Differences between British and American Spelling

Most dictionaries include both spellings and will make note of the two spellings. Usually the
differences are noted in one of two ways:

In many US dictionaries the difference is included in the headword with the variation in
parentheses:

For example colo(u)r

In British Dictionaries, the Dictionary makes note of the difference in brackets immediately
after the headword:

For example watch, plural watches; glass, plural glasses

The table provides a list of the main differences between British and American spelling:

British American
-our (honour) -or (honor)
-re (centre) -er (center)
-ogue (dialogue) -og (dialog)
-ense
-ence (defence)
(defense)
-ize
-ise 1 (recognise)
(recognize)
American English spelling sometimes does not double the consonant at the end
of a word, while British English spelling does, especially when the consonant is
an 'l'.

For example travel, traveller, travelling (British) and travel, traveler, traveling
(American)

PROS and CONS

Read the following paragraphs. Notice that this paragraph presents the pros and cons of a
shorter work week.

Introducing a short work week may lead to both positive and negative affects on society. For
workers, the advantages of shortening the work week include more free time. This will lead to
stronger family relationships, as well as better physical and mental health for all. An increase
in free time should lead to more service sector jobs as people find ways to enjoy their extra
leisure time. What is more, companies will need to hire more workers to keep production up
to past levels of a standard forty hour work week. All together, these benefits will not only
improve quality of life, but also grow the economy as a whole.

On the other hand, a shorter work week may damage the ability to compete in the global
workplace. Moreover, companies may be tempted to outsource positions to countries where

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longer work weeks are common. Another point is that companies will need to train more
workers to make up for the lost productivity hours. To sum up, companies will likely have to
pay a steep price for shorter work weeks.

In summary, it is clear that there would be a number of positive gains for individual workers
if the work week were shortened. Unfortunately, this move could easily cause companies to
look elsewhere for qualified staff. In my opinion, the net positive gains outweigh the negative
consequences of such a move towards more free time for all.

Tips for Writing a For and Against Argument

• Before you begin, write down at least five positive points, and five negative points for
your argument.
• Begin your writing by making a statement about the general statement about outcome
of an action, or the overall situation.
• Dedicate the first paragraph to one side of the argument. This can be either positive or
negative. Generally, it is the side with which you agree.
• The second paragraph should contain the other side of the argument.
• The final paragraph should shortly summarize both paragraphs, and provide your own
general opinion on the matter.

Helpful Language

Expressing Both Sides

pros and cons
advantages and disadvantages
plus and minus
(arguments) for and against

Ordering
First of all,
Firstly,
To start off with,
Initially,
Then,
Next,
After that,
As soon as / When + full clause,
... but then
Immediately,
Interruptions / New Elements to the Story:
Suddenly,
Unexpectedly,
Suddenly, a child burst into the room with a note for Ms. Smith.
Unexpectedly, the people in the room didn't agree with the mayor.
Events Occurring at the Same Time
While / As + full clause
During + noun (noun clause) While we were getting ready for the trip, Jennifer was making
the reservations at the travel agent's.
During the meeting, Jack came over and asked me a few questions.

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Ending:
Finally,
In the end,
Eventually,
Lastly,
Summarizing
To sum up,
In conclusion,
In summary,
All things considered,

Showing Contrast
However,
On the other hand,
Although .....,
Unfortunately,
Even though
Even though it was expensive, he bought the car.
Though he loves doughnuts, he has given them up for his diet.
Although the course was difficult, he passed with the highest marks.
Nevertheless
High level positions are stressful at times; nevertheless, professionals can learn to manage
their stress levels.
Despite (the fact that), in spite of
In spite of the stressful nature of high level positions, professionals can learn to manage their
stress levels.

Condition
if, unless, only if, even if If you consider the financial rewards of high level positions, the
stressful nature of these positions becomes less important.
otherwise You should remember the financial rewards of high level positions; otherwise, you
might find the stressful nature of these positions too demanding.

Cause/Effect
for (cause), so (effect) Professionals can sometimes be extremely impatient, for their
positions are at times rather stressful.
because, since Since high level positions are at times rather stressful, professionals can
sometimes be extremely impatient.
therefore, as a result, consequently High level positions are at times rather stressful;
therefore, professionals can sometimes be extremely impatient.
because of, due to, as a result of Due to the stressful nature of high level positions,
professionals can sometimes be extremely impatient.

Providing Additional Arguments

There are a number of ways / means / manners ...
The first point to make is ...
Let's begin with the assumption that / the idea that / the fact that ...
What is more,
Moreover,
along with, as well as

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Along with being stressful, high level positions can also be harmful to your health.
In addition to ..., the ...
Further, furthermore
Not only ..., but also ...  inversion
For one thing ...
and another thing / and for another ...
besides that ...
and besides

Comparison
just as
similarly, in comparison
like, similar to

Expressing Your Opinion

In my opinion,
I feel / think that ...
Personally,

Exercise
His name is Peter.
He's a famous professional athlete.
He's a baseball player.

He has a large house in Miami.

The house is beautiful.

He often travels around the US.

He plays away games in different cities in the US.
He travels by airplane.

He usually sleeps on the plane.

He stays up late after games.

He is an excellent pitcher.
Fans love his abilities.
Coaches love his abilities.

Every week he plays a home game.

The game is played in Glover Stadium.
The game is usually sold out.

Glover Stadium is old.

Glover Stadium doesn't have enough seats for all the fans.

