Differences Between American and British English

While there are certainly many more varieties of English, American English and British English are the two varieties that are taught in most ESL/EFL programs. Generally, it is agreed that no one version is correct, but there are certainly preferences in use. The three major differences between American and British English are: Pronunciation - differences in both vowel and consonants, as well as stress and intonationVocabulary - differences in nouns and verbs, especially phrasal verb usage and the names of specific tools or itemsSpelling - differences are generally found in certain prefix and suffix forms The most important rule of thumb is to try to be consistent in your usage. If you decide that you want to use American English, then be consistent in your spelling (i.e. The color of the orange is also its flavour - color is American spelling and flavour is British). Of course, this is not always easy or possible. The following guide is meant to point out the principal differences between these two varieties of English. Minor Grammar Differences There are very few grammar differences between American and British English. Certainly, the words we choose might be different at times. However, generally speaking, we follow the same grammar rules. With that said, there are a few differences.   Use of the Present Perfect In British English, the present perfect is used to express an action that has occurred in the recent past that has an effect on the present moment. For example: Ive lost my key. Can you help me look for it? In American English, the following is also possible:I lost my key. Can you help me look for it? In British English, the above would be considered incorrect. However, both forms are generally accepted in standard American English. Other differences involving the use of the present perfect in British English and simple past in American English include already, just and yet. British English: Ive just had lunch.Ive already seen that film.Have you finished your homework yet? American English: I just had lunch OR Ive just had lunch.Ive already seen that film OR I already saw that film.Have you finished your homework yet? OR Did you finish your homework yet? Two Forms to Express Possession There are two forms to express possession in English: have or have got. Do you have a car?Have you got a car?He hasnt got any friends.He doesnt have any friends.She has a beautiful new home.Shes got a beautiful new home. While both forms are correct (and accepted in both British and American English), have got (have you got, he hasnt got, etc.) is generally the preferred form in British English, while most speakers of American English employ the have (do you have, he doesnt have etc.) The Verb Get The past participle of the verb get is gotten in American English. American English: Hes gotten much better at playing tennis. British English: Hes got much better at playing tennis. Have got is used predominately in British English to indicate  have in the sense of possession. Strangely, this form is also used in the United States with the British participle got, rather than gotten. Americans will also use have got to in the sense of have to for responsibilities. Ive got to work tomorrow.Ive got three friends in Dallas. Vocabulary The largest  differences between British and American English lie in the choice of vocabulary. Some words mean different things in the two varieties, for example: Mean: American English - angry, bad humored, British English - not generous, tight-fisted. American English: Dont be so mean to your sister! British English: Shes so mean she wont even pay for a cup of tea. There are many more examples (too many for me to list here). If there is a difference in usage, your dictionary will note the different meanings in its definition of the term. Many vocabulary items are also used in one form and not in the other. One of the best examples of this is the terminology used for automobiles. American English - hood / British English - bonnetAmerican English - trunk / British English - bootAmerican English - truck / British English - lorry For a more complete list of the vocabulary differences between British and American English, use this British vs. American English vocabulary tool. Spelling Here are some general differences between British and American spellings: Examples of words that end in -or in American English and -our in British English: color/colour, humor/humour, flavor/flavourExamples of words that end in -ize in American English and -ise in British English: recognize/recognise, patronize/patronise The best way to make sure that you are being consistent in your spelling is to utilize the spell check tool associated with your word processor and select the type of English (American or British) youd like to use.

