My students are always asking me:

學生總是問我：

What's the difference

英式英文和美式英文

between British English and American English?

的差異是什麼？

Which one's the best?

哪一個是最好的？

Which one should I learn?

我應該學習哪一種？

It's really confusing!

這真的很讓人困惑！

In my last lesson I talked about which type of English

在上一堂課我提過哪種類型的英文

you should learn.

是你應該學習的

You can watch that right here if you missed it.

如果你沒看過可以點擊這邊觀看

But in this lesson

但是在這堂課中

we are going to look at the main differences

我們要來看看

between standard British English

標準英式英文

and standard American English.

以及標準美式英文的差異

While it's incorrect to say that one type of English

儘管去比較兩種英文

is better than the other

表示其中一種英文比較好

or that one is more correct than the other,

或是哪一種是比較正確的這種觀念是不恰當的

it is important to be aware of the differences

但是注意英式英文和美式英文的差異

between British and American English.

卻是相當重要的

And focus on the type of English that is most

另外，特別注意與你息息相關的

relevant for you.

那種英文

And that is what this lesson is all about.

以上就是這堂課的大綱

The main areas that you'll notice differences between

英式英文和美式英文的差別裡

British and American English are

最主要的部份是

accent, obviously, spelling, vocabulary

很明顯的－腔調，還有拼音及單字

and some areas of grammar including use of

另外還有一部份的文法

prepositions and use of collective nouns.

包含介係詞和集合名詞的用法

Now if you are studying for an English exam,

如果你正在為英文考試準備

applying for or studying at an English University

為申請或正就讀於英文大學

or using English professionally for your job

或工作領域所需而使用受過專業訓練的英文

then this lesson is especially important for you!

那麼這堂課對你來說特別地重要！

Usually in all of these situations,

通常在這些情況中

you need to pay attention to spelling and grammar rules

你必須注意拼字和文法規則

because it can affect your score or even your reputation.

因為這些規則可能會影響成績，甚至是名聲

Okay so let's talk about some of these differences.

廢話不多說，現在就來談談這些差異吧

Starting with accent.

首先從腔調開始

It's probably the most obvious difference.

這可能是最顯著的差異

But the difference is not as simple as British

但是這些差異並不只是英式腔調

and American accents, right?

或是美式腔調而已，對吧？

Regional accents

地區性的腔調

in both of these countries can differ dramatically.

無論在英國或是美國都有顯著的不同

Someone from South London sounds very different

南倫敦的腔調

than someone from Scotland.

和蘇格蘭的腔調聽起來就差異甚大

And both sound very different from the Queen of England.

而這兩種腔調又和英國女王的腔調聽起來不同

And it's the same in America,

在美國也是一樣

the accent can vary significantly

腔調可以有相當大的多樣化

depending on where you are in the country.

而這依據所處地區而改變

That said, if we compare standard British English

這麼說的話，假如我們將標準英式英文以及

and standard American English accents,

標準美式英文的腔調做比較

there are a few clear differences.

也只有一些明顯的差異

There are differences in the way

在母音的發音上

that vowels are pronounced.

就有所不同

Hot.

Hot

Hot.

Hot

Okay so we would say hot. Hot.

我們會說 hot hot

Ant.

Ant

We say ant.

我們說 ant

Ant. Ant.

- Ant - Ant

Leisure. Leisure. Leisure.

- Leisure - Leisure - Leisure

Leisure.

- Leisure

Americans tend to pronounce a flap T

美國人傾向於發彈舌音

when the letter T is between two vowel sounds.

當字母 T 出現在兩個母音中間

Like in these words.

像是這些單字

The flap T is a flatter sound

彈舌音是一個比較平的音

that actually sounds more like a D.

聽起來比較像 D

Water. Water.

Water Water

Bottle. Bottle.

Bottle Bottle

Little. Little.

Little Little

Daughter. Daughter.

Daughter Daughter

Hear that flap T sound?

聽到彈舌音了嗎？

Its also very common in my Australian accent as well.

在我的澳洲腔裡也很常見

Standard American English clearly pronounces

標準美式英文很清楚地發出

the R after a vowel sound

在母音後的 R 音

where most British English speakers don't.

而大部分講英式英文的人不會這樣

So for example,

例如

car, car.

- car - car

Burger, burger.

- Burger - burger

And I just say burger.

而我只會說 burger

Daughter, daughter.

- Daughter - Daughter

You can hear some more of those examples

在這個影片中

in this video right here.

你可以聽到更多相關例子

Okay so accent is one difference.

所以，腔調是一個差異

But there are some more frustrating differences

但是，還有更多令人挫敗的差異

that can actually get you into trouble, like spelling.

因為這些差異可能導致你遭惹麻煩，像是拼音

Americans spell English words differently

美國人拼字的方法

to the rest of us.

與其他人不太一樣

Some of you may actually think that the

有些人可能覺得

American spelling is easier.

美式拼音比較簡單

It was changed only a few hundred years ago

從英式英語改變成新的美式英語

from the British way to a new American English way.

是在幾百年前才改變的

And the reason was to make words

而原因是讓單字

look more phonetic.

