Name: AMERICAN vs BRITISH English Words - Vocabulary Differences
Uploaded: 2020-04-06T05:25:04.000Z
Duration: 7 min
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Adverbs of degree

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In this lesson, I'm going to introduce some common differences in vocabulary between British English and American English.

So, for this lesson, yes, I'm saying British English.

But some of the words in the British English column are also used in other places outside the UK You might hear this in, like Australian, English or Scottish, English or Irish English, but I just want to introduce some different vocabulary words you might hear in different parts of the world from different speakers of English.

Okay, 1st 1 over here, let's begin with the British English word lift.

The British English word is lift the American English word.

We use his elevator elevator, So take the lift or take the elevator in American English, which I speak.

The next difference is the word, uh, petrol, Petrol.

The American English word is gas or gasoline, so gasoline is quite long.

We shorten it to gas, but gas in American English and petrol in British English have the same meaning.

Doesn't now not not used as an adjective, like a flat area or a flat space as a noun, Uh, is the equivalent equals American English apartment?

So we use the word apartment to talk about a place we live.

Next, the next key difference, then the American word.

Used in British English to talk about time away from work to take a holiday, we say to take a vacation in American English.

So holiday is the British English work for this.

Also at the next word for Americans, we use the word parking lot to talk about a place to park our car.

Um, the British English word is car park.

So let's find a car park or where is a car park?

Americans will look for a parking lot a little bit different.

You might hear the word chemist used for what we say in American English as drug, store or pharmacy.

We use drugstore pharmacy in American English to talk about a place where we get medicine, medicine or maybe every day, um, every day, small, like life goods or household goods.

Eso chemist is used in British English to talk about this place.

Okay, let's continue on to the next group.

The 1st 2 here on this side are both about trash or both about rubbish.

So when you talk about what we say in American English as the garbage can or the trash can, you might hear dust bin.

You might hear this part been as well by itself.

This relates to the next word rubbish As unknown, we say garbage or trash in American English, British English also uses the word rubbish.

So rubbish is not commonly used in American English, but very commonly used in British English.

Okay, another one eyes the word motorway motorway so motorway in British English equals in American English highway or freeway.

So this is the high speed road, like the lots of cars travel on usually quite large, so we say highway or freeway in American English.

One sometimes is the difference between torch and flashlight.

But Thio, even American English speakers this can cost some confusion.

So that handheld light that you can use the British English word is torch.

The American English word is flash light flash light.

Okay, next one, another important one to keep in mind.

The word in British English for the clothing you wear under your regular clothes is pants.

We can use the word pants to talk about our underwear.

We use underwear in American English, but pants can be used in British English to talk about that.

So in American English, like what I'm wearing now today, I would say pants, I would describe these as pants in American English, but this could be understood in British English to mean underwear.

So please be careful about your use of pants and underwear in American and British English.

The next one is tube in British English and some way in American English.

So these two words they refer to the public transportation system underground.

So Americans use the subway like the New York subway system in London.

It's the tomb you can use the I mean we can use subway.

But tube is also used to refer to the subway system in London.

So the tube last one I want to mention since we talked about tube here is a verb difference to mind, to mind, something to mind.

Something is used more commonly in British English.

We can use it in American English, but it's not so typical.

We used to be careful of or to watch out for something.

So I included this because if you have visited London, you might have heard the announcements on the subway platform.

Mind the gap between the train and the platform, so we wouldn't say this in American English, we would probably say, Watch your step, Watch your step.

So ah, and British English in London, in the tube, for example, we say, Are we here to mind the gap?

Mind the gap, be careful of the gap between the train and the platform, so this is a verb difference here.

These are some common now owns that you may here in British, English or in American English, and they have the same meaning.

We just use different vocabulary words to describe them.

So I hope that this was helpful for you, and you can keep an eye out for this the next time you're reading or listening to something that's in a kind of English that's a bit different from what you've studied before.

If you have any questions or comments or want to try to make a sentence with these, please feel free to do so in the comments section of this video off course.

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 Thanks very much for watching this lesson, and I will see you again soon. 