Quote:
Originally Posted by RobinMask
They are in some respects, but there's a lot of words and phrases in one that aren't used in the other, and the spelling/grammar is completely different too. In American they would spell "plow" where the British would spell it "plough", for example, so it's probably best not to assume the two are the same, although I admit that they are becoming a lot closer 
I always thought it must be so confusing for a non-native speaker, because there's so many versions of English. . . I have to ask - just out of curiosity - which version is most commonly taught abroad? Is American more common to learn than British or other forms? |
In my country the answer would be: strictly British!! Our language-exam system is based on it; our teachers must use it, even if they are native American speakers.
I use the spell-checker here and must note I have to correct my words often for I use my original knowledge... It's a bit bothersome, but also educational
edit: I'd add that learning the words and grammar is quite different than learning the comprehension and pronunciation, so whilst I learned British grammar, I used American tapes/records too to learn the others. So in the end it's kind of a mixture of the 'two languages'.