Americanisms and British English equivalents

 

American English - British English

bangs (hairstyle) - fringe

cell phone - mobile phone

dish soap - washing up liquid

hacks - tricks (and tips)

powdered sugar - icing sugar

British English - American English

fringe (hairstyle) - bangs

icing sugar - powdered sugar

mobile phone - cell phone

tricks 9and tips) - hacks

washing up liquid - dish soap

Useful websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_English

I have several more posts on American English and British English

Please share links to your favourite posts

Americanisms that amaze the Brits and British words that baffle Americans

 When we Brits went on holiday to Disney World in Florida we took the monorail, with our heavy bags. I was shocked to hear the announcement, "We will be stopping momentarily ..." 

I shouted to my family, "Quick - pick up your bags and stand by the door. It's a very quick stop."

In a hotel I phoned reception for a porter. The Receptionist said I should ring housekeeping. I left a message.

Nobody appeared. 

I phoned down to reception and asked again. 

The second time the receptionist answered, "Ma-am, we'll gladly send you one, if you can describe what it is."

I replied, "A man with a trolley, to move our suitcases. Luggage. Baggage. Carry bags?"

"Ah, ma-am, I believe you are seeking a bell-hop?"

My husband emerged from the bathroom and demanded, "What's taking so long?"

I replied, "Lost in translation. Sounds like they thought a porter was some king of cocktail. What we want is a bellhop or bellboy."

American - English

argue - row (rhyming with how)

bangs - fringe (hairstyle)

bell hop, bell boy - porter (in a hotel)

drug store - chemist

drunk - pissed (slang)

fanny pack - bum bag / waist pouch

good / I am good - well / I am well 

good to go - (ready to go)

goose bumps - goose pimples

lawyer - solicitor (in an office doing paperwork, not in court) 

math - maths

momentarily - soon, shortly, in a moment

oftentimes - often

period - full stop

pleased with yourself/proud/delighted - chuffed (slang)

raise (a child) - bring up

real estate - property

real estate agent - estate agent

regular - medium size

shopping cart - (shopping) trolley

take out - take away

zee - zed

English - American

bring up (a child) - raise

bum bag / waist pouch - fanny pack

chemist's - drug store

chuffed - pleased with yourself

estate agent - real estate agent

fringe - bangs

full stop - period

goose pimples - goose bumps

maths - math

medium size - regular

momentarily - briefly, only for a moment

my mistake, my fault - my bad

often - oftentimes

row (rhyming with now) - argue

pissed (slang) - drunk

shopping trolley - shopping cart

solicitor (in an office doing legal paperwork, not speaking in court) - lawyer

take away - take out

well (I am well) - good (I am good)

zed - zee

Useful Websites

Americanisms

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-14201796

General Language

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Language

About The Author

Angela Lansbury was born in london, England and is British. She has lived in the USA. She teaches English and runs workshops. 

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is Vice President Public Relations of Braddell Heights Advanced, and Tampines Changkat Advanced,  speakers training club which are part of Toastmasters International. The USA has several Spanish speaking as well as the English speaking clubs. You can pick up Spanish from buying or reading online their Spanish clubs welcome pages and manuals. 

In The USA, UK, Singapore and worldwide, there are many clubs which are English speaking, as well as Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, French, Tamil, Malay.

The inauguration of Tampines Changkat Advanced was Tuesday 29 2021, online on  zoom. Their meetings are on the fourth Tuesday evening of the month. They hope to hold meetings with a few people meeting physically, the others online, as soon as the Covid-19 conditions allow.

You can find the club through their facebook page as well as through Toastmasters International find a club. 

https://www.facebook.com/tampineschangkatadvTMC

The meetings are free for visitors. Visitors can watch, and join in speaking by introducing themselves and volunteering to do a 2 minutes impromptu  speech in table topics.

If you wish to join for a year, it costs about 190 US dollars, to have monthly meetings online, a mentor, a magazine, and one of the 11  Pathways, consisting of 14 projects. Each project starts with 3 speeches of your choice of subject, lasting 4 to 6 minutes, then 5 to 7 minutes. The Pathways include the most popular Presentation Mastery. I chose  humorous speaking as my second Pathway, costing 20 dollars. Then my third was a leadership course. Come and see for free.

The club also has meetings in person in Singapore

You can also contact my other club, smaller Braddell Heights Advanced, which is a cosy little club with more chances to speak.

Login through bha.learncool.sg/meet/bha 

That will link you through to Zoom or googlemeet. 2 pm to 5 pm.

BHA meets the first Wednesday evening each month, starting at 7 pm Singapore time. 

Then an extra meeting on the 3rd Saturday afternoon, starting at 2 pm Singapore time.

To check your time zone,  

https://24timezones.com/difference/singapore/ 

Meetings will be on Wed July 7th and  Saturday July 17th.

