Tag Archives: American English
DARE to Learn American English Posted by Gary Locke on May 25, 2017
What if I told you that American English is so diversified that there are different words and phrases for the same thing not only from region-to-region, but even from neighborhood-to-neighborhood? Let me introduce you to one of the most remarkable dictionaries of the English Language. The Dictionary of American Regional English, or DARE, documents and…
What is a Pun? Posted by Gary Locke on Dec 9, 2016
A pun, or paronomasia, is a play on words which exploits the vagaries of language. Since many English words often sound alike, and have multiple meanings, puns are everywhere. A pun may be a joke, but not all jokes are puns. Jokes may contain clever wordplay, but they don’t have to. All puns are made…
A Corny Thanksgiving Posted by Gary Locke on Nov 23, 2016
Corn. The history of the United States is uniquely tied to this one crop. So, too, is our language. When the first English settlers arrived in what became Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 the colonists, unused to the rigors of agriculture, faced years of near starvation. They attempted to trade with the local natives for their…
Spellcheck: American vs. British spelling Posted by Gabriele on Jun 19, 2014
We all know that there are vocabulary differences between British and American English. In fact, I have written about this topic in the past, but today I thought we would take a look at this summary infografic by Grammar.net that highlights more than just vocabulary differences. Here you can see that there are a number…
One word, two meanings: Differences between British and American English Posted by Gabriele on Jan 14, 2014
If you want to learn about vocabulary differences between British and American English this is the post for you! I have written about differences in British and American English in previous posts, but I recently came across another great review of some vocabulary differences between British and American English I wanted to share with…
British English vs. American English: A vocabulary review Posted by Gabriele on Sep 20, 2013
How British is your English? How American do you sound? Check out this video review of vocabulary that is different in British English versus American English and see for yourself!
Language Learning: You Can Always Learn Something New Posted by heather on Mar 31, 2012
Just when you think you have gotten a language straight in your mind, it goes and throws you a curve ball. This is exactly what happened to me a few weeks ago. Despite being a native English speaker and even having studied and taught the language, I am still learning things on a regular basis…