Napoleons Greed and Ambition Essay - 1376 Words

Napoleon Bonaparte was historically not only the powerful invader but also the ambitious king. Napoleon made various works that effected France and the other country significantly, conquering almost of countries in Europe. Almost people in France praised Napoleon when he won in any war or any invasion. From successful occupation, people started to consider Napoleon as a god of the war and large numbers of people followed his order. Napoleon seems as the greatest emperor in the world. However, Napoleon was only concerned on his greed and ambition, which made questionable political decision and poor military decisions, changing him as an outcast. Having the highest spot in Europe, Napoleon changed to be arrogant and be rude himself. He was†¦show more content†¦At first, he was not concerned on the national problems because he was too tired and needed relaxation with his family. However, later, he found that France was becoming ruined and decided to make the coup against parlia ment. Lucien Bonaparte, a younger brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, made Napoleon the offer to become one of three governing consuls, but Napoleon rejected. He wanted to take the throne of France. Napoleon had his own greed that wanted to be popular and did not prefer people to forget his victories by uncompleted invasion, â€Å"Although he had been given a hero’s welcome by the populace he knew that this type of fame was fleeting, and he also recognized that recent French military victories in Holland and Switzerland had somewhat tarnished his own unfinished effort in Egypt.† When he made the coup against parliament, Napoleon mentioned the true liberty and the republic. â€Å"He then transported his spirited oratory to the beautiful gardens and the waiting troops with whose aid the republic would be established.† Napoleon called his troops for coup, saying that the real republic finally established. However, people did not consider this action as the republic. One deputy said â€Å"And the Constitution? You already destroyed the Constitution when you violated it. No one respects it anymore,† and the other people said â€Å"Down with the tyrant.† From the successful coup, Napoleon took the most authority in France, but present a bad image . In May 1804, congressShow MoreRelatedThe Tragic Consequences of the Rebellion on Animal Farm1164 Words   |  5 Pages In George Orwell’s book ‘Animal Farm’, many things went wrong. Many agree that the consequences depicted in the book could have been avoided, but what really caused these tragic happenings? Did these consequences occur solely because of Napoleon’s dictatorship, or did the animals willingness to cooperate also contribute in the downfall of Animal Farm? Napoleon was one of the main instigators of Animal Farm’s downfall. 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Adaptive vs Rational Expectations - 1453 Words

Differentiate between Rational and Adaptive Expectations and clearly explain their role in focusing on future macro-economic variables 1. Rational Expectations The theory of rational expectations was first proposed by John F. Muth of Indiana University in the early 1960s. He used the term to describe the many economic situations in which the outcome depends partly on what people expect to happen. Rational expectations theory is an assumption in a model that the agent under study uses a forecasting mechanism that is as good as is possible given the stochastic (random) processes and information available to the agent. Rational expectations is thus a theory used to model the determination of expectations of future events by economic agents†¦show more content†¦This current expected inflation reflects a weighted average of all past inflation, where the weights get smaller and smaller as we move further in the past. III. Role of Rational and Adaptive Expectations in focusing on future macro economic variables. Economist today use the adaptive expectations model but then complement it with ideas based on the rational expectations to understand a variety of situations in which specialisation about the future is a crucial factor in determining current action. This theory is a building block for the â€Å"random walk† or â€Å"efficient markets† and design of economic stabilization policies among others. †¢ The Efficient Markets Theory of Stock Prices A sequence of observations on a variable (such as daily stock prices) is said to follow a random walk if the current value gives the best possible prediction of future values. When properly adjusted for discounting and dividends, stock price changes follow a random walk. In their efforts to forecast such prices, investors comb all sources of information including patterns that they can spot in past price movements. 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Is Globalisation a Force for Good free essay sample

