|
British and American English share many similarities, but they also have many differences, and the main difference is in spelling. Although the meaning of the words is the same, you must be aware of the set differences in spelling and in order to have consistency in your writing, it is best not to combine British and American English together, but to pick one form and stick with it. It looks very unprofessional if you switch back and forth between American and British English in your written documents. You should also bear in mind which geographical area your target reader is situated in. For example, you would not use American English if you are writing for a magazine based in the UK and you would not use British English if writing for the US market. This is especially important on websites. When clients and customers use search engines, they are likely to type in either British or American spellings of key words, dependent on their location and nationality. Therefore, it's essential to think about your target audience. However, for the non-native English speaker, it can be problematic as to which form of English to use. This is not helped by the fact that many current spell-checkers do not differentiate between the different spellings and automatically change one form into another. It is best to pick one form of spelling and then use it consistently, after researching your target audience. There are some very common spelling conventions that distinguish American and British forms of English from each other, which we will look at in this article. It is always a good idea to know the differences between the two kinds of spelling so that you can highlight any possible errors. So, here are a few of the most common examples of the spelling differences between British and American English: "OU" Difference British: favour, honour, neighbour, colour, endeavour American: favor, honor, neighbor, color, endeavor Double "L" British: traveller, enrolment, levelled, modelled, cancelled American: traveler, enrollment, leveled, modeled, canceled "RE" or "ER" British: fibre, centre, metre, theatre American: fiber, center, meter, theater "S" or "Z" British: prioritise, organise, realise, visualise, analyse American: prioritize, organize, realize, visualize, analyze Other Differences British: programme, aeroplane, dialogue, practise (verb), sulphur, sceptical, normality American: program, airplane, dialog, practice (verb), sulfur, skeptical, normality/normalcy. If you follow these standard rules, you will find it easier to distinguish between the two forms of English. And remember - be consistent, do not mix them together! The only time you can mix the two forms is in academic essays where you are directly quoting from a text or are writing the name of an organisation or company, such as: "The British Embassy is situated in the centre of town, opposite The New State Theater." college paper writing service
Related Articles -
Spelling, Differences, British,
|
