The Language Teacher

For better or worse, English is now firmly established as the world lingua franca. Students who want to use English for the purpose of international communication need to know more than the vocabulary and usage habits that are particular to one region alone. They need language that works anywhere. To avoid teaching purely local forms, even the best native English-speaking teachers may need help in realizing the contours of their own dialects. Take the quiz below to see how well you are able to recognize the variety differences that may be making some of the English you teach less international than you think.

Circle the best answer

The following designations, while not perfect, are used to create general categories for the purposes of this quiz: "British" includes the English spoken in South Africa, Australia, Ireland, India, etc. "American" includes the English spoken in Canada, the Philippines, etc. (from Crystal, English as a Global Language, Cambridge University Press, 1997, p. 62.)

1. I live on Brown Street.

a. British only

b. American only

c. Both

d. Neither

2. Please fill in this form.

a. British only

b. American only

c. Both

d. Neither

3. I wrote Jill last week.

a. British only

b. American only

c. Both

d. Neither

4. Did you eat yet?

a. British only

b. American only

c. Both

d. Neither

5. Go straight on for about a mile.

a. British only

b. American only

c. Both

d. Neither

6. The store's open from Monday through Friday.

a. British only

b. American only

c. Both

d. Neither

7. 5/4/98 means May 4th, 1998.

a. British only

b. American only

c. Both

d. Neither

8. The time is five to three.

a. British only

b. American only

c. Both

d. Neither

9. Does Ed play piano?

a. British only

b. American only

c. Both

d. Neither

10. She's been in hospital for weeks.

a. British only

b. American only

c. Both

d. Neither

11. He's a high school sophomore.

a. British only

b. American only

c. Both

d. Neither

12. Let's take the escalator to the top floor.

a. British only

b. American only

c. Both

d. Neither

Explanation

1. b. In British English, standard usage is "I live in Brown Street."
2. c. In American English, both "fill in" and "fill out" are common. In British English, "fill in" is predominant.
3. b. In British English, "to" must precede the proper name (I wrote to Jill), although it is omitted in sentences like, "I wrote Jill a letter."
4. b. In British English, the only acceptable form is "Have you eaten yet?"
5. a. In American English, "straight ahead" is the only option. In British English, either one is acceptable.
6. b. In British English, it is "Monday to Friday," meaning Friday is included. In American English, both forms are used.
7. b. Only in American English. Other varieties seem to prefer the day/month/year sequence for numerical abbreviation of the date.
8. c. American English also has "five before three" and "five of three."
9. b. In British English, it is "play the piano."
10. a. In American English, it is "in the hospital." However, both varieties say "in prison."
11. b. Freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior as school level designations are peculiar to American (but not Canadian) English. British English uses first-year, second-year, etc.
12. c. Although American English's elevator is lift in British English, escalator is common to both, as is top floor.