看起來跟發音更相似

So words are actually spelt more like they sound.

那麼單字拼寫起來更像讀音

It makes a lot of sense right?

蠻合理的，對吧？

Words that end in -our in British English

在英式英文中以 -our 結尾的單字

so think about the words

像是

colour, honour, neighbour.

colour、honour、neighbour

They simply end in -or in American English.

在美式英文中他們僅僅只是以 -or 結尾

In British English verbs that end in an L

在英式英文中，在短母音後

after a short vowel sound

以 L 結尾的單字

have a double L when -ed or -ing are added.

加上 -ed 或 -ing，句尾重複 L

Travelled or modelling for example.

像是：travelled 或 modelling

But in American English there is only one L.

但是在美式英文中只有單一個 L

Jewellery is another example of this

另一個例子則是 Jewellery

though even more changes were made to make jewellery

雖然 jewellery 這個單字做了更多變化

more phonetic.

變得與拼音更加相似

Words ending in -ise in British English

在英式英文中，以 -ise 結尾的單字

end in -ize in American English.

在美式英文中則以 -ize 結尾

Like realise, organise.

像是 realise 和 organise

Words ending in -re in British English

在英式英文中，以 -re 結尾的單字

end in -er in American English, most of the time.

大部分時候在美式英文中則以 -er 結尾

Like in the word centre.

像是 centre 這個單字

Words ending in -ence in British English

在英式英文中，以 -ence 結尾的單字

end in -ense in American English

在美式英文中則以 -ense 結尾

like defence and license.

像是 defence 和 license

You'll also find some small differences with past forms

在規律變化動詞的過去式中

of regular verbs.

也可以發現一些小差異

So the past tense of learn in American English is learned

所以，在美式英文中 learn 的過去式為 learned

but in British English learned or learnt is possible.

但是在英式英文中，learned 或 learnt 都是可行的

Though the -ed form is more common where I'm from.

雖然以 -ed 結尾的形式在我的家鄉是更常見的

Notice that the pronunciation is the same.

注意，發音也是如此

The same rule applies for dreamt and burnt.

規則同樣適用在 dreamt 和 brunt

As an extra hint make sure you're using a spellcheck tool

給你們一個提醒，務必確認將拼音檢查工具

that is set to the type of English that you're learning,

設定成你正在學習的那類英文

so that it's correcting your spelling

那麼才能矯正

with the right type of English.

正確類型的英文拼字

Vocabulary.

單字

The most frustrating difference between

在英式及美式英文中

British and American English is surely vocabulary

最讓人挫敗的莫過於單字了

- even for native speakers!

甚至是對母語使用者

There are hundreds of everyday words

上百個日常單字

that are just different.

都是不同的

And to make matters worse, Australian English

更糟糕的是，澳洲式英文

Canadian English, New Zealander English

加拿大式英文、紐西蘭式英文、

South African English,

南非式英文

can also use different words for the same thing.

也都在同樣事情上使用不同的單字

The difference is really obvious in nouns

在名詞上差異特別顯著

especially food, where each type of English

尤其是食物方面，每一種英文

has different nouns for the same thing.

在同件事情上都有不同的名詞說法

So for example the herb coriander

像是 herb coriander (芫荽)

is called cilantro in America, nothing alike!

在美國被稱作 cilantro，一點也不像！

And there are heaps of differences just like that.

還有一大堆的差異就跟上述例子一樣

I made a whole video about it right here.

我錄了一集關於這個內容的影片，可以點擊這邊查看

These differences in vocabulary are something

這些單字的差異

that even native English speakers

甚至是英文母語者

have to try and understand too.

也都必須試著去理解

We don't always know exactly

我們沒辦法確切地得知

what another English speaker is talking about

另一名說英文的人在談論什麼

because we use different words for the same thing.

因為我們在同件事情上使用不同單字

In those situations,

在這些情況中

we usually try to use the context of the sentence

我們經常試著用句子的上下文

to understand what this new word is.

去理解新單字是什麼意思

And if we still don't know, we just have to ask.

如果我們還是不懂就必須開口詢問

If you know what type of English you need,

如果知道哪式英文是你需要的

then I highly recommend

那麼我強烈建議

finding a native English teacher

找一位英文母語老師

who can help you to learn and understand

他可以幫助你學習和理解

the English vocabulary that is used in that place.

使用單字的時機

Cambly is a really great place for you to do that

Cambly 就是一個幫助你進步很好的工具

because they've got native English teachers from

因為他們擁有

all English-speaking countries.

來自全世界英語系國家的老師

So if you're travelling to Canada,

所以如果你正要去加拿大旅行

you can find a Canadian teacher to help you.

就可以找一名加拿大老師幫助你

If you're applying for a university in the United Kingdom,

如果你正在申請位在英國的大學

then find a teacher who uses the accent, the vocabulary

那麼找一名有英式腔調、使用英式單字

and the spelling rules

以及應用英式拼音規則的老師

that will get you really great results in your exams.

在考試中會讓你得到相當好的成果

It will just make it so much easier for you

一旦達成

once you arrive.

