What you are talking about is the difference between American English, and British English.
When I was a kid, i went to an old school private Catholic grade school, with old crusty Nuns who were having a really hard time with the new rules that did not allow them to beat kids. I had immense trouble with English, and spelling coming out of that school.
It was not untill recent years however that i discovered why...we learned British Standard English there, instead of American English.
So all the things I always get wrong, is actually correct for British Standard English (Also known as 'The Queen's English')
One big difference is the use of "Quotes". In the way I learned, it was like this "Quoted text asking a question"? In American English, it's like this "Quoted text asking a question?"
Notice the question mark is in a different place?
Apparently in American, we changed the rules around, and re did a lot of spellings, just to be different from the English because we are just rebellious like that. Everyone else does it the Queen's way.