British and American English

 

 

UK – USA

 

crisps – chips; potato chips

crocodile clip – alligator clip

current account – checking account

dressing gown – robe; bathrobe

drink-driving – drunk driving

drinks cupboard – liquor cabinet

drinks party – cocktail party

driving licence – driver’s license

dustbin – garbage can

faith school – parochial school

ladybird – ladybug

lift – elevato

lolly – lollipop

lorry – truck

market garden – truck farm

mobile phone – cell phone

motorway – expressway; highway

mum/mummy – mom/mommy

pavement – sidewalk

pedestrian crossing – crosswalk

petrol – gas; gasoline

postbox – mailbox

potato crisp – potato chip

public school – private school

public transport – public transportation

queue – line

racing car – race car

railway – railroad

first floor – second floor

flat – apartment

football – soccer

footway – sidewalk

fringe (hair) – bangs

full stop (punctuation) – period

garden – yard; lawn

ground floor – first floor

holiday – vacation

in hospital – in the hospital

indicator (on a car)turn signal

jumper – sweater

junior school – elementary school

 

British vs. American English | Images

 

 

 

Past Perfect Tense

 

 

Forming the Past Perfect Tense

 

The Past Perfect tense in English is composed of two parts: the past tense of the verb to have (had) + the past participle of the main verb.

Positive form:

 

S + had + past participle + …       

E.g. She had finished.

 

Negative form:

 

S + had not + past participle + …                

(had not = hadn’t)

E.g. She hadn’t finished.

 

Question form:

 

Had + S + past participle + …?                      

E.g. Had she finished?

 

When do We Use the Past Perfect Tense

 

• Action finished before another past action       

E.g. Richard had gone out when his wife arrived in the office.

• The action happened before a specific time in the past

E.g. Christine had never been to an opera before last night.

• The action started in the past and continued up to a given time in the past    

E.g. We had owned that car for ten years before it broke down.

• Cause and effect (combine with Past Simple)               

E.g. I got stuck in traffic because there had been an accident.

• Emphasize the result of activity in the past                 

E.g. I had been to London twice by the time I got a job in New York.

 

Time Expressions in the Past Perfect Tense

 

• already
• yet
• for
• since
• never
• just
• after
• before
• until
• the moment that

English Tenses

 

All English Tenses in a Table

 

English Verb Tenses List

 

• Present Simple
• Present Continuous
• Present Perfect
• Present Perfect Continuous
• Past Simple
• Past Continuous
• Past Perfect
• Past Perfect Continuous
• Future Simple
• Future Continuous
• Future Perfect
• Future Perfect Continuous

 

English Tenses