Sunday, March 9, 2014

American English and British English

I was teaching English in Singapore when a pupil asked me, 'What's a diaper?'
I told her, 'It's American for what we in England call a nappy.'
She asked, 'Are you sure?'
Yes, I'm sure. I grew up in England. I'm English. I lived in the USA for two years.

American - British
bathroom/rest room - toilet, wc, loo, lavatory, ladies, gents
bunch of people - group of people
closet - wardrobe/walk-in wardrobe
diaper - nappy
drug store/pharmacy - chemist/dispensing chemist
elevator - life
eraser - rubber
first floor - ground floor
second floor - first floor
Hood (of automobile) - bonnet (of car
ladder in hose - run in stocking
pavement - tarmac, road
petrol station/filling station - garage
purse - handbag
rubber - condom
sidewalk - pavement
take out - take away
thrift store - charity shop
trunk (of automobile)- boot (of car)


British - American
helter skelter - (spiral slide)

More information from
American English dictionaries


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