british english essay

Classic British and American Essays and Speeches

English Prose From Jack London to Dorothy Parker

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

From the works and musings of Walt Witman to those of Virginia Woolf, some of the cultural heroes and prolific artists of prose are listed below--along with some of the world's greatest essays and speeches  ever composed by these British and American literary treasures.

George Ade (1866-1944)

George Ade was an America playwright, newspaper columnist and humorist whose greatest recognition was "Fables in Slang" (1899), a satire that explored the colloquial vernacular of America. Ade eventually succeeded in doing what he set out to do: Make America laugh.

• The Difference Between Learning and Learning How : "In due time the Faculty gave the Degree of M.A. to what was left of Otis and still his Ambition was not satisfied."
• Luxuries: "About sixty-five per cent of all the people in the world think they are getting along great when they are not starving to death."
• Vacations: "The planet you are now visiting may be the only one you ever see."

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906)

American activist Susan B. Anthony crusaded for the women's suffrage movement, making way for the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution in 1920, giving women the right to vote. Anthony is principally known for the six-volume "History of Woman Suffrage." 

• On Women's Right to Vote : "The only question left to be settled now is: Are women persons?"

Robert Benchley (1889-1945)

The writings of American humorist, actor and drama critic Robert Benchley are considered his best achievement. His socially awkward, slightly confused persona allowed him to write about the inanity of the world to great effect.

• Advice to Writers : "A terrible plague of insufferably artificial and affected authors"
• Business Letters : "As it stands now things are pretty black for the boy."
• Christmas Afternoon : "Done in the Manner, If Not in the Spirit of Dickens"
• Do Insects Think? : "It really was more like a child of our own than a wasp, except that it looked more like a wasp than a child of our own."
• The Most Popular Book of the Month: "In practice, the book is not flawless. There are five hundred thousand names, each with a corresponding telephone number."

Joseph Conrad (1857-1924)

British novelist and short-story writer Joseph Conrad rendered about the "tragedy of loneliness" at sea and became known for his colorful, rich descriptions about the sea and other exotic places. He is regarded as one of the greatest English novelists of all time.

• Outside Literature : "A sea voyage would have done him good. But it was I who went to sea--this time bound to Calcutta."

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895)

American Frederick Douglass' great oratory and literary skills helped him to become the first African American citizen to hold high office in the US government. He was one of the 19th century's most prominent human rights activist, and his autobiography, "Life and Times of Frederick Douglass" (1882), became an American literary classic.

• The Destiny of Colored Americans : "Slavery is the peculiar weakness of America, as well as its peculiar crime."
• A Glorious Resurrection: "My long-crushed spirit rose."

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963)

W.E.B. Du Bois was an American scholar and human rights activist, a respected author and historian of literature. His literature and studies analyzed the unreachable depths of American racism. Du Bois' seminal work is a collection of 14 essays titled "The Souls of Black Folk" (1903). 

• Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others : "Mr. Washington represents in Negro thought the old attitude of adjustment and submission."
• Of the Passing of the First-Born : "He knew no color-line, poor dear--and the Veil, though it shadowed him, had not yet darkened half his sun."

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)

Known foremost for his novel "The Great Gatsby," American novelist and short-story writer F. Scott Fitzgerald was also a renown playboy and had a tumultuous life compounded by alcoholism and depression. Only after his death did he become known as a preeminent American literary author. 

• What I Think and Feel at 25: "The main thing is to be your own kind of a darn fool."

Ben Hecht  (1894-1964)

American novelist, short-story writer and playwright Ben Hecht is remembered as one of Hollywood's greatest screenplay writers and may best be remembered for "Scarface," Wuthering Heights" and "Guys and Dolls."

• Fog Patterns : "Yes, we are all lost and wandering in the thick mists. We have no destinations."
• Letters: "You would see a procession of mysterious figures flitting through the streets, an unending swarm of dim ones, queer ones."

Ernest Hemingway  (1899-1961)

American novelist Ernest Hemingway won the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature for "his mastery of the art of narrative ... and for the influence he has exerted on contemporary style" as demonstrated in his brilliant novel "The Old Man and the Sea."

• American Bohemians in Paris: "The scum of Greenwich Village, New York, has been skimmed off and deposited in large ladles on that section of Paris adjacent to the Café Rotonde."
• Camping Out : "Any man of average office intelligence can make at least as good a pie as his wife."

Martin Luther King Jr.  (1929-1968)

Civil rights activist and minister Martin Luther King Jr., winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, may be best known for "I Have A Dream," in which he wrote about love, peace, nonviolent activism and equality between all races.

• I Have a Dream : "Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children."
• Reading Quiz on "I Have a Dream"
• Ten Things You Should Know About Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" Speech

Jack London  (1876-1916)

Nineteenth-century American author and journalist Jack London is best known for his adventures "White Fang" and "The Call of the Wild." London published more than 50 books over the last 16 years of his life, including "John Barleycorn," which was somewhat of a memoir about his lifelong battle with alcohol.

• The Somnambulists : "[T]his archdeceiver believes all that they tell him. He reads only the newspapers and magazines that tell him what he wants to be told."
• The Story of an Eyewitness: The San Francisco Earthquake : "Not in history has a modern imperial city been so completely destroyed."
• Reading Quiz on "The San Francisco Earthquake"
• What Life Means to Me : "I accepted that up above me was all that was fine and noble and gracious, all that gave decency and dignity to life."

H.L. Mencken  (1880-1956)

American journalist, activist and editor H.L. Mencken was also a very influential literary critic. His columns were popular not only for their literary criticism, but also for their questioning of popular political, social and cultural views.

