travel - traveler - traveling	Travel - traveller - travelling
to practice	to practise

To understand clearly the difference between the two types of English, which is considered as "look for a needle in a haystack", we can use spelling checking tool (spell -check) on computers to create consistency in usage. However, the biggest difference is in choosing vocabularies and in pronunciation. In order to solve above problems, we can use dictionary as an effective supporting tool.

Some common pairs of words in American English and British English:

American English	British English	Meaning
Attorney	Barrister/Solicitor	lawyer
Bookstore	Bookshop
Automobile	Motor car
Blank	Form
Calling card	Visiting card
Candy	Sweets
Candy store	Sweet shop
car	coach, carriage
Corn	Maize, Indian corn
grain, wheat	corn
City Hall	Town Hall
Cracker	Biscuit
Director	Producer	Movie directorNote: In America, producer is the manager or the boss of the theatres. (In British language, the manager or the boss of theatre is called “manager”, “proprietor”)
Downtown	City	City center
Drugstore	Chemist’s/Chemist’s shop
Elevator	Lift
Gas/gasonline	Petrol
Kerosene	Paraffin	Petroleum
Fall	Autumn
“First name” or “given name”	Christian name	Name (people)
Sidewalk	Pavement
Railroad	Railway
Supermarket	Self-service shop
Freshman	First year student	First year student
Sophomore	Second year student	Second year student
Junior	Third year student	Third year student
Senior	Last year student	Last year student