Sleeps: a ? for our British members
Oct 28th, 2015, 11:26 PM
#21
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"limo" usually means (b) in English, and something close to (a) in American. Usual complexity about nations divided by a common language, since the two usages differ in lots of other ways. As a rule, Southern Hemisphere Anglophone countries (except the Australian Labor Party) speak and write English. Though they do talk about "train stations"
CPAP is odder. It means the same thing everywhere - but I've never stumbled over these things in Britain, or heard of anyone needing them. And I'm old enough to have seen lots of the previous generation, now deceased, need assistive technology, and to see senescent peers now beginning to acquire all sorts of life-support kit.
My own suspicion is that the problem's no more common in one place than another: American women just insist more that their bloke stops snoring. I suspect that's because, where English speakers drive on the left, we keep bedroom windows open more. So his snoring's masked by the gentle buzz of the outside world.
CPAP is odder. It means the same thing everywhere - but I've never stumbled over these things in Britain, or heard of anyone needing them. And I'm old enough to have seen lots of the previous generation, now deceased, need assistive technology, and to see senescent peers now beginning to acquire all sorts of life-support kit.
My own suspicion is that the problem's no more common in one place than another: American women just insist more that their bloke stops snoring. I suspect that's because, where English speakers drive on the left, we keep bedroom windows open more. So his snoring's masked by the gentle buzz of the outside world.
Oct 28th, 2015, 11:57 PM
#22
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Here's a 'countdown' thread from TA...
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTop...s_Florida.html
A lot of people who contribute to these threads are the ones who are only interested in the beach and the weather, and have done very little of their own pre-travel homework.
After their holiday, they often return to TA explaining their disappointment with just about everything, with the weather, the beach, the hotel, the hotel location, the food and drink, their room facilities, the entertainment, the fact that their stay also coincided with a local or religious holiday etc. Basically they had a CRAP holiday!
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTop...s_Florida.html
A lot of people who contribute to these threads are the ones who are only interested in the beach and the weather, and have done very little of their own pre-travel homework.
After their holiday, they often return to TA explaining their disappointment with just about everything, with the weather, the beach, the hotel, the hotel location, the food and drink, their room facilities, the entertainment, the fact that their stay also coincided with a local or religious holiday etc. Basically they had a CRAP holiday!
Oct 29th, 2015, 09:06 AM
#23
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The majority of the "sleeps" show up in the TA Disneyland France forum, which seems to be consuming the majority of posts per page. I've suggested turning Disneyland France into its own country so those of us not interested in the posts wouldn't have to scan down each page to find something unrelated--but to no avail. I suspect it's because Disneyland is a big advertiser.
Oct 29th, 2015, 11:20 AM
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CPAP is an acronym for continuous positive airway pressure. It's just a machine with some kind of mild pressure to keep airways open or something that helps some people with sleep apnea (I don't have one so am not sure of the details). Since those words are English, I imagine it isn't known by that name in countries with different languages.
I think sleeps is kind of cute to mean nights (although I've never heard of it) but is rather ironic for tots given they often sleep more than once a day. So that is odd.
"to train to" does bug me, I admit, as a verb (or I'm going to train to London from Paris), but a lot of people use it because I guess it's too much trouble to say "take the train to London from Paris".
I don't get the comment about "luggages". I have never heard that as a verb but sometimes people pluralize things because their native language isn't English and it is commonly pluralized in other languages when more than one piece. In the US, you'd say "our luggage" even when you had more than one but you wouldn't in French, for example, nor Spanish.
I think sleeps is kind of cute to mean nights (although I've never heard of it) but is rather ironic for tots given they often sleep more than once a day. So that is odd.
"to train to" does bug me, I admit, as a verb (or I'm going to train to London from Paris), but a lot of people use it because I guess it's too much trouble to say "take the train to London from Paris".
I don't get the comment about "luggages". I have never heard that as a verb but sometimes people pluralize things because their native language isn't English and it is commonly pluralized in other languages when more than one piece. In the US, you'd say "our luggage" even when you had more than one but you wouldn't in French, for example, nor Spanish.
Oct 29th, 2015, 12:18 PM
#29
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Havana - read Brit annhig's remark "We do indeed say "maths" As for Chunnel no because though that was invented by a British rag it has become the de facto American name for the Channel Rail Link so in an American dominated forum it is of proper use as is the official name Eurostar trains - though I guess Brits would would not say trains?
Havana - please read this online dictionary take to edicate yourself on math vs maths!
From the Garmmarist
Math vs. maths
Math and maths are equally acceptable abbreviations of mathematics. The only difference is that math is preferred in the U.S. and Canada, and maths is preferred in the U.K., Australia, and most other English-speaking areas of the world.
Neither abbreviation is correct or incorrect. You may hear arguments for one being superior to the other, and there are logical cases for both sides. One could argue maths is better because mathematics ends in s, and one could argue math is better because mathematics is just a mass noun that happens to end in s. In any case, English usage is rarely guided by logic, and these usage idiosyncrasies are often arbitrary. If you were raised in a part of the world where people say maths, then maths is correct for you, and the same is of course true of math. Don’t listen to anyone who says otherwise.