• The Hills of Zion : "Dayton was having a roaring time. It was better than the circus."
• The Libido for the Ugly : "Out of the melting pot emerges a race which hates beauty."
• Literature and the Schoolma'm : "The essence of a sound style is that it cannot be reduced to rules."
• The Lower Depths : "The worst idiots, even among pedagogues, are the teachers of English."
• Portrait of an Ideal World : "All the great villainies of history have been perpetrated by sober men, and chiefly by teetotalers."

Christopher Morley  (1890-1957)

American writer Christopher Morley was popular for his literary columns in the "New York Evening Post," among other literary magazines. His many collections of essays and columns were "lighthearted, vigorous displays of the English language." 

• 1100 Words : "Let us be brief, crisp, packed with thought."
• The Art of Walking : "Sometimes it seems as though literature were a co-product of legs and head."
• A Morning in Marathon: "[W]e flashed onto the Hackensack marshes and into the fully minted gold of superb morning."
• On Going to Bed : "The happier creatures ... take the tide of sleep at the flood and are borne calmly and with gracious gentleness out to great waters of nothingness."

George Orwell  (1903-1950)

This British novelist, essayist and critic is best known for his novels "1984" and "Animal Farm." George Orwell's disdain for imperialism (he considered himself an anarchist) guided him in his life as well as through some of his writings.

• A Hanging : "We all began laughing again. ... The dead man was a hundred yards away."
• Why Are Beggars Despised? : "A beggar, looked at realistically, is simply a businessman, getting his living."

Dorothy Parker  (1893-1967)

Witty American poet and short-story writer Dorothy Parker began as an editorial assistant at "Vogue" and eventually became the book reviewer known as the "Constant Reader" for "The New Yorker." Among her hundreds of works, Parker won the 1929 O. Henry Award for her short story "Big Blond."

• Good Souls: "They are fated to go through life, congenial pariahs. They live out their little lives, mingling with the world, yet never a part of it."
• Mrs. Post Enlarges on Etiquette : "As one delves deeper and deeper into  Etiquette , disquieting thoughts come."

Bertrand Russell  (1872-1970)

British philosopher and social reformer Bertrand Russell won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1950 "in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought." Russell was one of the foremost philosophers of the 20th century.

• In Praise of Idleness : "The road to happiness and prosperity lies in an organized diminution of work."

Margaret Sanger  (1879-1966)

American activist Margaret Sanger was a sex educator, nurse and women's rights advocate. She began the first feminist publication, "The Woman Rebel," in 1914. 

• The Turbid Ebb and Flow of Misery: "My own cozy and comfortable family existence was becoming a reproach to me."

George Bernard Shaw  (1856-1950)

An Irish dramatist and critic, George Bernard Shaw was also a socialist propagandist and winner of the 1925 Nobel Prize in Literature (which he didn't receive until 1926) for "his work which is marked by both idealism and beauty." Shaw wrote more than 60 plays during his lifetime.

• Preface to Pygmalion: "It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him."
• She Would Have Enjoyed It: "Why does a funeral always sharpen one's sense of humor?"
• Why Law Is Indispensable: "Laws deaden the conscience of individuals by relieving them of responsibility."
• The Art of Political Lying : "Considering that natural disposition in many men to lie, and in multitudes to believe, I have been perplexed what to do with that maxim so frequent in everybody's mouth, that truth will at last prevail."
• Hints Toward an Essay on Conversation : "This degeneracy of conversation ... hath been owing, among other causes, to the custom arisen, for sometime past, of excluding women from any share in our society."
• A Meditation Upon a Broomstick : "But a broomstick is an emblem of a tree standing on its head."

Henry David Thoreau  (1817-1862)

American essayist, poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau is most known for his masterful work, "Walden," about living a life close to nature. He was a dedicated abolitionist and a strong practitioner of civil disobedience.

• The Battle of the Ants : "I never learned which party was victorious, nor the cause of the war."
• The Landlord: "If we do not look up to the Landlord, we look round for him on all emergencies, for he is a man of infinite experience, who unites hands with wit."
• The Last Days of John Brown : "[T]he one great rule of composition--and if I were a professor of rhetoric I should insist on this--is, to  speak the truth ."

James Thurber  (1894-1961)

American author and illustrator James Thurber is best known for his contributions to "The New Yorker." Via his contributions to the magazine, his cartoons became some of the most popular in the United States.

• The Subjunctive Mood : "Husbands are suspicious of all subjunctives. Wives should avoid them."
• Which: "Never monkey with 'which.'"

Anthony Trollope  (1815-1882)

British author Anthony Trollope is best known for his writing in the Victorian Era--some of his work includes a series of novels known as "The Chronicles of Barsetshire." Trollope also wrote on political, social and gender issues.

• The Plumber : "The plumber is doubtless aware that he is odious. He feels himself, like Dickens's turnpike-man, to be the enemy of mankind."

Mark Twain  (1835-1910)

Mark Twain was an American humorist, journalist, lecturer and novelist best known for his classic American novels "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." With his wit and grand telling of tales, Twain is nothing short of an American national treasure. 

• Advice to Youth : "Always obey your parents, when they are present."
• Corn-Pone Opinions : "Tell me whar a man gits his corn pone, en I'll tell you what his 'pinions is."
• The Danger of Lying in Bed : "The danger isn't in traveling by rail, but in trusting to those deadly beds."
• A Fable : "You can find in a text whatever you bring."
• Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offences : " Deerslayer  is just simply a literary delirium tremens."
• The Lowest Animal : "[W]e have descended and degenerated ... till we have reached the bottom stage of development."
• On the Decay of the Art of Lying: "Lying is universal: we all do it; we all must do it."
• Two Ways of Seeing a River : "All the grace, the beauty, the poetry had gone out of the majestic river!"
• Unconscious Plagiarism : "[P]ride protects a man from deliberately stealing other people's ideas."

