Two Nations Divided by a Common Language – Some Differences between American & British English
“Two nations divided by a common language” – an expression variously attributed to Oscar Wilde & George Bernard Shaw seems to rather aptly sum up some of the ‘infuriating’ differences between “our version of English” and that of our American cousins across the pond. Here at guernseyDonkey.com we hold our council as to which we think is the “correct version”, but in this article we present just some of the subtle, and not so subtle, differences in our (not so) common tongue.
 British English |  American English |
|---|---|
| Autumn | Fall |
| Bill | Check |
| Biscuit | Cookie |
| Boot (Of A Car) | Trunk |
| Caravan | Trailer |
| Caretaker | Janitor |
| Car | Park, Parking Lot |
| Chips | (French) Fries |
| Crisps | Chips |
| Curtains | Drapes |
| Cv | Résumé |
| Driving Licence | Driver’s License |
| Engaged (Telephone Line) | (Telephone Line) Busy |
| Father Christmas | Santa Claus |
| Film | Movie |
| Flat | Apartment |
| Fortnight | Two Weeks |
| Full Stop | Period |
| Ground Floor | First Floor |
| Bloke | Guy |
| Handbag | Purse |
| Holiday | Vacation |
| Lift | Elevator |
| Lift (In A Car) | Ride |
| Lorry | Truck |
| Maths | Math |
| Mobile (Phone) | Cell (Phone) |
| Mum | Mom |