一切都會變得更加簡單

And you can try a free 15-minute lesson with Cambly

你可以試用 Cambly 的 15 分鐘免費課程

by using the link in the description just below this video.

點擊下方資訊欄中的連結就可以了

I've had a chat to a few different teachers there

我已經跟一些不同的老師聊天過了

and they've been super friendly and helpful

他們超級友善而且樂於幫忙

so I really recommend it!

所以我真的強烈推薦 Cambly

Now, prepositions are confusing enough

介係詞也夠讓人困惑的

without me telling you that sometimes

不用我說

American and British English

美式及英式英文

use prepositions differently.

在介係詞的使用上不盡相同

But don't worry.

但是不用擔心

Most of them are exactly the same

大部分是相同的

but there's just a few that you need to be aware of

只有一些需要注意

because they're used differently.

因為用法不同

"What are you doing on the weekend"

"What are you doing on the weekend"

is common in American English

在美式英文中很常見

whereas "What are you doing at the weekend"

然而，"What are you doing at the weekend"

is more commonly used in the UK.

在英國更常被使用

In Australia we mostly use 'on'.

在澳洲，我們大部分使用 "on"

When talking about a period in a week,

說到一個禮拜中的一段期間

'through' is really common in American English.

在美式英文中，"through" 相當常見

My brother works Monday through Friday

My brother works Monday through Friday

whereas 'to' is more common in British English

然而，在英式英文中 "to" 卻更常見

and also Australian English.

澳洲式英文也是如此

My brother works Monday to Friday.

My brother works Monday to Friday.

These mean exactly the same thing.

兩者表述相同意義

The good news is that native English speakers

好消息是英文母語使用者

will understand you no matter what

無論你使用哪一種講法

whichever one you choose.

他們都能理解

So it's not a major problem,

所以這不是重要的問題

it's just something that you need to be aware of.

這只是你需要注意的事情而已

When describing something that has recently occurred

當描述一樁近期發生

that affects the present moment,

並影響現在時刻的事情

I would use the present perfect, probably.

我大概會使用現在完成式

But my American friends would likely use

但是我的美國朋友可能就會使用

the past simple tense instead.

過去簡單式來替代

So let me explain with an example.

讓我用例子來解說

If I've just eaten a big meal and someone asked

如果我已經飽餐一頓而有人問我

if I wanted dessert,

想不想要甜點

I'd say "No thanks, I've eaten too much!"

我會表示 "No thanks, I've eaten too much!"

But an American would probably choose

但是美國人可能會選擇使用

the past simple and simply say,

過去簡單式，僅表示

"No thanks, I ate too much!"

"No thanks, I ate too much!"

Someone speaking British English would probably

使用英式英文的人在這種情況下

choose to use the present perfect tense in this situation

可能會選擇使用現在完成式

Collective nouns, which are nouns that refer

集合名詞

to a group of things.

與一群對象有關的名詞

Like a group of students is called a class

像是一群學生稱為班級

or a group of colleagues working on the same project

或是一組同事致力於同個計畫

is a team.

就是一個團隊

Or a group of cows is called a herd.

或是一群牛稱為牧群

A family, an audience, a crowd.

家庭、觀眾、人群

These are all examples of collective nouns.

這些都是集合名詞的例子

And British English and American English

而英式英文和美式英文

treat these nouns

在英文句子中

differently in English sentences.

以不同方式處理這些名詞

In American English, collective nouns are singular

在美式英文中，集合名詞為單數

so they're treated in the same way as other

所以他們使用與其他單數名詞

singular nouns are.

一樣的方式處理

The team has asked for more resources.

團隊尋求更多資源

The band is really good!

樂團超酷

The class is meeting at the library after lunch.

午餐過後，同學在圖書館集合

So even though there are many individuals

所以儘管有許多個體組成類別

that make up the class, grammatically, they're treated

文法上來說，仍被視為

as a single thing, as one.

一個單一物體

In British English, collective nouns can be singular

在英式英文中，集合名詞可被視為單數名詞

but they can also be plural nouns as well.

也可以被視為複數名詞

So someone using British English could say

所以使用英式英文的人可以

either of these different options.

說任一種不同說法

The class is meeting at the library after lunch.

午餐過後，同學在圖書館集合

So referring to the class as a whole.

把 class 視為一個整體

Or the class are meeting at the library after lunch.

或是午餐過後，同學們在圖書館集合

And that refers to

則將之視為

all of the individuals that are part of the class.

所有 "class" 中的部分為個體

The difference is simply about whether the group

差異僅在於

is being referred to as a whole, as a single unit,

是否將組合視為整體，為單一單位

or as a collection of individuals inside the group.

或是組合中個體的聚集

Then it's treated as plural.

那麼就會被視為複數處理

The team has asked for more resources.

團隊尋求更多資源

So that's the team as one unit.

那麼 "team" 就像一個單位

The team have asked for more resources.

團隊尋求更多資源

The team as a group of individuals

"team" 就像個體的組合

and the meaning is identical.

意思是完全相同的

The band is really good.

樂團超酷

Or the band are too tired!

或是團員們都累了

The individual members of the band are too tired.

樂團中的每個成員都太累了

While this lesson makes it seem like

雖然這堂課