Tasks and assignments

1.* Give the British spelling of the following words:

aluminum, analog, annex, artifact, connexion, check, dialog, disk, donut, draft, encyclopedia, gray, Hallowe’en, harbor, hospitalized, jewelry, judgment, labor, lite, maneuver, mold, mustache, omelet, pajamas, plow, practice, pretense, program, quarreled, specialty, story, sulfur, theater, thru, tire, woolen, afterward, drug.

2. Provide Received Pronunciation and General American one for the words:

dance, half, disaster, headmaster, clerk, schedule, dictionary, interesting, necessary, secretary, often, hot, poppy, holiday, valet, ballet, forehead, education, advertisement, compote, epoch, leisure, process, tomato, vase, new, student, what, where, when, whereas, which, whim, white, fear, poor, care, part, certainty, certificated, the idea of, Asia and Europe, law and order.

3.* Point out words: 1) the meaning of which in American English is entirely different from that in British English, 2) the general meaning of which is the same in both variants, but which have acquired an additional specific meaning in one of the variants:

tardy, guess, homely, sick, billion, corn, dessert, buzzard, fag end, bun, flip-flop, bathroom, vacation, pavement, smart, bureau, express, tube, cocktail.

4.* Which of the statements belong to British English and to American English?

1) I want to make a call to California. Could you connect me within 10 minutes?

2) I’m sorry your number is engaged. Shall I try and put you through later?

3) After you have filled out the form, take the elevator to the second floor and there you may exchange your money.

4) Where can I find a phone box? I want to ring my mother up. Oh, I need to change my pound note.Where can I do it?

5) The toilet’s on the ground floor. Go past the chemist’s, the Lost Property, and there you’ll see it.

6) There’s no need for you to queue up with your telegramme.

7) He wants to mail some of his letters.Tell him the zip code, please, and show him where the mailbox is.

5.* Find historical Americanisms, proper Americanisms and American borrowings:

corn, jazz, sick, fall, mosquito, adjunct professor, mad, electoral college, guess, campus, bluejay, skunk, bobcat, raccoon, casket, moose, poker-faced, canyon, coyote, patrol wagon, wheels, wheat, dude, tepee, wickiup, wigwam, buffalo.

6.* Complete the table using British English or American English words.

American English	British English	American English	British English
a truck farm … appetizer … scallion, greenonion … bathing suit, swim suit … installment … druggist … tuxedo … ask for a list … grocery store … German shepherd	… dressing table … rubbish … peak time … fitted carpets … jacket potato … limited, ltd. … block of flats … return ticket … sellotape …	truck … principal … skillet … pantihose … duplex … oatmeal … eraser … sales tax … antenna … eggplant	… to grill … timber … subway … chips … tap … conjurer … paraffin … tram … nappy …

7.* Translate the following words into English, giving British and American variants:

извините, каникулы, первый этаж, лифт, сумочка, фамилия, бензин, позвонить, вата, осень, детская коляска, плащ, метро, почтальон, шашки, очередь, бумажник, аптека, шоссе, консервная банка, студент II курса, почтовый индекс, мобильный телефон, телефонная будка, жилет, арендовать, парковка, справочное бюро, антракт, пляж, партер.

8.* Translate the following phrases, using the prepositions current in America and then in England:

с понедельника по пятницу, навестить кого-либо, стоять на углу, ездить на поезде, сходить с поезда, жить на улице X, помимо (кроме, за исключением), без четверти девять, четверть десятого, заполнить бланк, сидеть дома, на выходных, от имени, отличный от, проверять (сверять) что-либо, переделать.

9.* Can you avoid some of the most common confusions arising between British and American speakers? Try the following quiz¹.

1) Where would you take (a) an American visitor (b) a British visitor who said that wanted to wash up – the kitchen or the bathroom?

2) Which would surprise you more – an American or a British man telling you that he wanted to go to change his pants?

3) You have just come into an unknown office block. If (a) an American (b) a Brit says that the office you need is on the second floor, how many flights of stairs do you need to climb?

