The English language we know today is about six hundred years old. For half that time, English was just the language of the people living in England. The modem English language grew from about the year 1400. Now English is the most widely spoken language in the world. It is one of the working languages at International meetings, business, science and in other fields.

The differences between American English and British English are not very great. Written English is more or less the same in both Britain and America, though there are some spelling differences. For example, centre, license, color and traveled are spelt center, license, color and traveled in American English. In America, "cock, rubber, ill, holiday, lorry, and post... " are called "rooster, eraser, sick, vacation, truck, mail... ". But people from the two countries can still understand each other easily.

     There are only a very small number of differences in grammar between American English and British English. The most important differences are in spoken English. Some words may have two kinds of pronunciations. You may wonder "Which is correct?" The answer is that it doesn't matter. But you should speak either American English or British English. Don't try to speak both at the same time!

1. When did the modem English language begin to grow?

2. Is English the only working language at International meetings?

3. What is the word "color" spelt in British English?

4. What is the word "ill" called in American English?

5. How many differences are there in grammar between American English and British English?