Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions from 31 to 36. British English and American English are two variations of the English language that share many similarities, but also some notable differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar. The pronunciation of American English is one of the biggest differences. One of the most noticeable differences is the pronunciation of R. The British ...

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions from 31 to 36.

British English and American English are two variations of the English language that share many similarities, but also some notable differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.

The pronunciation of American English is one of the biggest differences. One of the most noticeable differences is the pronunciation of R. The British tend to pronounce R in the middle and end of words very softly, but Americans like to stress it. Spelling is another difference. Americans often spell many verbs ending with a -t sound by using -ed as in burnt (BE) and burned (AE). In both of these cases, the -t is pronounced. British prefer to spell -ise with a S but American prefer to spell it as it is pronounced with a Z.

There are even differences in vocabulary. Americans use the word “pants” for “trousers” and “apartment” for the word “flat”.

Grammar is another area of difference. The British are more likely to use formal speech, such as “shall”, while Americans prefer the more informal version, “will”. You may hear the British say “needn’t” but Americans would almost always use “don’t need to”. In spite of these differences, the vast majority of language points are the same in both variations.