4) If (a) an American (b) a Brit asks for a bill, is he or she more likely to be in a bank or a café?

5) Would a man wear a vest under or over his shirt if (a) he is British (b) he is from the USA?

10.* Convert the following sentences into British English:

A. 1) I had a blow-out. 2) Pass me the cookies. 3) It’s in the closet. 4) Open the drapes. 5) We’ve run out of gas. 6) Our bags are in the trunk. 7) One-way or round trip? 8) Buy a one-way ticket. 9) We’re leaving in the fall. 10) I hate waiting in line.

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¹ Ex. 9-15 (except for ex. 10 B) P. 44-45 are borrowed from McCarthy, M., O’Dell, F. English Vocabulary in Use (upper-intermediate). – Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001. – P. 95-199.

B. 1. Do you have the time? – Yeah, it’s five of four. – Did you say five after? – No, five of four. 2. What are you gonna do on the weekend? – The usual stuff. Play soccer with the kids, and sweep the yard. 3. Did you enjoy the game? – Yeah, it was great, but we had to stand in line for half an hour to get tickets. 4. Did you have a good vacation? – Yeah, real good. – How long were you away? – Five days in all. Monday thru Friday. 5. Can you mail this letter and package for me? – Sure thing. – And can you stop at the liquor store and buy a six-pack of Michelob and some potato chips? – Is that all? 6. Did you see The Birds on cable last night? – Sure, even though I’ve seen it two times before. – My third time. Isn’t it just an awesome movie? – Sure is. One of my favourites. 7. Did they bring the check yet? – Yeah. They just did. But I can’t read a thing. It’s lighted too badly in here. 8. Do we need a stop for gas? – Yeah, why not? I need to use the restroom anyway. (From New Headway Advanced).

11.* What do you think these examples of Australian colloquialisms mean? They are all formed by abbreviating an English word which you probably know.

1. I’m exhausted – let’s have a smoko!

2. She want to be journo when she leaves uni.

3. We got terribly bitten by mozzies at yeasterday’s barbie.

4. He’s planning to do a bit of farming bizzo while he’s in the States.

5. What are you doing this arvo?

6. We decided to have a party as the olds had gone away for the weekend.

12.* Match the Indian English word with its British English equivalent.

1. abscond	catch (e.g. by police)
2. nab	man who annoys girls
3. bag (i.e. a seat in an election)	plimsolls, sneakers
4. Eve-teaser	underwear
5. car-lifter	flee
6. fleetfoots	people awaiting trial
7. undertrials	car thief
8. wearunders	capture / obtain

13.* Below you have some statements made by a Scot. Answer the questions about them.

1. Mary had a bonny wee lassie last night. What happened to Mary yesterday?

2. Thay stay next to the kirk. What noise is likely to wake them on Sunday mornings?

3. It’s a bit dreich today. Is it good weather for a picnic?

4. He’s got a new job as janitor at the school. What kind of duties will he have?

5. Would you like a wee dram? If you say ‘yes’, what will you get?

6. ‘Are you coming, Jim?’ ‘Aye.’ Is Jim coming or isn’t he?

7. They have a wonderful view of the loch from their window. What can they see from the window?

14.* Answer the following questions relating Black English.

1. Would you be pleased to be called square?

2. What does hair that is in dreadlocks look like?

3. When might you feel dead beat?

4. If musicians have a jam session what do they do?

15.* A particular well-known kind of dialect is Cockney rhyming slang where an expression is used in place of something that it rhymes with. E.g. trouble and strife = wife; apples and pears = stair. Try to translate the Cockney rhyming slang expressions in the sentences below.

1. Let’s have a butcher’s (short for butcher’s hook) at your homework. 2. Just look at those Gawd forbids playing football! 3. It’s on the Cain and Abel next to the phone. 4. What a set of Hamstead Heath! 5. She’ll get him to the lean and lurch by cook or by crook. 6. Have you seen my titfer? (short for tit for tat).