American Vs British English
American and British English is more of a struggle as to what nationality should be credited with regard to the growth and perfection of the English language. While both American and British powers may say that they are the authorities, it is highly debatable to consider which must become the standard.
Historically, the Brits became a bigger power before the Americans and this may have been the reason of their pride for the development of the English language. However, the Americans have also made their impact in the post war days making them a popular, if not, the bigger authority of the English language.
In addition, some notable personalities previously aimed to standardize the language like Noah Webster, the maker of the ever popular Webster’s Dictionary. He tried to lean more on the American style of English but did not really succeed in standardizing the language as many competing authors published their own dictionaries using the British notation. Because of this, the two types of English will sound differently when spoken. Some words will vary greatly as some letters are dropped in one while other letters have been transposed in terms of position.
In terms of possession, American English leans more on the ‘have’ as in the sentences ‘Do you have a smartphone?’ and ‘She doesn’t have any relatives.’ In the British sense, although the former notations still are acceptable, it is more appropriate if it is written this way, ‘Have you got a smartphone?’ and ‘She hasn’t got any relatives.’ As you can see, British English is more on the ‘have got’ notation.
The past participle of the word ‘get’ (a verb) also differs. In American, it is ‘She’s gotten much better at swimming.’ In British, it is ‘She’s got much better at swimming.’
Perhaps the greatest difference between American and British English is on their vocabularies. Some of the most popular terms are ‘hood’ in American while it is known as ‘bonnet’ in English. ‘Truck’ is the preferred term in American English while in British it is called a ‘lorry.’ There are too many terminologies to mention.
In terms of spelling, British English usually has that additional letter ‘u’ like ‘colour’ instead of ‘color ‘ and ‘flavour’ instead of just ‘flavor’. It also uses ‘se’ instead of ‘ze’ like ‘patronise’ instead of ‘patronize’ and ‘recognise’ instead of ‘recognize.’
Summary
1. American English accepts the use of ‘have’ to signify possession while in British English it should be ‘have got.’
2. In vocabulary, American English usually drops the letter ‘u’ in some terms and use the ‘ze’ ending in some words as compared to British English’s usage of ‘ou’ and ‘se’ ending.