H.G. Wells  (1866-1944)

British author and historian H.G. Wells is best known for his works of science fiction, including "The Time Machine," "The First Men in the Moon" and "The War of the Worlds." Wells wrote an astounding 161 full-length books. 

• For Freedom of Spelling: The Discovery of an Art: "Why should correct spelling be the one absolutely essential literary merit?"
• Of Conversation: An Apology: "I am no blowfly to buzz my way through the universe."
• The Pleasure of Quarrelling : "Without quarreling you have not fully appreciated your fellow-man."
• The Possible Collapse of Civilisation: "Modern warfare is an insanity, not a sane business proposition."
• The Writing of Essays: "The art of the essayist ... may be learnt in a brief ten minutes or so."

Walt Whitman  (1819-1892)

American poet and journalist Walt Whitman's verse collection "Leaves of Grass" is an American literature landmark. Ralph Waldo Emerson praised the collection as "the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom" America had yet contributed.

• A Glimpse of War's Hell Scenes: "There was no exultation, very little said, almost nothing, yet every man there contributed his shot."
• Slang in America : "Language in the largest sense ... is really the greatest of studies."
• Street Yarn: "Come and walk in New York streets."

Virginia Woolf  (1882-1941)

British author Virginia Woolf may be best known for her modernist classics "Mrs. Dalloway" and "To the Lighthouse." But she also produced feminist texts such as "A Room of One's Own" and "Three Guineas" and wrote pioneering essays on the politics of power, artistic theory and literary history.

• The Decay of Essay Writing : "Under the decent veil of print one can indulge one's egoism to the full."
• The Modern Essay : "The essay must lap us about and draw its curtain across the world."
• The Patron and the Crocus : "Be sure you choose your patron wisely."
• Street Haunting: A London Adventure : "Into each of these lives one could penetrate a little way."
• Writing for My Eye Only: "I can trace some increase of ease in my professional writing which I attribute to my casual half hours after tea."
• A List of Every Nobel Prize Winner in Literature
• 42 Must-Read Feminist Female Authors
• Biography of John Updike, Pulitzer Prize Winning American Author
• Complete List of John Steinbeck's Books
• 27 Black American Women Writers You Should Know
• 6 Speeches by American Authors for Secondary ELA Classrooms
• 10 Important Contemporary and Late-20th-Century Authors
• Notable Authors of the 19th Century
• Sinclair Lewis, First American to Win Nobel Prize for Literature
• A Brief Overview of American Literary Periods
• American Author Maps: Informational Texts in the English Classroom
• Mark Twain: His Life and His Humor
• Jack London: His Life and Work
• Top 100 Women of History
• What is a Familiar Essay in Composition?
• Biography of Ernest Hemingway, Pulitzer and Nobel Prize Winning Writer

The Ultimate Guide To Writing In British English vs American English

Eloise McInerney

With a PhD in Languages, Literature & Cultural Studies, Eloise has a long background in language teaching which she brings to her work as an editor. When not poring over the words of others, she’s working on her epic fantasy novel, kicking bags at the gym, or roaming the beaches, hills and forests with her dog.

When it comes to British English vs American English, it has been said that we are “two countries divided by a common language.”

If you’re a writer or editor in the increasingly globalized digital market, you’ve probably encountered this divide firsthand in the job hunt. More contracts are certainly available for those who can use both of these common variants of English—but are you confident enough to expand your writing into a less familiar version of English?

Don't worry, it's easier than it seems. Though the differences between American and British English can be finicky, they follow distinct patterns.

In our ultimate guide, we cover spelling, common usage variants, and punctuation differences to help you write fluently in either variant of English and snag those extra contracts.

British vs American English: Historical Origins

English linguistic history goes back to before the 12th century. Back then, residents of what is now the UK used a combination of Germanic languages (which we consider the roots of modern English), early French, and Latin. Spelling and grammar weren’t standardized, and words with similar Latin roots might be spelled either the French way or the Latin way.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, influential dictionaries helped orchestrate the standardization of the English language. In 1755, Samuel Johnson published the first widely used British dictionary. Johnson preferred spellings based on a word’s roots, favoring French spelling , since, as he wrote , “the French generally supplied us.” Standard British spelling still follows this course.

Noah Webster, whose famous dictionary was published in 1828, tended to choose spellings based on common use and pronunciation rather than history, setting the trend for American spellings.

Now that we’ve seen how these regional variants were born, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty differences between American and British English so you can nail those overseas job proposals.

American vs British English: Usage and Vocabulary

It’s been suggested that when you pit British English vs American English, differences in vocabulary are focused around three areas: clothing, food, and transportation. It certainly seems that our terms for these common items are wildly different.

Here’s a quick chart so you don’t get caught out wondering what “boot” means in American English... or vice-versa.

American vs British English: Food

American vs british english: outdoors, american vs british english: clothing & fashion, american vs british english: everyday home items ‍ ‍, spelling differences between british and american english.

The common spelling differences between British and American English fall into these easy-to-recognize patterns. Still, there are always exceptions (this is English, after all), so keep a dictionary or style guide at hand.

-Or vs -our

American writers have mainly dropped the U in words with this ending. However, both variants may be acceptable on either side of the pond for some words.

