Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Driving in the UK

This makes for my official english ed & et #5. I am surprised that the possibilities still seem endless.

Here is some interesting automobile vocabulary.

In England, the UK, or Britian (whatever you want to call it) they don't have gps's, they have navsat's. (short for satellite navigation) - I just tried to link navsat to Mike's post, but he has disappeared! (what's up with that Saxon?)

Here are the words Mike commented to me before he dissapeared from the net: (Mike, please come back)
trunk = boot
hood = bonnet
windshield=windscreen
gas = petrol
transmission = gear box

A garage has three meanings: 1- the part of your house for the car, 2- the place you go to have your car fixed (we use that term sometimes) and 3- the gas station...go figure for that one. I have no idea why they don't call it a petrol station.

They call a four lane highway, a dual carriageway.

Their MOT's are what we would call our car's yearly safety inspection.

And, if you ever get sick of the traffic in your United State town, just start reading Saxon on a regular basis and you will get to read his repeated English traffic frustration!

WOW, someday I am going to need to take a vacation overseas so that I can use all of my new vocabulary, or maybe we should all start a revolution, and start using all of these words, all of the time in the United States. I think this will make us sound so much more sophisticated.

3 comments:

Gina said...

A dual carriageway? THAT is funny! And can I go with you and giggle to myself as you try these phrases out?

Lindsey Rose said...

I love that you do this. I really feel like I am learning new things that might be useful one day! Tell LG good luck today and tomorrow. Please let me know if you need anything.

Saxon said...

it's satnav not natsat.

Just to confuse you some people do call them petrol stations and some people switch between calling them garages and petrol stations.

No I have no idea where Mike disappeared too.

If you think a dual carriageways funny wait till you try a roadabout!