Examples
North America
Math is the strong suit of students at the Ward Elementary School, where 50 percent of third grade students scored “advanced.” [Boston Globe]
Math professors are appalled at the lack of math skills they see in some education students … [Winnipeg Free Press]
Apollo paid less than $100 million to acquire Carnegie Learning, a provider of computer-based math tutorials. [The Atlantic]
Outside North America
It lasted a long 40 minutes, which is how I remember maths lessons. [Financial Times (U.K.)]
But scratch below the surface and you’ll find the maths is seriously flawed. [Sydney Morning Herald]
The Government has been under pressure from business and employer groups to boost standards in maths. [Irish Times]
Havana - please read this online dictionary take to edicate yourself on math vs maths!
From the Garmmarist
Math vs. maths
Math and maths are equally acceptable abbreviations of mathematics. The only difference is that math is preferred in the U.S. and Canada, and maths is preferred in the U.K., Australia, and most other English-speaking areas of the world.
Neither abbreviation is correct or incorrect. You may hear arguments for one being superior to the other, and there are logical cases for both sides. One could argue maths is better because mathematics ends in s, and one could argue math is better because mathematics is just a mass noun that happens to end in s. In any case, English usage is rarely guided by logic, and these usage idiosyncrasies are often arbitrary. If you were raised in a part of the world where people say maths, then maths is correct for you, and the same is of course true of math. Don’t listen to anyone who says otherwise.
Examples
North America
Math is the strong suit of students at the Ward Elementary School, where 50 percent of third grade students scored “advanced.” [Boston Globe]
Math professors are appalled at the lack of math skills they see in some education students … [Winnipeg Free Press]
Apollo paid less than $100 million to acquire Carnegie Learning, a provider of computer-based math tutorials. [The Atlantic]
Outside North America
It lasted a long 40 minutes, which is how I remember maths lessons. [Financial Times (U.K.)]
But scratch below the surface and you’ll find the maths is seriously flawed. [Sydney Morning Herald]
The Government has been under pressure from business and employer groups to boost standards in maths. [Irish Times]
Oct 29th, 2015, 12:21 PM
#30
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Channel Rail Link>
should have been Channel Tunnel Rail Link - so we call trains going thru the Chunnel Chunnel trains. I have stopped using it because of how uptight Brits get when it is done but you will not many many Americans on this forum use it and even folks like Rail Europe advertise "Chunnel Trains" in online headlines.
should have been Channel Tunnel Rail Link - so we call trains going thru the Chunnel Chunnel trains. I have stopped using it because of how uptight Brits get when it is done but you will not many many Americans on this forum use it and even folks like Rail Europe advertise "Chunnel Trains" in online headlines.
Oct 29th, 2015, 03:55 PM
#33
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Along these lines, something that bugs me is the use of the term "transfers" when asking questions about how to get from an airport to one's hotel in a city.
I suppose it dates from the old days of travel agents, who issued a coupon along with the air tickets that was accepted by the taxi driver or bus that took you from the airport to the city. An outmoded and inaccurate term for something that no longer exists. I know the meaning, but it still bugs me.
End of rant from a grumpy old man; although I prefer the term I saw in a cartoon today, "lovable old curmudgeon", which I will use in future.
I suppose it dates from the old days of travel agents, who issued a coupon along with the air tickets that was accepted by the taxi driver or bus that took you from the airport to the city. An outmoded and inaccurate term for something that no longer exists. I know the meaning, but it still bugs me.
End of rant from a grumpy old man; although I prefer the term I saw in a cartoon today, "lovable old curmudgeon", which I will use in future.
Oct 29th, 2015, 11:48 PM
#36
Well the subjects that Brits study is maths or mathematics not math. Do we say "do the maths" only recently, more likely to "work it out" and "study maths", when we hear people talk about "math" it really grates.
Certainly heard "train station" which to me is on line with "cho cho train".
Certainly heard "train station" which to me is on line with "cho cho train".
Oct 30th, 2015, 01:05 AM
#37
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>>And Brits say "do the maths" and we say "do the math"
I have never said either of these and have never heard any British person say either of them.<<
We're probably more likely to try to convery that particular meaning by the phrase "It's not brain surgery/rocket science."
I have never said either of these and have never heard any British person say either of them.<<
We're probably more likely to try to convery that particular meaning by the phrase "It's not brain surgery/rocket science."
Oct 30th, 2015, 07:03 AM
#39
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"And Brits say "do the maths" and we say "do the math"
I've never heard the phrase "do the maths" either. But it's easily confused (especially after overdoing it on the Leyland Trade Vinyl Matt) with two other English uses.
- The English for the American "do the math" is "do the sums", though in fact, we're more likely to use a completely different phrase like "as you can easily work out."
- The phrase "do maths", were it used, would refer in English to the course studied at university. Most people actually say "doing maths", as in "What are you studying?" "I'm doing maths." But "do maths" sometimes crops up, as in "why am I doing media studies? I wanted to do maths, but I only got two Es at A level"
I've never heard the phrase "do the maths" either. But it's easily confused (especially after overdoing it on the Leyland Trade Vinyl Matt) with two other English uses.
- The English for the American "do the math" is "do the sums", though in fact, we're more likely to use a completely different phrase like "as you can easily work out."
- The phrase "do maths", were it used, would refer in English to the course studied at university. Most people actually say "doing maths", as in "What are you studying?" "I'm doing maths." But "do maths" sometimes crops up, as in "why am I doing media studies? I wanted to do maths, but I only got two Es at A level"