• AmE behavior /BrE behaviour
• AmE color /BrE colour ‍
• In words where the ou sound is pronounced differently than an O sound, the ou spelling is standard to both regions: contour , troubadour
• In derivatives and inflected versions of these words in British English (that is, words where letters have been added or changed to denote different attributes or tenses), the U is not always kept: for instance, honour is BrE standard, but honorary drops the U .
• Cardinal numbers four and fourteen are always spelled with U .

-Ize vs -ise

The - ize spelling comes from Greek, while - ise is the French spelling. In American English - ize is the preferred form, while British spelling typically uses - ise , although style guides in Britain have more variance in their preferences. This applies to forms of the word other than the root word also. ‍ ‍

• AmE organize , organizing /BrE organise , organising
• AmE colonize, colonization/BrE colonise, colonisation

Exceptions ‍

• Words that do not come from a Greek root or do not use - ze /- se as a suffix are standard in English everywhere: advertise , seize , guise , capsize , franchise , demise , enterprise

-Yze vs -yse

This one is a bit simpler. In verbs, the British form is - yse while the American form is - yze . The spelling is followed in all forms of the verb. ‍

• AmE analyze , analyzing /BrE analyse , analysing
• AmE paralyze , paralyzed /BrE paralyse , paralysed

If a word ends in - re rather than - er , it’s the British spelling. However, even in British English, many words that end in this sound use - er . Generally - re is only used for the root versions of nouns; when this sound is used as a suffix (nic er , bigg er ) it always gets - er . Consult a dictionary if you’re unsure.

In the US, unless you are quoting the name of a fancy arts venue with an anachronistic spelling, it’s safe to assume - er is correct.

• AmE center /BrE centre
• AmE specter /BrE spectre
• AmE fiber /BrE fibre
• Words borrowed as-is from another language (such as French) retain their - re spelling in both UK and US English: genre , double entendre
• Words with Germanic roots, such as fire , anger , mother , danger , chapter , monster , member , and disaster, are typically consistent in both regions.
• Words made from the Greek suffix “meter” (for a measuring instrument) are always spelled - er : thermometer , barometer

While the British generally prefer the S when it comes to suffixes, for these words, they turn to a C , while Americans use an S.

• AmE defense /BrE defence
• AmE offense /BrE offence
• AmE pretense /BrE pretence
• Derivatives of the above words typically use the S in both regions: defensive , offensive , pretension
• In certain terms, the C denotes a noun form while the S denotes a verb form in both regions: Noun advice /verb advise , Noun device /verb devise ‍
• For other terms, that distinction is kept in British English but not in the US: BrE noun licence /verb license ; AmE license for both, BrE noun practice /verb practise ; AmE practice for both

Adding suffixes after the letter L

When adding one of the suffixes - ing , - ed , - er , - est , or - or , if the letter in front of the suffix is an L , British English typically doubles the L , while American English does not. However, watch out for exceptions.

• travel > BrE travelling /AmE traveling
• counsel > BrE counsellor /AmE counselor
• cruel > BrE cruellest /AmE cruelest
• Controlled and controlling are the same in both variants.

It gets trickier. When adding one of several other suffixes after an L , including - ful , - dom , and - ment , American English doubles the L , while British English does not.

• fulfill > BrE fulfilment /AmE fulfillment
• Words that are standard to both versions include till > until , null > annul
• British English prefers the root words instil , distil , and enrol over the American instill , distill , and enroll .

For other suffixes (e.g. - ous , - ize /- ise ) following an L , there is generally not a one-size-fits-all rule, so don’t close that dictionary!

Adding suffixes to words that end in E

For words that end in E , when adding a suffix such as - ing , -able , or - ism , American English sometimes drops the E as it is not pronounced, whereas British English typically will keep the E as a silent letter.

• Age > BrE ageing /AmE aging
• Like > BrE likeable /AmE likable
• Both sides of the pond typically use lunging , lovable , cringing , curable , and breathable.

Loss of vowel combinations/ligatures

Certain English words with roots from Greek and Latin, often medical terms, have been historically spelled with two vowels together to indicate what used to be a ligature (generally, a typeface that combines the two vowels into one character, e.g. ӕ or œ .) In British English, the combined vowels, either ae or oe , are kept, while in the US, only the E is kept. ‍

• BrE anaemia /AmE anemia
• BrE aeon /AmE eon
• BrE oestrogen /AmE estrogen
• Words that can be spelled both ways in US English: aesthetics/esthetics , archaeology/archeology , amoeba/ameba
• Words that can be spelled both ways in British English: encyclopaedia/encyclopedia , chamaeleon/chameleon , mediaeval/medieval

This is chiefly a word ending you’ll find in British prepositions and adverbs. Of course, Americans may use these terms in informal writing if they enjoy their unmistakable flavor. ‍

• AmE among /BrE amongst
• AmE while /BrE whilst

-T instead of -ed for past tense

For certain verbs, the British use - t to denote the past tense, while Americans typically use - ed . However, in American English, both variants are still often seen.

• leap > BrE leapt /AmE leaped
• burn > BrE burnt ( burned an acceptable variant)/AmE burned
• Among others, sleep > slept and sweep > swept are always standard.

-Og vs -ogue

Once again, the British generally use more letters, using - ogue where Americans use - og .

• AmE catalog /BrE catalogue
• AmE analog /BrE analogue
• While both forms of these words are accepted, dialogue , synagogue , and demagogue are the preferred spellings in the US.

