Understanding differences in British and American English
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What is the British English equivalent of the
American English expression "blow (or toot) one's horn"?
make some noise
blow one's flute
play one's own horn
blow one's own trumpet
Which of the following is a spelling typical
of British English?
fetal
pediatric
anemia
oestrogen
In British English, the abreviation
"WC" stands for...?
water closet
wool canister
wool closet
water casket
Choose the most common British usage: I took a
week long ______ last summer.
wanderance
holiday
vacation
Which of the following is an example of a
spelling typical of British English?
recognize
recognisse
recoggnise
recognise
When a British person is knackered, what is
s/he feeling?
Confounded
Intrigued
Elevated
Exhausted
Which of the following is a spelling typical
of British English?
monologue
catalog
dialog
homolog
Which of the following is the American English
equivalent of the word "Lorry" in British English?
a car
a bicycle
a train
a truck
What British English word is used for the
American English word "comforter"?
comforting
duvet
bedding
bed sheets
What is a UK quid?
An exchange of goods or services
A pound
Any small thing
An identity card
A measure of weight
What is the British English equivalent of the
American English expression "a tempest in a teapot"?
a tempest over the ocean
a storm in a coffee cup
a storm in a teacup
a tempest in June
Which of the following is not a noun with a
typical American English spelling?
mold
check
omelet
annexe
What is the British English equivalent for the
American English work "trunk (of a car)"?
basket
chest
boot
backside
The American word "sneakers" is
equivalent to _____ in British English.
snickers
track shoes
slippers
trainers
What is the British English equivalent of the
American English expression "skeleton in the closet"?
dead body in the closet
skeleton in the cupboard
skeleton in the bedrom
skeleton in the dresser
Which of the following is a
typically British English word?
motorway
freeway
interstate
highway
In British English, you would go where to pick
up your prescription?
a drugstore
a grocery store
a chemist
a pizza parlor
A 'tyre' in British English is called what in
American English?
a tiring exercise
a hand of cards
a nap
a car tire
In British English, a group of individuals is
treated as a single entity. Which of the following would be a correct sentence,
according to this rule?
The Parliament sits in its chairs.
The Parliament taps their feet in anticipation.
The Parliament complains that their chairs are too
short.
The Parliament sits in their chairs.
Which of the following is unique to British
English?
The garbage can
The trashcan
The wastebucket
The dust bin
In British English, what word is used to refer
to the covering for the engine on a car?
a bonnet
a car hood
a car hat
a hood
The infant needed to get her napkin changed.
Is "napkin" British or American English?
American
British
What is the American English word for the
British English word "pavement"?
passage
sidewalk
paving stone
road
What is the British English equivalent of the
American English expression "take it with a grain of salt"?
take with a grain of sugar
take it or leave it
take it with a bit of salt
take it with a pinch of salt
Choose the most common usage in American
English: He erased the drawing with a(n) ______.
marker
eraser
rubber
cleaner
Which of the following words is typical of
British English?
postman
zip code
mail carrier
mailbox
What does the British term "uni"
mean in American English
Together
Pen
College
Uniball
Which of the following is a spelling typical
of British English?
labeled
canceled
traveling
traveller
In American English, the word
"Caravan" is often used in association with gypsies and carnivals. In
British English, what does this word identify?
a group of musicians
a large car
a car sales business
a trailer
There are some differences in pronounciation
between British and American English. In American English, the h in the word
"herb" is not pronounced. Is this the case with British English?
no, in British English you pronounce the h
no, with the exception of the phrase "herbal
tea"
yes, with the exception of the phrase "herbal
tea"
yes, no one pronounces the h
In British English, the idea of a main street
or thoroughfare is called what?
a high street
a main street
a business street
a center street
There are several differences in vocabulary
between British and American English. Which of the following represents a term
used by speakers of British English?
counter-clockwise
back-clockwise
anti-clockwise
backwards-clockwise
What is the American English equivalent of the
British English expression "flogging a dead horse"?
beating a dead horse
beating a dead animal
flogging a dead cow
beating a monkey
The plural of "Math" in British
English is which of the following?
mathes
math
arithmetices
maths
The term "Lady Bird" is a British
English word used to signify what animal in American English?
a stink bug
a song bird
a lady bug
a red beetle
What does the word "Jelly" refer to
in British English?
