6A British vs American Pronunciation Flashcards

1
Q

n
garage

A

UK /ˈɡærɑːʒ/ /ˈɡærɑːdʒ/ /ˈɡærɪdʒ/ US /ɡəˈrɑːʒ/ /ɡəˈrɑːdʒ/

Let’s the car in the garage.

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2
Q

n
privacy

A

UK /ˈprɪvəsi/
US /ˈpraɪvəsi/

I value my privacy.

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3
Q

n
staff
(all the workers employed in an organization considered as a group) /ˌɔː.ɡən.aɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/

In British English, you can use a plural or singular form of a verb after “staff”. The plural form is more common.
“The staff are very helpful.”
“The teaching staff is well-qualified and experienced.”

In American English, staff is usually followed by a singular form.

“The hotel staff was friendly.”
“Our staff gets bigger every year.”

Be careful
Don’t refer to an individual person who works for an organization as ‘a staff’. Refer to him or her as a member of staff.
“All members of staff are expected to attend meetings.”

The word “staff” has no plural form (no plural form as staffs), unless you want to refer to the respective staffs of more than one company. The plural in that case is “staffs”

A

UK /stɑːf/
US /stæf/

So,
“The staff in this shop are very helpful”. - is it the British or American variant? - Right, it is British.

In the US English staff can only be singular:
The staff in this shop is very helpful.

Our staff does a good job - British or American? - Right, American.

And “Our staff do a good job” is … ? - British.

Both: We have a weekly staff meeting.

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4
Q

n
tuna fish

A

UK /ˈtjuːnə/
US /ˈtuːnə/

a tin/can of tuna in vegetable oil.

Note: Tin vs Can.
They both refer to the same thing (a cylindrical metal container [e.g. for food]).
In the UK, tin/tinned is more common whereas in the US can/canned is more common.

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