Exceptions to the spelling rules

Of course, it wouldn’t be English without some spellings that don’t seem to follow any specific rule. Here’s a quick chart of some more unusual British and American English spelling differences.

Grammar differences between British and American English

Don’t think it’s all about spelling. Some differences have to do more with punctuation. Our comprehensive guide has you covered.

Single quotation marks vs double quotation marks

In general, while American writers prefer “double quotation marks” for dialogue, quotations, irony, and other purposes in a sentence, British writers use ‘single quotation marks.’

However, some British style guides do use double-quotation marks, so be sure to follow any specific instructions you are given.

If you’ve got quotes within quotes—say, a character quoting another within dialogue—the quotation mark styling for the inner marks is reversed.

British vs American English: Does punctuation go inside or outside the quotation marks?

American English puts two punctuation marks inside the quotation marks at all times: the period (full stop in BrE) and the comma. Colons and semicolons always go outside the quotes.

The em dash, the question mark, the exclamation mark, and the ellipsis typically go outside the quotes, unless they belong specifically to the quoted material.

British grammar is similar to US grammar in that it also puts the colon and the semicolon outside the quotation marks at all times. However, all other punctuation goes outside the quotation marks as well, unless it belongs to the quoted material and not the whole sentence.

In British English, in dialogue (that is, quoting from speech, real or fictional, rather than from another text), periods and commas typically go inside the quotation marks, as they indicate the tone of the speech and therefore belong with it.

Still confused? When it comes down to it, most punctuation marks are actually used the same way. The differences you should watch out for are in commas and periods. When these belong to a quote, as in dialogue or a full sentence from an original text, they’ll be inside the quotation marks in both variants.

When they are added to indicate punctuation in the new sentence, rather than the original quote, differences are as below.

Oxford/serial commas

The Oxford comma, or serial comma, comes after the final item in a list, before the word “and.”

It’s easy to remember which version of English uses the Oxford comma as long as you reverse what you’d expect: the English of Britain, home to Oxford University Press, tends not to use the Oxford comma. Meanwhile, in the US, the Oxford comma is more common.

Plural versus singular for groups

When referring to an entity composed of a number of individuals—such as a company or a band—an American would likely refer to the group as singular, while a British person would probably write about them as plural.

How can I learn to write American English—or vice versa?

Now that we’ve gone through the labyrinth of differences between British and American English, do you feel ready to take on a copywriting job anywhere in the world? If you’re determined to write like you’re on the other side of the pond, here are our five best tips for learning to write British English or American English.

1. Read the style you want to write.

The best tools writers and editors have are often their brains—and lots of repetition. After all, this is how we all learned English in the first place! Find books, magazines, and news media from reputable organizations in the version of English you want to write. Read often about a range of subjects, and you’ll begin to pick up on the variations naturally.

2. Avoid inconsistency!

The most important thing when writing is simply to choose one spelling/usage and stick with it. If you write “theatre” once, then make sure you always write “theatre.” Reader and editor preferences vary, but inconsistency always looks unprofessional.

It may be easiest to choose a major style guide to follow. (E.g., Chicago Manual of Style for American English or Oxford Style for British English.) Buy its official reference book and you’ll have all the info you need, though be warned that these can be quite dense.

Make yourself a style sheet and write down the required or preferred spelling every time you learn a new term. These can get long, so organize (organise) your style sheet so it doesn’t become completely unreadable.

3. Use your spellcheck to its full capacity.

If you’re writing in an unfamiliar dialect, spellcheck is your best friend. But make sure to double-check the language it’s checking—if you’re trying to write in British English and it’s set to American, you will have no end of woes.

Remember that this goes for the default autocorrect settings on your communications platforms and cloud documents, too.

If your word processor of choice doesn’t have a built-in spellcheck, try using an add-on such as Grammarly.

Most spellcheck programs enable you to customize your dictionary, so if you notice a word that you often get incorrect, you can add it to the program’s directories manually and never worry about it again.

4. Just look it up!

If you’re uncertain about a term, don’t guess: look it up!

Editing isn’t just about knowing what’s right; it’s about anticipating what might be wrong. Learn the signs that suggest a term might have an American or British variant—if you see an - ise or - ize spelling, for instance—and look those terms up at first rather than relying on memory.

Once you’ve learned a new term, add it to your style sheet. Choose one dictionary as your reference and stick with it, as there is some variance between dictionaries.

You may have to check often, but with repetition, most of these decisions will become second nature.

5. Ask a native speaker.

Many of us know somebody who either grew up in another country or continent or is living there now. If you have a friend who’s a native speaker of the variant you want to learn, ask them to scan your prose for anything that looks “off.” There’s no better resource than someone who’s been using a dialect their entire life.

If you don’t know anyone who speaks the variant personally, asking language questions on forums like Reddit and StackExchange could be useful. Or, if you can afford it, hire an editor who’s a native speaker. ‍

There you have it—the ultimate guide to the differences between American and British English. There are plenty more details to learn if you’re keen, but this will get you through the day-to-day.

Of course, if you’re still unsure whether you’ll get your target audience’s variant right, or if you don’t want to spend hours programming spellcheck, Eleven’s team of professional copywriters includes native English speakers from both sides of the pond, and we are ready to help.

Happy writing!

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How to write an essay in English

By ielts expert, 29 june 2023 - 16:00.

Many students say writing is the worst part of their English, but it’s often just a case of confidence. With practice, and the tips in this post, you can gain the confidence you need to maximise your English and really show it off. This post will look at the three stages of writing - planning, writing the text and reading it back.

