American English is easier to learn than British English. Honestly! It really is. You don't
believe me? Alright, I'm going to prove this to you. Now in British English the word for
the place that we walk in the street is pavement, ok. In American English, what's pavement?
It's a sidewalk. Why is it called sidewalk? Because we walk on the side of the road so
it's a sidewalk. Now I've got ten examples to prove to you that American English is easy.
Alright my second example. In British English where is the place we go to buy medicine?
The chemist's. Now in American English they don't go to the chemist's they go to the drugstore.
The store that has drugs. Genius! Alright so it's the store that has drugs. That's like
in British English us saying the medicine shop. Well that would make sense too but we
don't say that, we say chemist's. So in British English chemist's, in American English drugstore.
You can also say pharmacy for both so yeah we share that one. Alright, you still don't
believe me! Ok, how about the season Autumn. In British English Autumn, it's a nice word
I like it but in American English Fall. Why do they call it Fall? Because the leaves fall
from the trees. So it's Fall! See what I'm getting at here? Ok, in British English we
eat something called a jacket potato. It's a potato that you put in the oven for a certain
amount of time. Thirty minutes, I don't know I haven't cooked one but thirty minutes and
then you can put cheese in and butter and whatever you want, I don't know. In American
English it's a baked potato. Why is it a baked potato? Because it's a potato that has been
baked. A baked potato. In British English a jacket potato? What, it's a potato that
has a little cute little jacket, little red jacket on? What? That's crazy! In American
English baked potato, why because we've baked it. Do you know what I mean? Alright when
you are writing in pencil and you make a mistake in British English you would use a rubber
to get rid of the writing. Ok, you'd use a rubber. In American English an eraser. Well
that makes sense because you are erasing the mistake that you made. In British English
a rubber? A rubber? We are technically rubbing it but you could rub it with your finger,
it doesn't get rid of the mistake. What! Also be warned, a rubber in American English, totally
different meaning. You can Google that one. Ok, this one is a bit more complicated stay
with me. Ok, so imagine we are going into a building, ok. In British English we enter
on the ground floor, usually the ground floor, ok. Then it's the first floor and the second
floor. Alright, In American English they enter on the first floor then there's the second
floor and then there's the third floor etc. So they are starting with number one and then
number two and then number three whereas in British English we are starting with ground
and then number one and then number two. I just think American English makes a bit more
sense there. I don't know, maybe that's just me but I'm kind of with America on that one.
This one also makes more sense in American English. So we have a street in a town where
all the shops are. It's the principal street, the one where everything happens. In British
English we call it a High street. A street that is high. It's not higher than any other
street but anyway. In American English, they are calling it main street. Why? Because it's
the main street in the town. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, I can't argue with that one.
It's the street where the main things happen. The main shops, the police station, the town
hall whatever it might be, it's the main street. So every town in America will have a main
street. Whereas every town in Britain will have a high street. Alright, if you are not
convinced by that one, how about this one? So when a baby is crying you might put something
in its mouth. In British English we call it a dummy whereas in American English they'll
say pacifier. Why pacifier? Because it pacifies the baby. To pacify means to calm, to calm
something. So you are calming the baby. Again, I'm sorry but American English makes sense
there, like if I want that baby to stop crying I'd rather use a pacifier than a dummy. Because
a dummy makes it sound stupid. Well that's what it means in British English anyway. Because
in British English dummy also means stupid, it's an informal slang word for some stupid.
'You are a dummy' means you are stupid. So pacifier, yeah they've done it again. There's
a British comedian called Michael McIntyre who raised my awareness to these ones. Now
the things that we wear on our eyes in British English are glasses. In American English,
eyeglasses because they wear them on their eyes. So they are giving you that extra clue.
Where are you wearing them? On your eyes. So they are eyeglasses. Alright, that makes
sense. The other one he mentioned was when we are riding a horse we are horse riding.
Whereas in American English, horseback riding. See there they are telling you where to sit
on the horse. Don't just grab it somewhere like by the head or wherever or by the tail
get on the back and then ride the back of the horse. So you are horseback riding. It's
almost like they are giving instructions with the vocabulary. Eyeglasses, wear the glasses
on your eyes. Horseback riding, ride the horse on the back. There's logic to that, I like
it. What do you think guys? Do you think that American English is easier to learn than British
English? Because I kind of think it is. You let me know. Of course I teach British English
and that's the one that I speak so therefore i want to teach it to you guys. I have a lot
of time and respect for American English. It's just a bit of fun, I hope you enjoyed
it. It's always fun to contrast different English types from American English to British
English and celebrating the difference and the diversity. Alright guys, thank you so
much for hanging out with me again, I've really enjoyed this one, it's a fun one. Remember
I'm back on Tuesday and Friday with fresh modern British English. Check me out on Instagram
and on Facebook for daily English content but until next time guys, this is Tom, the
Chief Dreamer, saying goodbye.