How to understand the differences between British and American English
Preparation
Before you watch
Do this vocabulary task before you watch.
What do you think is going to happen in the video?
Watch
Watch the video
Watch the video and find out if your predictions from the Preparation task are correct?
If you need help you can click on Read transcript below and read along while you watch the video.
Task
Match the words in American English with the words in British English.
Transcript
Man: Hey! Nice pants!
Woman: Excuse me?
Man: I said nice pants.
Woman: You can’t see my pants, can you?
Man: Of course I can.
Woman: How can you see my pants?
Man: They’re on your legs!
Woman: Ha. You haven’t been to America recently, have you?
Man: Oh I er …I er actually just got back from LA! That’s “Los Angeles” by the way....
Woman: I know.
Man: Yeah, I picked up some of the American words, and now I forget which ones to use! So confusing!
Woman: We call these “trousers” in Britain.
Man: Of course we do...you know there are so many things …that’s it’s exactly a completely different language sometimes!
Woman: Really?
Man: Yeah!
Woman: Would you like a crisp?
Man: Crisps? In the States, they’re “chips”!
Woman: Oh. So if I want to order our chips in America, what do I ask for?
Man: French fries!
Woman: I see.
Man: And you know what that is, don’t you?
Woman: A fizzy drink.
Man: That’s a “soda”!
Woman: Hmm…
Man: You know the lift over there?
Woman: Yeah?
Man: That’s an elevator.
Woman: Oh really?
Man: You know in the States, you don’t go to watch a film...
Woman: You “watch a movie”!
Man: Exactly! And you don’t walk on the pavement…
Woman: You walk on the “sidewalk”!
Man: You got it!
Woman: I’ve watched a lot of films...oops...movies!
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Comments
there are many differences
Thank you for the video
I really love the way of their acting. They are very excited for me. I was confusing about this differences but now I got. Thank you any way.
aha so i got it now !
WOW! Thank you for the video! That was really useful!
can i download this video into my PC?
really, you are alizkyrios they are very interesting!!
these vid r very useful
Very useful
May I get soft as flv to improve my listening skill, it's thought that so low to me.