If you are preparing for an exam, please be aware that for the latest information on exam format you should always go straight to the source – IELTS website . You can practice free online IELTS Academic Writing tests or General Training Writing tests . You can also practice writing your answer by downloading an IELTS Writing Answer Sheet .

Planning is an integral part of your writing. You might say “I don’t plan”, but somewhere in your subconscious, you do! By raising your awareness of your own planning process you can improve enormously. As a teacher, I see many students who plan and many who don’t. In general, the students that plan produce much better work, so if you are in the “no plan” camp, you should at least experiment with some of the ideas coming up.

Planning 1: Address the question

If you are writing for a class assignment or an exam, it is crucial that you address the question given. Adequate planning (five minutes is better than nothing) will keep you on track. 

Start by breaking the question down into its parts. There will usually be two or three aspects to the question. You want not only to cover all aspects of the question, but also make it obvious to your teacher or the examiner that you have done so, and the best way to demonstrate this is to give each aspect its own paragraph.

Planning 2: Brainstorm vocabulary as well as ideas

Once you have identified your paragraphs, think about what vocabulary you have at your disposal. Perhaps you would like to write one paragraph from a particular angle, but when you start planning you might find there are holes in your vocabulary and you are better able to write from a different angle. Choose ideas which best overlap with what you can clearly state in English.

Planning 3: Write chunks of language

Even with all the vocabulary in the world, some ideas are complex to express in writing. Causality, speculation and hypothetical scenarios are all abstract concepts which make it more challenging to say exactly what you want, but these are also an opportunity to push your English ability to the max and show your grammatical range. 

Sound out in your head how you will make your arguments, and when you get stuck, try writing this part down in your plan. It might be a whole sentence of just a clause. This will help you decide if you have enough English ability to get across a really impressive idea, or if you need to simplify your thoughts in order to remain clear to the reader.

Writing the text 1: Use your plan!

I have seen many students write logical, competent plans that address the question, only to go off on a random tangent when they start writing! 

Of course, you might change some things as you go along, for example if you have a new idea, but keeping an eye on your plan will prevent you from getting distracted and bring you back to the question you must answer. It will also keep you aware of how you are doing for word count and time.

Writing the text 2: Write your introduction last

You should at least consider this idea. The purpose of an introduction is to tell the reader what they are going to read, so how can you write the introduction when you haven’t written the content yet?

Introductions are fiddly to write on a blank canvas, but much easier when we already have the content written in front of us.

If you are writing on paper, it is still possible to write the introduction last - you just need to leave a few lines for it.

Writing the text 3: Make sure your introduction and conclusion match

Your introduction and conclusion should also match the content of your main body paragraphs. This might seem obvious, but I wish I had a euro for every time I have seen an introduction passionately in favour of something followed by body paragraphs and a conclusion that were passionately against.

This problem can be avoided by writing your conclusion last, as suggested above. It will also be avoided by planning, and thinking a little more deeply how you feel about the question before you start. When I say a little more deeply, I’m talking about a minute or so, not hours.

Writing the text 4: Use linkers

Linkers are often misunderstood as simply a way of showing “formal English” but in fact, we use linkers all the time, even when chatting with friends. We use them in speech and in writing to indicate “I’m going to add to what was just said,”  “I’m going to contradict what was just said,” and generally to help the listener or reader understand where we are going next.

After writing the text

This is another area where many students are very reluctant - you need to read what you wrote! 

Check for spelling errors, missing third person s, capital letters, whatever errors you are prone to make… and if you don’t know what errors you are prone to make, it’s because you aren’t checking your writing, so you need to start today! You can be the expert on your own writing strengths and weaknesses, and this will just make you better and better.

Moreover, you should read back your text because it’s enjoyable to see how skillfully you put your ideas down and how convincing your arguments are. You did it! Well done! Enjoy the moment with some positivity!

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American English vs. British English

American English is the form of English used in the United States . It includes all English dialects used within the United States of America. British English is the form of English used in the United Kingdom. It includes all English dialects used within the United Kingdom. Differences between American and British English include pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary (lexis), spelling, punctuation , idioms, and formatting of dates and numbers.

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History of british vs. american english.

The English language was introduced to America through British colonization in the early 17th century. It also spread to many other parts of the world because of the strength of the British empire. Over the years, English spoken in the United States and in Britain started diverging from each other in various aspects. This led to a new dialects in the form of American English.

American vs. British accent

Prior to the Revolutionary War and American independence from the British in 1776, American and British accents were similar. Both were rhotic i.e. speakers pronounced the letter R in hard . Since 1776, the accents diverged but English accent in America has changed less drastically than accents in Britain.

Towards the end of the 18th century, non-rhotic speech took off in southern England , especially among the upper class; this "prestige" non-rhotic speech was standardized, and has been spreading in Britain ever since.

Most American accents, however, remained rhotic.

There are a few fascinating exceptions: New York and New England accents became non-rhotic, perhaps because of the region's British connections. Irish and Scottish accents, however, remained rhotic.

To be fair, both American and British English have several types of accents and there is no one true American or British accent.

Noah Webster and the Blue-Backed Speller

Even after America gained independence, American schools used textbooks imported from England. Noah Webster , an American lexicographer, nationalist and prolific political writer, found them unsatisfactory. He disliked the influence and control of British aristocracy over the English language and its pedantic rules for spelling and pronunciation.

So in the 1780s Webster wrote and published A Grammatical Institute of the English Language a compendium that consisted of a speller (published in 1783), a grammar (published in 1784), and a reader (published in 1785). The speller became very popular and over time, Webster changed the spellings in the book to be more phonetic (e.g. color instead of colour ; defense instead of defence ). Webster's changes greatly influenced American English because his grammar books were so popular and used in schools throughout the country.

