American vs British English

English language is used differently in United States and in England and in other English speaking countries. There are some differences between American and British English in vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation as well as a few grammatical differences.

Also See:

American vs British Vocabulary
American vs British Spellings

Grammatical Differences



Use of Present Perfect
American EnglishBritish English
Prefer Simple Past Tense

They just arrived home.

We just finished our meal.

Perfect Tense "Have"

They have most likely landed by now.		Prefer Present Perfect Tense

They have just arrived home.

We have just finished our meal.

Perfect Tense "Have"

They most likely have landed by now.



Use of subjunctive. [It’s Necessary/ essential / vital / urgent / imperative… that + (hidden should) + verb]
American EnglishBritish English
It’s essential that she be told the truth.

It’s vital that you be taken to hospital.

It’s important that Tom stop smoking.		It’s essential that she should be told the truth.

It’s vital that you should be taken to hospital.

It’s important that Tom should stop smoking.



Asking for the person on the phone
American EnglishBritish English
Hello, is this Jack?Hello, is that Jack?



Use of look like /as If
American EnglishBritish English
He looks like he is an expert.He looks as if / like an expert.
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