Contact either of these or other clubs through Toastmasters International Find a Club.

Americanisms - British Equivalent - A Quiz

American Flag

American - British English
antenna - aerial
apartment - flat
bangs - fringe (haircut)
cookie - biscuit
downtown - city centre
fall - autumn
my bad - my mistake/my fault/that
parking lot - car park
pump - court shoe
sidewalk - pavement
that sucks - that's bad
trailer - caravan
truck - lorry
good catch -


British - American
aerial - antenna
autumn - fall
biscuit - cookie
car park - parking lot
caravan - trailer
city centre - downtown
court shoe - pump
flat - apartment
fringe - bangs
lorry - truck
my fault - my bad
pavement - sidewalk
that's bad - that sucks

Quiz
American - British
Test yourself and give yourself a point for each instantly correct answer. Keep doing the quiz until you get the top score.


American - British English
antenna -
apartment -
bangs -
cookie -
downtown -
fall -
my bad -
parking lot -
pump -
sidewalk -
that sucks -
trailer -
truck -
good catch -


British - American
aerial -
autumn -
biscuit -
car park -
caravan -
city centre -
court shoe -
flat -
fringe -
lorry -
my fault -
pavement -
that's bad -

British - American
Make your own quiz. Send it to me and I can use it in a later blog, attributing it to you.

Useful Websites
https://context.reverso.net/translation/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/polygotcommunity
https://translate.google.com/

About the author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

I and my family have lived in the UK, Spain, the USA and Singapore. I am a travel writer and photographer and teacher of English A level and English as a foreign language.

Please come to a Toastmasters International Club where the English clubs have a language evaluator or grammarian.  We also have French, German, Mandarin Chinese, Tamil and other language clubs based in Singapore and many more online around the world which because of Covid-19 are now meeting online.

I am Immediate Past President of Braddell Heights Advanced, meeting on Zoom the first Wednesday of the month but  the third Saturday afternoon and occasionally on other Wednesdays our workshops are on app learncool.sg 

Incoming president Faith from July 1st 2020 could change dates and platforms so please contact the club.

learncool.sg

Or quicker to type and easier to remember: 

 tinyurl.com/BHACOOL

For language lovers:Useful Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reduplicated_place_names

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reduplicated_Australian_place_names

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reduplicated_New_Zealand_place_names

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogs
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/04/how-to-say-thank-you-in-several.html
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/05/introducing-yourself-in-english-spanish.html
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/01/second-set-of-portuguese-words.html Please share links to your favourite posts
https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club
translate.google.com
duolingo.com

Why, Where, How Writers Visit England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland

Problem
How to combine a trip to one country with another? If you go to or are already in England, you can easily add on a trip to Scotland, Wales or Ireland.

For example,
1Drive or take the train across England to Wales.
2 Drive or take the train across England to Wales on the ferry from Fishguard to Rosslare in Ireland.
3 Drive north of England via Derby or York and on to Scotland (for example to the Edinburgh Festival.

I have been to Writers Holiday in Wales which is held every July. I have been there several times. I love it. (See previous post.)
I have also been to Writers Summer School in Swanwick (by train or car) several times. I love it. I have driven on from Swanwick in the Derbyshire area to the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland.

Why Go To Wales?
Writers' Holiday
Many of my friends are going to the Writers Holiday in Fishguard, Wales, this week. You can book for a week or be a day visitor.
Go to write or paint at Writers Holiday.

History and Films
Fishguard is also the setting for many movies or films from the past such as Moby Dick and Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

You can read about the making of the films in the bar of the Fishguard Bay Hotel which is above the port where you catch the ferry to Ireland.

Ireland And Wales
Some people go through Wales because they need to in order to get the ferry to Ireland. You might do so deliberately in order to Enjoy and two destination trip to both Wales and Ireland.

Scotland
The Edinburgh Festival creates a real buzz. Some of the events are paid for, others are free, and you make a donation to a hat or box which is passed around. You can also see some street performances. Or you can go to perform or join a comedy course.

Scotland has whisky, shortbread and tartan, Wales has wine, England has everything - so does a writing holiday combining two countries, or a writing holiday or summer school combining poetry, short story writing, novel writing and entertaining talks in the evening.

Tourist Information
www.visitWales.com
www.wales.com
www.gofishguard.co.uk/
http://www.writersholiday.net
http://www.swanwickwritersschool.org.uk
http://www.directferries.co.uk/fishguard_rosslare_ferry.
http://www.directferries.co.uk/ferries_from_wales_to_ireland. (Choosing which ferry route.)
http://www.irishtourist.com/wexford/towns/rosslare/
https://www.edfringe.com

www.duolingo.com (Welsh, Gaelic, English for speakers of other languages, other languages)
I have several other posts on Wales and learning Welsh. Please share links to your favourite posts.