Made in the US or the UK

BrE or AmE? I mean, do you prefer British or American English? Which do you find easier to understand? As there are some differences in vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation and grammar, learning about those differences can help you understand both varieties better, so why don't we work with it a bit more?

Watch the following video where the protagonist of Doctor House goes to Ellen Show, an American TV Show, and plays a funny quiz about British and American slang.




Now, watch this video about the differences in very common vocabulary between British and American English:



Next, you can carry on by using a British to American translator before having a look to the following information and examples about BrE and AmE:

British vs American English
Pronunciation of Vocabulary Differences
Vocabulary Differences (1st part)
Vocabulary Differences (2nd part)
Spelling Differences
Pronunciation
Grammar Differences
Business English

Now, do you fancy some real practice?

Ex. 1: British & American English Quiz
Ex. 2: British vs American Vocabulary
Ex. 3: British/American Vocabulary Matching
Ex. 4: List of British and American English Exercises
Ex. 5: Listening (Talk like the locals)

Now, listen to a very famous song, Louis Amstrong and Ella Fitzgerald:
"Let's Call the Whole Thing Off". Here you can listen to the difference in pronunciation of several common words in AmE and BrE.

More on pronunciation

In the last few lessons we have come across some pronunciation issues that are usually a bit tricky for some of you. Then, why don't we practise a bit more? If your answer was yes, here you have some links and actvities I hope they help you in the non-stop task of improving your English pronunciation. If your answer was not, think twice and practise!


WEAK AND STRONG FORMS. Here you have some links with some information and practice:

Phonetics: Strong vs. Weak Forms
Pronunciation Lessons 3: Weak Syllables

SILENT LETTERS. By now I hope you are familiar with the great lot of information and practice about different English issues that you can find online and of course on YouTube. Start your review on common silent letters by watching this funny video called Suicidal Silent Letters! It's great!

Now watch this one before moving to the online exercises.

English Phonetics: Silent Letters - multiple choice exercise
English Phonetics: Mark the silent consonant

In case you feel like practising more your pronunciation on more general aspects, here you have a some interesting links, some of which you can find in My Favourite Links section.

Many Things English - Pronunciation (+ listening, vocabulary...)
Multimedia-English.com - Phonetics Index

Pronunciation: <-ed> endings

Once upon a time... there were some Spanish students of ESL (English as a Second Language) who still, at NI2 level, had some difficulties with the pronunciation of <-ed> endings. One day, they were fed up with this constant difficulty and decided to do something to definitely improve their chances to improve their pronounciation in this matter. That day, when they realized they just needed some more practice and be a bit more careful when speaking, was one of the happiest days in their lives because... Ok, ok, yes... I know, I'm being a bit dramatic and perhaps I overreacted but, come on, you definitely need to do something to improve you performace so...here are some links to make that tale come true:

First of all, watch a video where an English teacher explains the main rules of Past Simple pronunciation:



You know songs are a great source to improve your pronunciation, so here you have a couple for further practice:

A not so famous song but with lots of explanations:



A more famous song where you can listen, not only to some Past Simple endings but also to the <-s> for the 3rd singular person in the Present Simple and, of course , some Connected Speech examples:



And finally, a bit more formal practice:

Past Simple Pronunciation (Exercise 1)
Pronunciation Simple Past Ending (Exercise 2)
What does the -ed sound like? (Exercise 3)

/rɪˈvɪʒən əv fəˈnetɪks/

Improving our pronunciation is not an easy task, but it doesn't mean it cannot be a funny one. Watch this video, is it familiar for you?

Well, now... do you feel like improving your own pronunciation? Yeah... I think so, here you have some links to practise English phonetic symbols and sounds. Hope you all enjoy it! Remember, it is essential to be able to read the symbols in order to improve your listening and speaking so, what are you waiting for?

English Phonology: 1-7.

English Phonetics (vowels, consonants, BrE vs AmE...)

The Sound of English & the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Phonetic Symbols & Sounds

Pronunciation Tips from the BBC

Phonetic Exercises & Quizzes

Minimal Pairs & Instant Sound

Dictionary with Instant Sound

And now, enjoy even more with this video about punctuation. It's great!