An US or American English differs considerably from British English. Pronunciation is the most striking difference but there are also a number of differences in vocabulary and spelling as well as slight differences in grammar. On the whole, British people are exposed to a lot of American English on TV, in films and so on and they will usually understand most American vocabulary.
American spelling is usually simpler. For example, British English words ending in –our and –re, end in –or and –er in American English (colour – color, center – center, metre – meter). The American spelling usually tries to correspond more closely to pronunciation.
Here are some common US words with their British equivalents. American English - British English: gasoline - petrol, truck - lorry, baggage - luggage, blow-out - puncture, sidewalk - pavemen, tline - queue, vacation - holiday, cab - taxi, railway car - railway carriage, baby carriage - pram, panty-hose – tights, antenna - aerial, elevator - lift, eraser - rubber, apartment - flat, closet - wardrobe, drapes - curtain, faucet - tap, yard - garden, candy - sweets, garbage - rubbish. US or American English is not the only special variety of English. Each area of the English-speaking world has developed its own special characteristics. This is usually a matter of vocabulary and pronunciation.
Australian English is particularly interesting for its rich store of highly colloquial words and expressions. For example, “a smoko” (from smoking) is a tea or coffee break, “beaut” (from beautiful) means “great”. Because of the current popularity of Australian TV programs and films, some of these words are now being used by British people too.
Indian English, on the other hand, is characterized by sounding more formal than British English. It has retained in everyday usage words that are found more in the classics of 19th century literature than in contemporary TV programs from London.
Scottish English uses a number of special dialect words. (aye = yes, ben = mountain, dram = drink, whisky, glen = valley, kirk = church, lock = lake, to mind = to remember, bony = beautiful, lassie = girl).
And here are some examples of Black English:
chick = girl, rap = street talk, dig = understand, pad = bed, square = dull.
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