Essay example

1. American
and
British
English:
One
Language
with
Many
Differences
The
English
language
came
to
be
the
world
language
that
is
today
by
events
that
happened
hundreds
of
years
ago.
British
colonization
and
trade
led
to
the
spread
of
the
English
language
to
many
areas
around
the
world,
and
by
the
early
1600`s
English
was
introduced
to
North
America.
Although
the
English
used
in
the
United
States
and
the
United
Kingdom
is
generally
mutually
intelligible,
it
has
developed
several
differences,
including
pronunciation,
grammar,
punctuation,
and
spelling.
Certain
differences
in
vocabulary
and
the
use
of
idioms
between
American
and
British
English
can
cause
misunderstandings
between-­‐speakers.
Vocabulary
is
one
area
where
many
differences
can
be
found
between
American
and
British
English.
There
are
many
examples
of
a
particular
vocabulary
word
having
different
meanings.
Words
such
as
bill
(AmE=
paper
money
or
invoice,
BrE
=
invoice),
biscuit
(AmE
=
slightly
salty,
thick
pastry,
BrE=
sweet
dessert,
line
an
American
cookie)
and
football
(AmE=
soccer)
are
three
well-­‐known
examples.
Other
examples
of
vocabulary
that
are
entirely
different
words
of
the
same
among
include
elevator
(AmE)
and
lift
(BrE),
gas
(AmE)
and
petrol
(BrE),
period
(AmE)
and
full
stop
(BrE),
apartment
(AmE)
and
flat
(BrE),
potato
chips
(AmE)
and
crisps
(BrE),
subway
(AmE)
and
underground
(BrE),
line
(AmE)
and
queue
(BrE),
intersection
(AmE)
and
crossroads
(BrE),
In
addition
to
words,
there
are
certain
idioms,
or
phrases,
that
differ
between
the
two
forms
of
English.
Most
of
the
phrases
differ
by
only
one
or
two
words
and
can
sometimes
cause
misunderstanding
between
speakers
of
American
and
British
English.
Some
examples
include
(BrE)
a
drop
in
the
ocean
and
(AmE)
a
drop
in
the
bucket,
which
mean
“a
small
part
of
something
that
is
much
larger”;
(BrE)
blow
one’s
trumpet
and
(AmE)
blow
(or
toot)
one’s
horn,
which
mean
“to
brag
about
one’s
own
accomplishments”;
and
(BrE)
tuppence
worth
and
(AmE)
two
cent’s
worth,
which
mean
“to
offer
one’s
opinion
or
advice”.
One
phrase
that
can
cause
some
confusion
in
conversation
is
I
don’t
mind.
If
a
person
is
asked
whether
he
would
like
tea
or
coffee,
for
example,
the
BrE
response
“I
don’t
mind”
means
that
either
choice
is
acceptable,
while
the
AmE
response
would
most
likely
be
“I
don’t
care”.
The
examples
above
are
only
a
small
sample
of
the
various
ways
American
English
and
British
English
differ.
However,
although
vocabulary
differences
can
cause
some
misunderstanding,
generally
speakers
of
both
forms
of
English
can
understand
one
another
with
little
difficulty.
Differences
between
American
and
British
English
have
developed
over
the
centuries,
and
these
differences
will
likely
continue
to
develop
and
change
into
the
future.
Lilian Gonzalez 5/7/13 10:57 AM
Comentario [1]: Title
of
the
essay
at
the
top
of
the
first
page
in
the
center.
Lilian Gonzalez 5/7/13 10:58 AM
Comentario [2]: Introduction:
first
paragraph
Lilian Gonzalez 5/7/13 10:59 AM
Comentario [3]: Body
paragraphs:
second
and
third
paragraphs.
Lilian Gonzalez 5/7/13 10:59 AM
Comentario [4]: Conclusion:
fourth
paragraph.