British vs. American English: Vocabulary & Grammar Tips
British vs. American English
Vocabulary Differences
Here are some common vocabulary differences between British and American English:
- Holiday – Vacation
- Petrol – Gas
- Lorry – Truck
- Autumn – Fall
- Torch – Flashlight
- Sweets – Candies
- Tin – Can
- Dustbin – Garbage can
- Flat – Apartment
- Lift – Elevator
- Film – Movie
- Taxi – Cab
- Boot – Trunk
- Junction – Intersection
Vocabulary List
- Overcome – Superar
- Runs counter to – Conflicts with – Oposarse a
- Enabling – Permitir
- Charm – Encanto
- Devised – Ideado
- Deserved – Merecido
- Expelled – Expulsado
- Banned – Prohibido
- Start out – Comenzar
- Read aloud – Leer en voz alta
- Enthusiastic – Entusiasta
- Upcoming – Las próximas
- Hop – Salto
- Proposal – Idea – Propuesta
- Prosper – Succeed financially – Prosperar
- Value – Principle – Valor
- Judge – Juez
- Be about to – Estar a punto
- Proficient – Competente
- Yell – Gritar
- Command – Comando
- Throughout – A lo largo de
- Insane – Demente
Prefixes
Here are some common prefixes in English:
- Reviewed
- Insane
- Mispronouncing
- Co-operate
- Enabling
- International
- Non-chinese
- Bilingual
- Overcrowded
- Misbehave
- Re-arrange
- Indirect
- Interdependent
- Co-exist
- Non-members
- Bicycle
- Unimportant
- Misunderstood
- Overpopulated
- Non-smoking
- Co-workers
- Encourage
- Anti-virus
- Preview
- Prejudge – Formar una opinion
- Misjudge – Opinar antes de conocer los hechos
- Premature – Masa pronte
- Immature
- Disappear – Desapareixer
- Reappear
- Interdependent
- Independent
- Distrust – Pensar algo desonesto
- Entrust – Dar a alguien responsabilidades
- Overdone – Masa fet
- Underdone – Poc fet
- Non-smoking
- Co-workers
- Unlikely
- Impolite
- Illegal
- Insanity
- Disconnect
- Misuse
- Enclose
- Enslave
- Enjoy
- Underline
- Overloaded
- Non-negotiable
- Rewrite
- Anti-hero
- Prehistoric
- Multiracial
- Anti-government
- Displeased
- Underweight
- Impatiently
- Non-sense
- Disadvantage
- Pre-adolescence
- Enables
- Non-native
- Re-learn
- Discouraged
- Imperfect
- Mispronounce
Modal Verbs
Here’s a breakdown of modal verbs and their uses:
- Can: Habilidad (saber), peticiones donar o demanar premis, posibilitat casi segura (poder), sugeriment.
- Can’t: Falta d’habilitat, impossibilitat, prohibició, deducció negativa k alguna cosa es imposible.
- Be able to: Habilitat kuan no es pot utilitzae can.
- Could: Habilitat en passat, demanar de forma més educada, sugeriments, possibilitat més remota.
- May/might: Posibilitat, demanar de forma educada.
- Would: Demanar o oferir de forma educada.
- Must/Have to: Obligació o nessecitat, must sols en present conclusió lógica.
- Mustn’t: Prohibició.
- Don’t have to: Absencia d’obligació (no haver de).
- Need to/Needn’t: Obligació o nessecitat.
- Should: Consell o opinó.
- Shall: Fer un sugeriment o oferirse a fer alguna cosa.
- Had better: (af) donar consell “es millor k” (neg) advertencia “val més k”.
Past Modal Verbs
- Must have + participi: Conclusió lógica sobre un fet pasat.
- Might/may: Suposar una cosa.
- Could: Es podria haver fet alguna cosa pero no es va fer.
- Couldn’t: Certesa de k una cosa no podia haver pasat.
- Would: Es volia fer alguna cosa pero no es va poder fer per circumstancies externes.
- Should: Keixarnos d’un fet pasat i lamentarnos de k no s’hagi complert.
- Shouldn’t: Opinio sobre un fet pasat k no hauria d’haver tingut lloc.
- Needn’t have + participi: No hi havia necessitat de fer el k s’ha fet.
Connectors
- Furthermore, moreover: A més a més.
- Also: També
- As well as: Aixi com també.
- Although: Encara k
- However: Sin embargo
- Nevertheless: Tanmateix
- Consequently, as a result.
- In the same way: De la mateixa manera.
- In the first place, start with.
- But there are people who say: Pero hi ha gent k diu k
- After that: Despres daixo
- To sum up, per resumir.