If you've been studying for a while, you'll notice that there is more than one type of "English". The website, Big Seven Travel, made their list of the world's 50 most attractive accents, and many different kinds of English made the list.
The main reasons that affect the way people speak a language are geographical – where they are in the world, and social – the way their communities speak. As a result, English has many differences in vocabulary and slang*.
Located in two different places, the United States and the UK provide great examples. They often have different words for the same things. US people call the back part of a car, used for carrying big and heavy things or suitcases, the "trunk"; but in the UK, they call it the "boot". In the US, the word "boot" means a wheel clamp that police put on your car.
Slang also causes confusion*. US slang is hugely different thanks to many kinds of people who have moved in the country. African-American slang is especially confusing for foreign language learners. It uses its own grammar. For example, "a person who is awake to reality" would be called "a woke person". Southern American slang also can be confusing. "I'm fixing to fix it," means, "I'm getting ready to fix it."
Australian slang, meanwhile, is all about abbreviations. They say "sanga" for "sandwich", "brekkie" for breakfast, and "arvo" for "afternoon". It can make you wonder if either of these countries is actually speaking English.
English writer Virginia Woolf once wrote, "Language is wine upon the lips*." The next time you're speaking English with someone, check the accent on the bottle!