a pen
industrial gel
a dessert made of colored gelatin
jelly, as in strawberry jelly
Which of the following is not commonly used as
a past tense or past participle in British English?
gave
got
forgotten
gotten
Which of the following is not a typical
American English wording?
sailing boat
rowboat
file cabinet
racecar
In American English, a wallet is typically a
folding container used to store money. What is this called in British English?
a billfold
a waller
a moneywall
a wallette
Which of the following words is typical
of British English?
gasoline
petrol
wrench
windshield
In American English, the word Randy is often a
name. This is a completely different concept in British English. What does the
word "randy" mean in British English?
to be cold
to desire a person intimately
to be hungry
to be tired
The word "garbage" is often used in
American English to refer to household waste. What is the British English
equivalent?
rubbish
exhaust
trash
lost property
What is the British English equivalent of the
American English expression "sweep under the rug"?
sweep under the sofa
sweep beneath the rug
hide under the rug
sweep under the carpet
Which of the following vehicle nouns is not
typical of American English?
station wagon
lorry
truck
sedan
The term "dustman" is not an
American English word. What does the word "dustman" mean in British
English?
a broom
a small broom and dustpan
a trash collector
a trash can
In British English, a rubber is an eraser.
What does the term "rubber" typically mean in American English?
an eraser
a condom
an eraser made for pens
an eraser specifically made of rubber
In Britain, political candidates "stand
for election". What would be the American English equivalent?
stand for public office
cannot vote seated
run for office
get up for election
Which of the following is a spelling typical
of British English?
liter
fiber
centre
none of these
In British English, a sweet treat typically
made with flour, butter and water is called what?
a cinnamon stick
a brownie
a biscuit
a cookie
What is the American English equivalent of the
British English expression "touch wood"?
knock on wood
knock on furniture
touch oak
touch and go
True or false? A British motorbike is the same
thing as an American dirtbike.
True
False
What is the British English equivalent of the
American English term "counter-clockwise"?
clockwise
twice clockwise
never use a clock
anti-clockwise
In American English "( )" marks are
known as "parentheses". What are they often referred to as in British
English?
colon
book ends
brackets
parting
Which of the following is not typically used
in British English?
gotten
has got
did get
got
If you use British English and are eating
chips, what are you eating in American English?
you are not eating, you are playing poker
rice crisps
french fries
potato chips
Choose the most common American usage: It's
dark outside, I'm going to go grab a ______.
flashlight
flashbulb
torch
flasher
What is the British English equivalent of the
American English expression "a drop in the bucket"?
a drop in the sea
a drop in the bathtub
a drop in the ocean
a drop in the lake
Which of the following is an example of a
spelling typical of American English?
recognizze
recognize
recoggnize
recognise
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is
quoted as saying "Terrorism is wrong, full stop". What would be the
American English equivalent?
Terrorism is wrong, semicolon
Terrorism is wrong, got it
Terrorism is wrong, period
Terrorism is a matter of perspective
Choose the correct spelling in American
English:
The fire place made the room quite cozey.
The fire place made the room quite cosey.
The fire place made the room quite cosy.
The fire place made the room quite cozy.
In American English, tick-tack-toe is a game
involving crosses and zeros. What is this game called in British English?
nos and yeses
tick-tock-too
naughts and crosses
tick-tock-doe
What does the term "curriculum vitae (or
CV)" refer to in American English?
life experience
academic background
rèsumè
hobbies
What is the American English equivalent of the
British English word "autumn"?
August
winter
spring
fall
In American English, the word
"cupcake" identifies a small cake that typically fits in the palm of
one's hand. What is this cake called in British English?
a hand cake
a palm cake
a fairy cake
a little cake
What do you commonly call a zipper in British
English?
A zipper, the same as American English
A rotor
A zip
A track
In British English, which of the following is
the definition of the word "Juggernaut"?
a flat bed trailer
a moving truck
a truck with a flat bed trailer
an 18 wheel truck
In American English, the word
"undershirt" is used to describe a shirt worn under an outer shirt
like a sweater. What word is used in British English?
a basic shirt
a vest
a whiteshirt
an undershirt
Which of the following is not a typical
American English spelling?
recognize
subsidize
organise
realize
In British English, chips are equivalent to
the American term ____.
chocolate
policemen
fries
potato chips
"Hello" is a common greeting in both
the UK and America. Which of the following is a more common, shortened version
of this greeting used in America?
