BRITISH VS AMERICAN ENGLISH LESSER-KNOWN WORDS

  On the whole, British and American speakers of English have very few problems understanding one another. Over the last half a century or so television and film have done much to familiarise Americans with British English (BrE) and Britons with American English (AmE).
There are actually thousands of vocabulary differences between British and American English. While many of these words can be instantly understood by speakers from the other country, other words might easily baffle someone who hasn’t spent a long period of time in both countries.
First let’s look at some of the well-known vocabulary differences between Britain and the United States. Native speakers from either country should know all of these:

10 well-known vocabulary differences

petrol (BrE), gas (AmE)
pavement (BrE), sidewalk (AmE)
lift (BrE), elevator (AmE)
boot (BrE), trunk (AmE)
lorry (BrE), truck (AmE)
sweets (BrE), candy (AmE)
car park (BrE), parking lot (AmE)
motorway (BrE), highway (AmE)
biscuit (BrE), cookie (AmE)
rubbish (BrE), garbage (AmE)
OK, they were the easy ones. Now try 10 more difficult ones, some of which may be completely unknown or are liable to cause some confusion between an American and British speaker.

10 lesser-known vocabulary differences

How many do you know? (The correct answers are at the bottom of the page.)

1. _______ (BrE) / barf (AmE)
2. pedestrain crossing (BrE) / _______ (AmE)
3. _______ (BrE) / downspout (AmE)
4. drawing pin (BrE) / _______ (AmE)
5. flyover (BrE) / _______(AmE)
6. _______ (BrE) / teeter-totter (AmE)
7. _______ (BrE) / rutabaga (AmE)
8. _______ (BrE) / eggplant (AmE)
9. _______ (BrE) / antsy (AmE)
10. braces (BrE) / _______ (AmE)

(Scroll down to see the answers.)




Here are the answers:

1. vomit (BrE) / barf (AmE)
2. pedestrain crossing (BrE) / crosswalk (AmE)
3. drainpipe (BrE) / downspout (AmE)
4. drawing pin (BrE) / thumbtack (AmE)
5. flyover (BrE) / overpass (AmE)
6. see-saw (BrE) / teeter-totter (AmE)
7. swede (BrE) / rutabaga (AmE)
8. aubergine (BrE) / eggplant (AmE)
9. fidgety (BrE) / antsy (AmE)
10. braces (BrE) / suspenders (AmE)

READING ABOUT... MICKEY MOUSE

Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character who has become an icon for the Walt Disney Company. Mickey Mouse is short for Mitchell Mouse. It was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks and voiced by Walt Disney.
The first appearance of Mickey Mouse was in Plane Crazy on May 15, 1928. But the Walt Disney Company celebrates Mickey Mouse birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of Steamboat Willie, because it is the first Mickey Mouse Cartoon with sound. The anthropomorphic mouse has developed along the years. He first appeared in color in 1935. The first Technicolor Disney film was Flowers and Trees from 1932. He also evolved from being simply a character in animated cartoons and comic strips to become one of the most recognizable symbols in the world.
Mickey's popularity has grown around the world. This was due to his angelic nature. Mickey never does anything immoral. However, in 2009 the Walt Disney Company announced that they will begin to re-brand the Mickey Mouse character by moving away from his pleasant, cheerful image and reintroducing the more devious side of his personality, starting with the upcoming Epic Mickey, a Mickey Mouse video game. The Walt Disney company thus intends to show the mischievous side of Mickey's personality.

Source: Wikipedia

Reading Comprehension:

1. Mickey Mouse's birthday is celebrated on
   a. May 15, 1928
   b. November 18, 1928
2. The first Mickey Mouse with sound first appeared in
   a. Steamboat Willie
   b. Plane Crazy
3. Mickey Mouse first appeared in color in
   a. 1932
   b. 1935
4. Mickey Mouse has always been popular thanks to
   a. his good nature,
   b. mischievous side of his character.