BrE/AmE English

British English (BrE) is the form of English used in the United Kingdom. It includes all English dialects used within the United Kingdom.

American English (AmE) is the form of English used in the United States. It includes all English dialects used within the United States.

Written forms of British and American English as found in newspapers and textbooks vary little in their essential features, with only occasional noticeable differences in comparable media (comparing American newspapers with British newspapers, for example). This kind of formal English, particularly written English, is often called "standard English".

The spoken forms of British English vary considerably, reflecting a long history of dialect development amid isolated populations. In the United Kingdom, dialects, word use and accents vary not only between England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but also within them. Received Pronunciation (RP) refers to a way of pronouncing Standard English that is actually used by about two percent of the UK population. It remains the accent upon which dictionary pronunciation guides are based, and for teaching English as a foreign language. It is referred to colloquially as "the Queen's English", "Oxford English" and "BBC English", although by no means all who live in Oxford speak with such accent and the BBC does not require or use it exclusively.

An unofficial standard for spoken American English has also developed, as a result of mass media and geographic and social mobility, and broadly describes the English typically heard from network newscasters, commonly referred to as non-regional diction, although local newscasters tend toward more parochial forms of speech. Despite this unofficial standard, regional variations of American English have not only persisted but have actually intensified, according to linguist William Labov.

Regional dialects in the United States typically reflect some elements of the language of the main immigrant groups in any particular region of the country, especially in terms of pronunciation and vernacular vocabulary. Scholars have mapped at least four major regional variations of spoken American English: Northern, Southern, Midland, and Western. After the American Civil War, the settlement of the western territories by migrants from the east led to dialect mixing and levelling, so that regional dialects are most strongly differentiated in the eastern parts of the country that were settled earlier. Localized dialects also exist with quite distinct variations, such as in Southern Appalachia and New York.

British and American English are the reference norms for English as spoken, written, and taught in the rest of the world. For instance member nations of the Commonwealth where English is not spoken natively, such as India, often closely follow British English forms, while many American English usages are followed in other countries which have been historically influenced by the United States, such as the Philippines. Although most dialects of English used in the former British Empire outside of North America and Australasia are, to various extents, based on British English, most of the countries concerned have developed their own unique dialects, particularly with respect to pronunciation, idioms and vocabulary. Chief among other English dialects are Canadian English (based on the English of United Empire Loyalists who left the 13 Colonies), and Australian English, which rank third and fourth in number of native speakers.

For the most part American vocabulary, phonology and syntax are used, to various extents, in Canada; therefore many prefer to refer to North American English rather than American English. Nonetheless Canadian English also features many British English items and is often described as a unique blend of the two larger varieties alongside several distinctive Canadianisms. Australian English likewise blends American and British alongside native usages, but retains a significantly higher degree of distinctiveness from both of the larger varieties than does Canadian English, particularly in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary.
Let's look at some examples.

In Great Britain, you play football; in the US, you play soccer.

1. In Great Britain, you eat biscuits; in the US, you eat _______.

2. In Great Britain, you buy a return ticket; in the US, you buy a _______ ticket.

3. In Great Britain, you take a lift; in the US, you take an _______ .

4. In Great Britain, you go to the cinema; in the US, you go to the _______.

5. In Great Britain, you wear trousers; in the US, you wear _______ .

6. In Great Britain, you go on holiday; in the US, you go on _______ .

7. In Great Britain, you wait in a queue; in the US, you wait in a  _______ .

8. In Great Britain, you put petrol in your car; in the US, you put _______ in your car.

9. In Great Britain, you drive a lorry; in the US, you drive a _______ .

10. In Great Britain, the third season is autumn; in the US, the third season is _______ .

11. In Great Britain, you wear a jumper; in the US, you wear a _______.

12. In Great Britain, you eat sweets; in the US, you eat _______.

13. In Great Britain, you live in a flat; in the US, you live in an _______.

14. In Great Britain, you live with a flatmate; in the US, you live with a _______ .

15. In Great Britain, you eat chips; in the US, you eat _______.

16. In Great Britain, you eat crisps; in the US, you eat _______ .

17. In Great Britain, you throw away rubbish; in the US, you throw away _______ .

18. In Great Britain, you throw rubbish in the dustbin; in the US, you throw garbage in the _______.

19. In Great Britain, the back of a car is the boot; in the US, the back of a car is the _______.

20. In Great Britain, the front of a car is the bonnet; in the US, the front of a car is the _______.

Answers:

1. cookies 2. roundtrip 3. elevator 4. movies 5. pants 6. vacation 7. line 8. gas 9. truck 10. fall 11. sweater 12. candy 13. apartment 14. roommate 15. fries 16. chips 17. garbage 18. trashcan 19. trunk 20. hood