A student is learning to speak British English.He wonders1: Can I communicate2 with Americans?Can they understand me?Learners of English often ask: What are the differences between British and American English?How important are these differences? Certainly,there are some differences between British and American English.There are a few differences in grammar.For example,speakers of British English say “in hospital” and “Have you got a pen?”,while Americans say “in the hospital” and “Do you have a pen?”.Pronunciation is sometimes different.Americans usually sound the “r” in the words like “bird” and “hurt”.Speakers of British English do not sound the “r” in these words.There are differences between British and American English in spelling and vocabulary.For example,“colour” and “honour” are British,“color” and “honor3” are American. These differences in grammar,pronunciation,spelling and vocabulary are not important,however.For the most part,British and American English are the same language.