Teach English in Sandbach - TESOL Courses

British english vs. American english. Living in Europe, I find the variety of english that I hear on the street fascinating. For example, I have three German friends, one who lived in Glasgow for 5 years, one who studied english in london and one that studied for a year in Kentucky. They all speak english well and they all speak correctly, but sometimes it almost seems as if they are not speaking the same language. Beginning as an english teacher, I think it is important to recognize and become familiar with the differences in the 2 most commonly taught/heard forms of english- British and American. I was born and raised in California and would therefore be teaching American english but I still want to be familiar with British english grammar rules so that I do not take for an error a form of spelling that is instead a British form unfamiliar to me. When starting out with a beginner class, I would stick to the American style of spelling while being transparent with the students on this issue. I would also make a point of speaking clear, articulate, slang-free english. It is important that students become accustomed to and commit to one style of spelling and pronunciation. If they are switching back and forth, then their spelling could be perceived as false. This will prove slightly more complicated when I have higher level students who have already studied english in school. Most schools in Europe teach British english while movies and media simultaneously expose students to American english. I would of course not encourage the students to switch from what they have been correctly taught but would clarify the differences between the two forms and encourage them to stay consistent, especially in the classroom. As a teacher in this setting, it is particularly important to know British grammar rules as well as American, which are largely adapted to the spoken language rather than traditional grammar. A difference, for example, is the expression of the recent past. In British english, one could say “I've lost my phone,” while in American english, we would not. We would say “I lost my phone,” which could be considered incorrect in British english. There are also many spelling differences: colour vs. color, theatre vs. theater, honour vs. honor, as well as vocabulary differences lorry, queue, bloke- all words not used in American english. These differences may prove difficult to address in class because the exact rules are often unclear and more related to the spoken languages. Many of the supposed differences in rules that I have seen online I have never heard of nor do I agree with. The topic seems to be somewhat of a gray area and for that reason I would not be 100% confident teaching these differences, especially when I find them untrue in an applicable sense. However, issues such as spelling and pronunciation can be easily discerned and discussed. I think that the main importance is that I am familiar enough with both styles of speaking to be able to recognize when a student is saying something that is correct in neither.