Globalisation is the process by which organisations, start operating on an international scale, or develop an international influence, made possible by communication and increasing improvement in technology. Nike, McDonald, Apple are all obvious examples of globalisation. Other less obvious examples of what globalisation has brought us but we are hardly ever aware of are internet, which a lot of us use as an efficient source of information; TV shows for news and entertainment; cell phones for communication; etc. More trades, more markets, business, more information, jobs and opportunities are promises of a globalised world. But reports and studies have criticised globalisation for recent issues regarding the environment, especially global warming. While some say that globalisation helps countries with modernisation along the Western line and increases opportunities for self-development, others argue that it undermines local traditions and results in loss of biodiversity. Some say globalisation bring overall national process, while others argue it creates and widens spartial inequalities. So, is globalisation a force for good? Opposing perspectives regarding globalisation vary, from how it affects the one’s country’s economy, politics to its impact on the environment, society and cultures. It is true to say that globalisation creates opportunities for new jobs for people, especially in developing countries. Many workers of manufacturing factories for global brands come from rural areas. They leave to industrialised cities in search for jobs to support their life. Statistic shows that Nike alone employs approximately 800,000 workers in its factories, which primarily located in South-East Asia. Global brand like Nike can help to decrease the increasing unemployment rate, which is currently globally a worrying social issue. The question which then arose is that: how do these global companies treat their workers in these countries where protective labour laws are poorly enforced and cheap labour is abundant? Unofficial complaints from workers and labour groups indicate that they are forced to work overtime, more than 7 hours a day, just to earn about $10 per week. In addition, a company with yearly revenue of $8. 7 billion, should be able to pay its worker a more decent wages. Many workers believe that they are being exploited, but have no choices but to continue working. Many think that this is better than having nothing, that they’re lucky since they now have a job. $50 as a monthly income would be sufficient to cover one’s basic needs in countries like Vietnam, China, etc. And supposedly there are more pros than cons for workers in countries where global brands have set up their factories, what about people of more developing countries? Their companies’ factories keep moving when they find a place with cheaper labour. It is obvious that employees have to face insecurity about their future employment. With globalisation expanding and changing, we now confront a challenge of new forms of global political structure to regulate the process. Actions which have been taken to encourage globalisation include removing investment barriers between countries, lowering taxes, loosen labour laws, etc. It can change shape of political power, as it is heavily influencing the economy. De-territorialisation of power by which the power of the state is undermined is an example. Globalisation also considerably affects the welfare regime. Local business has to compete with global brand is a big disadvantage of globalisation. Local tradition and cultures are also endangered by globalisation when traditional dishes are replaced by fast-food meals from KFC, McDonald, or when traditional music, clothing, housing etc. are being transformed into more modern forms. This is why local people may oppose to this idea of globalizing. However, we have to remember that globalisation is what helping us catching up with world, is an opportunities for self-development for every country. We are now able to know and learn about the world newest technology, science, medicine through internet, computers, televisions, newspapers, etc. and adapt and apply them our life and work. Students are able to go overseas and study to help their countries, whether it is their economy or medical health care. Globalisation is not only about money. Oil-rich countries may fall into the category of â€Å"underachievers† because they haven’t been able to convert or invest their wealth into better education and better living conditions. Globalisation working together with more developed countries and adapting their systems is possible helpful  solution. Globalisation also enables us to experience and appreciate other cultures. Environment is a huge aspect of globalisation. China and Seoul (Korea) are perfect examples of how globalisation impacts the environment. The two countries both are facing the challenge of sustainable development. For China case, they have put their aim of increasing production in order to be economically self-sufficient over protecting the environment. Pollution and over-use of resources were considered less important than meeting the need of a rapid increasing population. Forests are tracked down to make space for factories. Deforestation leads to soil erosion, increases the risk of severe floods and loss of rare species. As biodiversity declines, so does human’s health. Industrialisation leads to increase of harmful exhaust gas, contributing to global warming. Seoul (Korea) has been recognised after the Seoul Olympic. Since then the city has been a global site for tourism. Operations of many famous international hotel chains, fast-food restaurants, convenience stores increase. Investment from other countries effectively boosts up the economy. Migration from rural to urban areas in the country increases. Therefore, Seoul soon encountered the problems of over population. Chronic traffic congestion happens every day, primary source of water is polluted with untreated sewage and exhaust fumes haze over the city, blocking the sun. The benefits of globalisation are proved to be highly unevenly distributed. Statistic about distributing of telephone lines show that countries in the richest fifth of the world possess 74% of the number of telephone lines, while the poorest fifth only get about 1.5%. 3 billion people, nearly half of the world population are excluded. These are people who make less than $3/day or aren’t employed by global brands’ companies. They have no wealth, no access to internet and lack of skills to actively participate in this process. With all these problems and benefits brought to us by globalisation, it is clear that our biggest goal now is to ensure that globalisation become a sustainable process and a positive forward force for all, instead of leaving billions behind.