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English spelling and
grammar can vary slightly depending on where it's spoken and by which
social group the speakers belong to. Here's a sample of some differences
in vocabulary and syntax. The list is not meant to be complete, simply
a sample. Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand English follow a combination
of American and British English spelling and grammar.
| British
English |
American
English |
| twenty
to four |
twenty
of four |
| River
Thames |
Hudson
River |
| really
good |
real/really
good |
| different
to/from |
different
than/from |
| in
future... |
in
the future... |
| I
burnt it |
I
burned it |
| He's
got off the chair. |
He's
gotten off the chair./He got off the chair. |
| I
sneaked out quietly. |
I
snuck out quietly. |
| I
shan't tell anyone. |
I won't tell
anyone.
|
| I'd
like you to go now. |
I'd
like for you to go now. |
| I'll
go and get the car. |
I'll
go get the car. |
| Come
and take a look. |
Come
take a look. |
| I've
just eaten. |
I
just ate. |
| The
government is/are stupid. |
The government
is stupid.
|
| I
want to get out. |
I
want out. |
| They've
one innings left. (cricket) |
They
have one inning left. (baseball) |
| There
were six millions. |
There
were six million. |
| He's
in hospital. |
He's
in the hospital. |
| I've
not seen it yet. |
I
didn't see it yet. |
| I'll
see you at the weekend. |
I'll
see you on the weekend. |
| Monday
to Friday inclusive |
Monday
through Friday |
| I
was in the toilet/WC. |
I
was in the bathroom/restroom. |
| Z ('zed') |
Z ('zee') |
Source:
Crystal, D. (1988). English Language. English around the world
(p. 248-249). Oxford: Penguin.
Truly Canadian Dictionary
of Canadian Spelling http://www.luther.bc.ca/~dave7cnv/cdnspelling/cdnspelling.html
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