Hi
Hello
Good Morning
Hi There
Select the sentence that implements British
English:
We had a great dialog about the issue.
You must fulfil your duties.
I love the color of leaves in the fall.
In British English prom might refer to a
_____, while it would likely refer to a _____ in American English.
concert; high school dance
Prom means the same thing in both dialects
hair product; high school dance
high school dance; concert
Which of the following is a spelling typical
of American English?
humour
flavour
colour
honor
In British English the phrase "Zebra
Crossing" is used to describe what in American English?
a road dividing line
a pedestrian crosswalk
the shoulder of a highway
an sign displaying a running zebra
What does the "ground floor" in
British English typically correspond to in American English?
rooftop
second floor
first floor
penthouse
In American English, what does it mean to ask
for the check after a meal?
None of these
You are asking for a receipt
You are asking the waiter to check you water
You are asking for the bill
In American English, the words mad and angry
have the same meaning. What does the term "mad" mean in British English?
indecisive
bothered
angry
insane
Which of these statements is true?
A UK pint is larger than a US pint
A UK pint is smaller than a US pint
A UK pint is the same as a US pint
Which of the following is a spelling typical
of British English ?
honour
neighbor
labor
rumor
In American English, the word
"football" is used to name a sport played with a lemon shaped ball
and large shoulder pads. What sport does the word "football" identify
in British English?
soccer
basketball
rugby
dodgeball
What is a British English word synonymous with
the word cookie?
cracker
cake
chip
cupcake
biscuit
In British English, if your milk has
"gone off" is has done what in American English?
frozen
almost gone bad
turned into butter
gone bad
Which of the following is a noun commonly used
in British English which is used in American English to signify an Elevator?
a person lift
a lift
a lifter
an elevator
In American English the term intersection is
used to describe when two or roads meet. What is this term in British English?
a crossroads
an intersection
a meetroad
a roadmeeting
What can "buck" mean to an American
person?
A person
All choices are correct
A deer
A
dollar
Which of the following is an example of a
spelling typical of American English?
flavour
honour
color
humour
In British English, a sweater might be called
a:
A jumper
A jersey
All of these are possible options
A pull-over
In British English, a "scrappy"
person is likely:
tough and tenacious
messy and disorganized
hungry and angry
angry and irritable
fiesty and opinionated
Choose the most common British usage: I need
to stop and fill my car with some _____, my tank is empty.
petrol
gas
diesel
gasoline
The word "skip" is not only a verb
in British English. Which of the following is it used to identify?
a dumpster
a speed bump
a friendly dog
a jump rope
A British first aid kit contains paracetamol,
which should be replaced with ______ in a US first aid kit.
aspirin
calamine lotion
cortisone cream
ibuprofen
acetaminophen
Which of the following is an example of a
spelling typical of British English?
colour
flavor
color
humor
Which of the following is a spelling typical
of American English?
catalyse
paralyse
analyze
hydrolyse
What is the American English equivalent of the
British English word "flat"
house
building
tent
apartment
In British English, an "articulated
lorry" is used to describe what in American English?
a tractor trailor
a passenger bus
a hinged bus
a large truck
Which British English word is used for the
American English word "elevator (of a building)"?
elevation
stairwell
lift
cage
In American English, the word
"pants" is typically used to describe outerwear worn over the legs
and abdomen. What word is used in British English?
trowsers
trousers
outer pants
over pants
What is the British English equivalent of
elevator?
elevatre
dumbwaiter
elevater
trolley
lift
The closest American English expression to the
British English expression "Going on holidays" is
Taking a day off from work
Working overtime
Going on a shopping spree
Taking a vacation
The word "biscuit" in British
English refers to what word in American English?
cookie
cake
baking
business
She got a great price on her flat. What is the
American term for "flat"?
Sandals
Convertible
Table
Apartment
Is the following usage acceptable in British
english? Which company are coming to the event.
No
Yes
In American English, if a discussion ends in a
"moot point" the subject is no longer discussing. Is this the case
with the British English definition of "moot"?
this is not the case
the term "moot" is not actually used in
British English
yes, this is the case
yes, but only for presently occurring situations
What American word is equivalent to the
British term "tom"?
None of these
Prostitute
Policemen
Feral cat
___ is a British term for greenhouse.
planthouse
actuary
garden house
stove
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