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Showing posts with the label American English and British English

American Versus British English

George Bernard Shaw said famously that the American and the British were "two nations separated by a common language". Beneath are some instances of different usage in American and British language. You may already be aware of some of these differences, others may surprise you. US / UK Two weeks / Fortnight Legal holiday / Bank holiday Regular/special shareholders' meeting / Ordinary/extraordinary general meeting (of the shareholders) (Articles of incorporation and) bylaws / (Memorandum and) articles of association Income statement / Profit and loss account Currency exchange / Bureau de change President/Chairman / Chairman Chief Executive Officer / Managing director Realtor / Estate agent Real estate / Property Zip code / Post code Run (for office) / Stand (for office) Checking account / Current account Check / Cheque Mutual fund / Unit trust Penitentiary / Prison These are just a few examples. It is often worthwhile establishing whether your audience/the receivers of you...