A. Imagine you are in each of the situations below. Decide which variety of English to use:
– International English (IntE)
– British English (BrE)
– American English (AmE)
– Another variety (say which)
1 You attend a business meeting in your country with colleagues from around the world. ……………….
2 You become an expert in a particular subject (e.g. a lawyer or an engineer) and you have to explain something technical to another expert in the same subject. ……………….
3 You go on holiday and make friends with some people from another non-English speaking country. ……………….
4 You have an interview for a job with an international company in your country. ……………….
5 You join an online chat with teenagers from around the world. ……………….
6 You join an online discussion group with a wide range of people from around the world. ……………….
7 You are on holiday in London and you need to visit the doctor. ……………….
8 You go to university in the USA and you want to make friends with American students. ……………….
9 You go to university in a non-English speaking country and you want to make friends with other international students. ……………….
10 You are on holiday in a non-English-speaking country. You buy some fruit in the market. ……………….
Which of the situations might really happen in your life? In what other situations might you need to speak English? Will you need International English or a different variety?
Answers
Possible answers
1 IntE
2 Technical English which non-experts can’t understand
3 IntE, especially when you first meet the people
4 IntE
5 Very informal IntE, with some informal language that others wouldn’t understand
6 IntE
7 BrE
8 AmE, but IntE would also be useful
9 IntE, especially when you first meet the people
10 Possibly IntE, but accuracy is less important in this situation.
B. Mark these statements True or False based on the advice in this unit. Do you agree with the advice?
1 It is important to speak like a native English speaker. ………..
2 It doesn’t matter if I use bad grammar. ………..
3 I should adapt my grammar and vocabulary when I speak to people from different backgrounds. ………..
4 Standard English is better than non-standard varieties. ………..
5 Non-standard varieties are important ways to express your culture, but are less useful for international communication. ………..
6 International English may include a mixture of British and American standards. ………..
7 I need to think about the person I’m speaking to when I decide how to speak. ………..
8 All native speakers use standard English. ………..
9 There are much bigger problems with international vocabulary than international grammar. ………..
10 It is acceptable to mix British and American grammar or spelling in the same sentence. ………..
Answers
1 False 2 False 3 True
4 False (it depends on the situation)
5 True 6 True 7 True 8 False 9 True
10 True (as in Canadian English, for example)
C. Match the British English (BrE) and American English (AmE) words in the box to the correct pictures. Then underline the word in each pair which you think is more common in International English.
|
a biscuit candy a cookie curtains a diaper drapes a faucet football a fortnight a line a lorry a nappy a pram a queue a restroom sneakers soccer a stroller sweets a tap a toilet trainers a truck two weeks |
1 prF ……………… AmE ………………
2 BrE ……………… AmE ………………
3 BrE ……………… AmE ………………
4 BrE ……………… AmE ………………
5 BrE ……………… AmE ………………
6 BrE ……………… AmE………………
7 BrE ……………… AmE ………………
8 BrE ……………… AmE ………………
9 BrE ……………… AmE ………………
10 BrE ……………… AmE ………………
11 BrE ……………… AmE ………………
12 BrE ……………… AmE ………………
Answers
1 football / soccer 2 a lorry / a truck 3 sweets / candy
4 a Queue / a line 5 a fortnight / two weeks
6 a biscuit / a cookie 7 a toilet / a restroom
8 a nappy / a diaper 9 curtains / drapes
10 a la p / a faucet 11 trainers / sneakers
12 a pram / a stroller
D. Decide if these sentences use typical British English (BrE), typical American English (AmE) or a mixture. Underline the words that helped you decide. What (if anything) would you change to make them more international?
1 I just remembered that I didn’t write that email vet.
………………………………………
2 The rock band have decided to split up after 20 years together.
………………………………………
3 They recommended that she change her behavior.
………………………………………
4 I’m sorry – I shouldn’t have got so angry when you burnt my toast.
………………………………………
5 A: Have you tried on your new shirt yet?
B: Yes, it fit me perfectly.
………………………………………
6 It’s better to put the baby in the stroller while you’re waiting in line.
………………………………………
7 The committee plans to organize its next meeting in a fortnight.
………………………………………
8 A: Do you fancy trying one of these biscuits?
B: Oh, yes please. Cheers.
………………………………………
Answers
1 I just remembered that I didn’t write that email yet.
Ame – No need to change.
2 The rock band have decided to split up after 20 years together.
BrE – no need to change
3 They recommended that she change her behavior.
AmE – no need to change
4 I’m sorry – I shouldn’t have got so angry when you burnt my toast.
BrE – no need to change, but consider using burned
5 A: Have you tried on your new shirt yet?
B: Yes, it fit me perfectly.
Mixture (A uses BrE; B uses AmE) – no need to change, but consider using fitted.
6 It’s better to put the baby in the stroller while you’re waiting in line.
AmE – no need to change
7 The committee plans to organize its next meeting in a fortnight.
BrE / Mixture (committee + singular = AmE / BrE; – ize = BrE / AmE; fortnight = BrE) – change
fortnight to two weeks
8 A: Do you fancy trying one of these biscuits?
B: Oh, yes please. Cheers.
BrE – consider changing to: want to try, cookies, thanks
E. Rewrite these sentences to make them clearer and simpler.
1 They’re thought to have stolen the money.
………………………………………..
2 You’re sure to make lots of friends.
………………………………………..
3 In our group, women outnumber men by a wide margin.
………………………………………..
4 If you hadn’t put in too much paper, the machine wouldn’t have got broken.
………………………………………..
5 The children left in the playground were too noisy.
………………………………………..
6 She uses strange words no one else understands.
………………………………………..
7 You’re unlikely to pick up new words unless you pay close attention.
………………………………………..
8 No sooner had we sorted out the first problem than another three appeared.
………………………………………..
Answers
Possible answers
1 Some people think they stole the money.
2 I’m sure you’ll make lots of friends
3 Our group has far more women than men.
4 The machine broke because you put too much paper in it.
5 The children who / that were left in the playground were too noisy.
6 She uses strange words that no one else understands.
7 You probably won’t learn new words if you don’t listen carefully.
8 We solved the first problem and then we found another three problems.
F. Think of three words in your language that are difficult to translate into English. How would you explain the words in simple international English to someone who doesn’t know anything about your country? W rite in your notebook.
Answers
your own answers
G. All the options below might be considered correct in some varieties of English, but which of the following would be I most acceptable in International English?
1 I didn’t say ………. .
a nothing to nobody
b anything to nobody
c anything to anybody
2 A: Did you like the sweater I bought you? B: Yes, it ………. Perfectly.
a fitted b has fit c fit
3 Do you ……….?
a biscuit
b fancy a cookie
c want a cookie
4 There is not one single variety of English ………. around the world.
a people speak
b that people speak
c spoken by people
5 ………. I went straight to bed.
a Having arrived home very late,
b Arriving home very late,
c I arrived home very late so
Answers
1 c 2 a 3 c 4 b 5 c
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