Hello, glad to see you here!
Me, too. How are you going these days?
I'm OK. What are you doing in the library?
Oh, recently I'm curious about British English and American English. So I just come here to get some information. They are really about the same, aren't they?
I don't think so. It seems to me that some of the spellings are different.
Such as?
Words like theater and center end in 're' in England instead of 'er' like we spell them.
Can you think of any more examples?
The word 'color' is another case in point. In fact, many words which end in 'or' in American English are spelled 'our' in British English.
I'm still not convinced. I mean, if someone comes here from England, we can all understand what he's saying. The spelling doesn't really matter that much.
We're not just talking about spelling. There are differences in pronunciation and meaning too. I remember seeing an English movie where the actors kept calling their apartment a flat. Half of the movie was over before I realized what they were talking about.
So there are slight differences in spelling and some vocabulary.
And in pronunciation, too. You aren't going to tell me that you sound like James Simpson.
James Simpson isn't English. He's Scottish.
Okay. Anyway, the pronunciation is different.
So British English and American English are different in many ways, right?
Yes, sure.
But it's not so different that it prevents us from understanding each other.
That's exactly what I mean.
Questions 9 to 12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.