I'm sorry, what?
"Two nations divided by a common language” There have been a few variations on this quote and no one seems sure who uttered it first: George Bernard Shaw? Mallory Browne? Raymond Gram Swing? Oscar Wilde? While that may never be answered, the longer I live here the more apt it becomes. A good friend asked me to post about these differences, and man, are there a lot of them! Anyone from an English-speaking country is in some ways at a disadvantage here in the UK since we’re expected (and expect) to know the language. I thought I knew English, but I quickly learned that I only know American English. British and American English don't only differ in which words are used, but also spelling, pronunciation and sentence structure. There are also regional differences in word usage and pronunciation, and sometimes sentence structure. Add to that the incredibly dry sarcasm, it is easy to misunderstand and be misunderstood. Fortunately, most Brits are far too polite to ridicule (or maybe...