This influence was further solidified by Webster's dictionaries, first published in 1806. Noah Webster was a spelling reformer who believed that the spelling of words should match their pronunciation as much as possible.

Differences in use of tenses

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: I've misplaced my pen. Can you help me find it? In American English, the use of the past tense is also permissible: I misplaced my pen. Can you help me find it? In British English, however, using the past tense in this example would be considered incorrect.

Other differences involving the use of the present perfect in British English and simple past in American English include the words already , just and yet .

British English: I've just had food . Have you finished your homework yet? American English: I just had food. OR I've just had food . I've already seen that film. OR I already saw that film.

Differences in Vocabulary

While some words may mean something in British English, the same word might be something else in American english and vice versa. For example, Athlete in British English is one who participates in track and field events whereas Athlete in American English is one who participates in sports in general.

Rubber in British English: tool to erase pencil markings. Rubber in American English: condom.

There are also some words like AC, Airplane, bro, catsup , cell phone etc. which are common in American English and not used very often in British English. Some words widely used in British English and seldom in American English are advert, anti clockwise, barrister, cat's eye.

Differences in Spelling

There are many words that are spelt differently in both forms of English. Some examples are:

A majority of the spelling differences between American and British English fall into the following categories:

• - our (British) and - or (American). e.g. colour vs color
• - re (British) and - er (American). e.g. centre vs center
• - ce (British) and - se (American). e.g. defence vs defense
• - ise (British) and - ize (American). e.g. centralise vs centralize
• - yse (British) and - yze (American). e.g. analyse vs analyze
• - ogue (British) and - og (American). e.g. dialogue vs dialog
• Simplification of ae and oe in American English. e.g. gynaecology vs gynecology

Differences in the use of Prepositions

There are also a few differences between British and American English in the use of prepositions. For example: While the British would play in a team , Americans would play on a team . Another example: While the British would go out at the weekend , Americans would go out on the weekend .

Differences in Verb usage

American and British English may also use a base verb in different manners. For example: For the verb " to dream", Americans would use the past tense dreamed while the British would use dreamt in past tense. The same applies to "learned" and "learnt". Another example of differing past tense spellings for verbs in American and British English is "forecast". Americans use forecast while the British would say forecasted in simple past tense.

Differences in Pronunciation

Some words that are pronounced differently in American vs British English are controversy, leisure, schedule etc. There are also some words like Ax ( Axe in British) and Defense ( Defence in British) which have the same pronunciation but different spellings in both languages.

Time telling in British vs American English

Both languages have a slightly different structure of telling the time. While the British would say quarter past ten to denote 10:15, it is not uncommon in America to say quarter after or even a quarter after ten.

Thirty minutes after the hour is commonly called half past in both languages. Americans always write digital times with a colon, thus 6:00, whereas Britons often use a point, 6.00.

Differences in Punctuation

While the British would write Mr, Mrs, Dr, the Americans would write Mr., Mrs., Dr.

Video explaining the differences

Here's a funny musical video that outlines the differences in some English and British English language words.

• Books on American English
• Books on British English
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_differences

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Comments: American English vs British English

Anonymous comments (5).

September 23, 2012, 3:43pm i'm american and i prefer dreamt and ageing to dreamed and aging. spell check is doing red dotted underlines on those words! — 65.✗.✗.250

March 16, 2014, 8:57am Thx alot — 41.✗.✗.109

April 20, 2011, 11:47pm Did you know that a phrase in british english is knock-up it means to waken or rouse (in america it means to impregnate) learned it in school which makes school somewhat useful (not that much) crazy brits, be careful what you say around american chicks — 97.✗.✗.97

August 14, 2013, 10:58pm That line starting with "To be fair..." seems tacked on. It pretty well negates what came before it. — 108.✗.✗.242

December 28, 2010, 8:28pm I grew up in the SF Bay Area, and I had a mostly private education, except for State College. It seems I grew up learning a more “British” spelling. It wasn’t until I started using online dictionaries and MS Office, that I realized that there existed another variation. As a child color was colour. I still try to spell fulfill as fulfil. Neither was I aware that ageing should be spellt aging in American English, when were the standards changed? My piers would find that to be incorrect. Who writes dialog? I’ve always said learnt and dreamt, but only write dreamed and learned. Only recently have I heard someone say dreamed, and that person spoke English as a second language. Perhaps, these changes have come about to accommodate nonnative speakers of English? Although, I have heard differences in tense even here in California, I had thought that people speaking that way were undereducated. So while I might say, I just lost my pen, or I’ve just lost my pen, I would more than li — 64.✗.✗.212

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The differences between American and British English Essay

The English language spoken in the United States of America is what is referred to us as American English. The Americans born in this environment are considered the native speakers of this language.

On the other hand, the English language being spoken by the people living in the British Commonwealth countries is what is referred to us as British English. Although the English language may seem as just English to some people who are not native speakers, the American English differs considerably from the British variant in spelling, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.

The first instance of differences in American and British English occurs in spelling. This is well portrayed in the way different forms of stressed and unstressed syllables are written.

For instance, in British English, the stressed form of the word ‘travel’ has a double ‘l’ syllables and is thus written as ‘travelled’, while in American English, the word ‘travel’ has a single ‘l’ in its stressed form and is thus written as ‘traveled’ in the stressed form (Hargis 64).

Grammatically, American and British variants differ in several ways. The differences normally come out in many ways; however, one in which these differences are the most evident is in the way collective nouns are applied in a sentence.

