In Joost’s honor…oops I mean honour!

Hey! Last week I got a lovely email from Joost who asked me to focus a bit on British English. Aye aye, Guv’na (she said while twirling her umbrella and swaying her pinafore on the Tower Bridge)! 😉

Although I’m American, my book Rock Your English! teaches British grammar (with American exceptions ;)). I get asked a lot about the differences between US and UK English. Here’s a few basic ones in a nutshell:

Spelling:
The Brits: honour, labour, colour
The Yanks: honor, labor, color
The Brits: analyse, organise, realise
The Yanks: analyze, organize, realize
The Brits: centre, theatre, litre
The Yanks: center, theater, liter (although we use gallons) J

Grammar:
The Brits: Have you got….?
The Yanks: Do you have…?
The Brits: I’ve just called him.
The Yanks: I just called him.
The Brits: Shall I arrange that for you?
The Yanks: Should I arrange that for you?
The Brits: I dreamt about grammar last night.
The Yanks: I dreamed about grammar last night.
The Brits: It’s lovely weather, isn’t it?
The Yanks: The weather’s great today!
The Brits: Did he turn off the lights? He must have done.
The Yanks: Did he turn off the lights? Bet he did.

Writing:
The Brits: 3 February 2015 (so you fill in 3/2/2015 on your forms)
The Yanks: February 3, 2015 (so you fill in 2/3/2015 on your forms)

Vocabulary:
The Brits: I have to buy new pants, all of my boxers are in the wash! (This means ‘underwear’)
The Yanks: I have to buy new pants because I just bought a new jacket and I want them to match. (This means ‘outerwear’)
The Brits: I left my phone in the toilet, on the shelf.
The Yanks: My phone fell in the toilet!
The Brits: Where is the toilet?
The Yanks: Where is the bathroom?
The Brits: It’s so cold I’m wearing a vest today. (Under my clothes.)
The Yanks: It’s so cold I’m wearing a vest today. (Over my clothes.)

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Well dear, I hope that helps you out – and Joost- thank you so much for asking! There’s plenty more to be found online if you’d like to find out more!

And just to let you know the Delightful December Discount is still on in my webshop! Give the gift of learning and laughter this year!

Darling, this is my last newsletter of the year! I’m going to focus the next couple of weeks on unplugging, recharging, decorating my new office, volunteering for Serious Request, and enjoying friends, family, food, and my fireplace!

Thank you sweetie for making this year so very special to me.
Sending you and yours love, light, health and happiness for 2015, and way, way beyond. I so look forward to reconnecting with you in January!

Much love! X buffi