The fans wait in line to buy tickets.

The fans often pay more than $60 dollars for a ticket.

The fans are unhappy about the ticket prices.

The fans love Peter.

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Exercise

Choose an for and against argument from one of the following themes

Attending College / University

Getting Married
Having Children
Changing Jobs
Moving

• Write down five positive points and five negative points

• Write down an overall statement of the situation (for introduction and first sentence)
• Write down your own personal opinion (for final paragraph)
• Summarize both sides in one sentence if possible
• Use your notes to write a For and Against Argument using the helpful language
provided

1. Select the topic of your essay.

2. Choose the central idea, or thesis, of your essay. For example: Information technology
has revolutionized the way we work.
3. Outline your essay into introductory, body and summary paragraphs.
4. The introductory paragraph begins with an interesting sentence. For example: Home
workers have grown from 150,000 to over 12 million in the past 5 years thanks to the
wonders of the computer.
5. After this first sentence, add your thesis statement from above.
6. Use one sentence to introduce every body paragraph to follow. For example: The
Internet has made this possible by extending the office into the home.
7. Finish the introductory paragraph with a short summary or goal statement. For
example: Technological innovation has thus made the traditional workplace obsolete.
8. In each of the body paragraphs (usually two or three) the ideas first presented in the
introductory paragraph are developed.
9. Develop your body paragraphs by giving detailed information and examples. For
example: When the Internet was first introduced it was used primarily by scientists,
now it is common in every classroom.
10. Body paragraphs should develop the central idea and finish with a summary of that
idea. There should be at least two examples or facts in each body paragraph to support
the central idea.
11. The summary paragraph summarizes your essay and is often a reverse of the
introductory paragrah.
12. Begin the summary paragrah by quickly restating the principal ideas of your body
paragraphs. For example: The Internet in the home, benefits and ease of use of modern
computer systems...
13. The penultimate sentence should restate your basic thesis of the essay. For example:
We have now passed from the industrial revolution to the information revolution.
14. Your final statement can be a future prediction based on what you have shown in the
essay. For example: The next step: The complete disappearance of the workplace.

Tips:

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 1. Use strong verbs and avoid modals to state your opinion. It is better to write: The
workplace has evolved than The workplace seems to have evolved
2. Do not apologize for what you are saying. An essay is about your opinion.
3. Do not translate from your mother tongue. It will quickly get you into trouble!

Exercise

Read the following paragraphs introducing Portland, Oregon. Notice that each paragraph
focuses on a different aspect of the city.

Portland, Oregon is located in the northwest of the United States. Both the Columbia and the
Willamette river run through Portland. It is the largest city in the state of Oregon. The city is
famous for its proximity to the mountains and the ocean, as well as its relaxed, friendly
inhabitants. Approximately 500,000 people live in Portland while the Portland metro area has
a population of over 1.5 million inhabitants.

The main industries in the Portland area include computer chip manufacturing and sportswear
design. In fact, two famous sportswear companies are based in the Portland Area: Nike and
Columbia Sportswear. The largest employer is Intel which employs over 15,000 people in the
greater Portland metro area. There are also many smaller technology companies located in
downtown Portland.

Portland's weather is famous for its rain. However, the spring and summer are quite lovely
and mild. The Willamette valley to the south of Portland is important for its agriculture and
wine production. The Cascade Mountains are located to the east of Portland. Mt. Hood has
three major skiing facilities and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The
Columbia river gorge is also located close to Portland.

Tips for Writing an Introduction to a City

• Discuss one aspect of the city in each paragraph. For example, one paragraph about
general facts and population, one paragraph about industries, one paragraph about
culture, etc.
• Use resources such as Wikipedia to help you find facts about the city.
• Use 'its' as a possessive when writing about a city (not her, or his). For example, Its
main exports are ...
• When using numbers, write out the numbers up to twenty. For larger numbers, use
numerals. For example: There are two professional sports organizations ... BUT There
are over 130,000 inhabitants in XYZ.
• Use 'million' when expressing very large numbers. For example, 2.4 million people
live in the greater metro area.
• Make sure to capitalize specific names of companies and monuments.
• Use both the comparative and superlative forms to make statements relating to other
cities and regions. For example: It is the largest producer of apples in the state.

Helpful Language

Location

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X is located in the Y region of (ountry)
X lies between the A and the B (mountains, valleys, rivers, etc.)
Located at the foot of the B mountains
Located in the R valley

Population

X has a population of Z
More than (number) people live in X
Approximately (number) people live in X
With a population of (number), X ....
inhabitants

Features

X is famous for ...

X is known as ...
X features ...
(product, food, etc.) is important for X, ...

Work

The main industries in X are ...

X has a number of Y plants (factories, etc.)
The main employers of X are ...
The largest employer is ...

Exercise

• Choose a city you would like to describe.

• Find a research page for reference purposes. You can use sites like Wikipedia,
magazines, or other resources.
• Choose three or four broad topics you would like to discuss.
• For each topic, write down a list of specific facts using your reference materials. For
example:

Weather

more than 80 inches of snow on average extremely hot summers etc.

• Take each fact and write a sentence about that fact. For example:

Boulder receives more than 80 inches of snow on average each winter.

• Combine your sentences into a paragraph on each broad topic. Make sure to use
linking language, pronouns, etc. to link the ideas in your sentences into a logical
sequence.
• If you are using a computer, make sure to spell check your work.