Collective noun being the general name for a group of people or things is normally followed by a singular or plural form of a verb, depending on the way the group is conceptualized by an individual. In British English, the collective noun can agree either with plural form of the verb or with a singular one.

However, in American English, the collective noun is always followed by a verb in a singular form. For example, in American English, one can only say “which squad is loosing?” while in British English, one says “which squad is loosing?” or “which squad are loosing?” (Bragg 2).

Additionally, American and British variants differ in pronunciations to a certain extent. The way certain words are articulated in British dialect is not the same as they are articulated in American one. The way American English sounds is called general American pronunciation; such as that heard over the radio (Bragg 1).

The British equivalent pronunciation is termed as the Received Pronunciation, such as that heard over the radio. One point in which the British and American pronunciation differs is the way ‘r’ is pronounced in words.

In the general American pronunciation, the letter ‘r’ is always pronounced and termed as rhetoric, while in the British Received Pronunciation, the letter ‘r’ is always silent and termed as ‘non-rhetoric’. Thus, in American English, the letter ‘r’ in the word ‘car’ will be loud and sound as ‘ kar ’, but in British English, the letter ‘r’ in the same word will be silent and thus pronounced as ‘ kah ’.

There is also a considerable lexical difference between American and British English. Some vocabulary use in the American context may differ in pronunciation, spelling and meaning. For instance, in the vocabulary used in transport industry, the use of some terminologies differs.

In the United Kingdom, the part of the road used by people is termed as a pavement, while in America; it is called a sidewalk (Blunt 59). Generally, there are some considerable differences in English spoken by Americans. These differences are associated with culture and environment that exist in Britain and the USA. However, despite the differences, English spoken by the two regions is generally understood by all.

Works Cited

Blunt, Jerry. Special English words with American equivalents . New York: Stage Dialects Dramatic Publishing Company, 1994. Print.

Bragg, Rebecca. “The grammatical differences between American & British English “. Ehow. 2012. Web.

Hargis, Summers. Rules Britannia: An insider’s guide to life in the United Kingdom . New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2006. Print.

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To What Extent Is There A Difference Among English Spoken By British People And Americans?

English is a language that has a variety of dialects; particularly, there are three different major English segments. The English language is known in these three segments: English (American), English (Australian), and English (British or UK). The three segments have differences in the way they are written and spoken. This article will compare American English versus British English.

Comparing American and British (UK) English

The two languages are very similar, so much that it is very easy to understand between the two countries. The languages do not need translation due to writing in what is called standard English. Standard English is the written English format used in all three countries making it very versatile and easy to understand. There only a handful of similarities between American English and British English. There are actually more difference than there are similarities.

British English is a very formal form of the English language. The UK practices formal speaking and dictation while the United States of America uses slang and informal English. Our spelling of the same words even differ from each other. In the United States of America we spell words like color and favorite while the UK spells these same words colour and favourite. The formal, or British, version of the word has a u for dictation and pronunciation purposes. America likes to simplify the spelling of some of the traditionally spelled words.

Other ways the languages vary have to do with the meaning of words. Some words do not have the same meanings. Football in the United States of America is a very common sport where teams throw a football to each other trying to score a touchdown. Football in the UK is very different; the word “football” refers to what we call soccer. One controversial difference between UK English and American English is the word “fag”. In America, this is a highly offensive slang word while in the UK the word is very common and refers to a cigarette.

American English and British English have some similarities but are very different forms of the English language. The UK speaks a very formal version of the English language and the American version of the language is very informal. The dialects of the two versions of the language are also very different. British English annunciates while American English does not.

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When you receive back a document that has been reviewed by the Scribbr Grammar Checker, you’ll see two sets of tracked changes in it: one set from the grammar checker and one set from your editor. That way, you can easily tell who made what changes in your paper.

Not sure how tracked changes work in Word or how to review your edited file? Read our handy guide to learn more.

We tested ten of the most popular free grammar checkers to see how many errors they could fix in our sample text and deducted points for any new errors introduced. We also evaluated the tools’ usability.

When compared all the other grammar checkers we tested for this comparison and Scribbr performed exceptionally well. It was successful in detecting and correcting 19 of the 20 errors. See the full review here .

If our grammar checker flags an error that is not actually an error, you have several options:

1. Ignore the error: Most grammar checkers allow users to skip or ignore suggestions they do not agree with or find irrelevant. If you are confident that the flagged “error” is not an issue, you can bypass the suggestion and move on to the next one.

2. Review the context: Take a moment to thoroughly review the context surrounding the flagged error. Sometimes, the initial correct usage might still create confusion or ambiguity within the specific context, and reconsidering the phrasing could improve overall clarity.

Yes, this grammar checker covers the following mistakes:

1. Grammar: Correction of grammatical errors such as subject-verb agreement, tense usage, and sentence structure

2. Spelling: identification and correction of spelling errors, including typos and commonly confused words.

3. Punctuation: Detection and rectification of punctuation errors, including incorrect use of commas, periods, colons, and other punctuation.

4. Word choice errors: Catch words that sound similar but aren’t, like their vs. they’re and your vs. you’re.

Yes. There’s no sign up or payment required to use the grammar checker.

Yes. The grammar checker fixes any text, no matter what the medium is.

Search form

A for and against essay about the internet.

Look at the essay and do the exercises to improve your writing skills.

Instructions

Do the preparation exercise first. Then read the text and do the other exercises.

Preparation

Check your writing: grouping - ideas

Check your writing: gap fill - useful phrases, worksheets and downloads.

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