What trips you up when reading books from different English-speaking countries?

[Apache]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

A couple of years ago I read two or three books that all had a plot line where someone was locked inside a house that was on fire. Is it common in the UK to have outside doors that can only be opened with a key?

In the US, every house or apartment I've ever lived in or visited has had one or more locks on the outer doors - typically one in the knob itself plus a deadbolt. These are normally operated from the outside by a key, but on the inside there is some kind of knob or lever so if you didn't have a key you could still get out in case of emergency.

On any outer door with glass, I always use a deadbolt that is keyed on both sides. Then if someone breaks the glass, they are unable to unlock the door.
Apache

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

A couple of years ago I read two or three books that all had a plot line where someone was locked inside a house that was on fire. Is it common in the UK to have outside doors that can only be opened with a key?

In the US, every house or apartment I've ever lived in or visited has had one or more locks on the outer doors - typically one in the knob itself plus a deadbolt. These are normally operated from the outside by a key, but on the inside there is some kind of knob or lever so if you didn't have a key you could still get out in case of emergency.

In the UK, it is common to have doors that you cannot open without a key, So without the key, you cannot open the door. That's when you are on the inside. In the UK, most door keys look like skeleton keys.

In the US, you can have a door lock and a deadbolt. But that's mostly for apartments. In the houses/condo I've lived in, we only had door locks.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

In the US, you can have a door lock and a deadbolt. But that's mostly for apartments. In the houses/condo I've lived in, we only had door locks.

That probably also depends on the neighborhood you live in - I expect there are some areas where everyone, regardless of house or apartment, has at least two locks!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

Speaking as a southerner - "Y'all" is a contraction of "you all". How is that worse than any other contraction?

Because it just is. It's a southernism. To me, southernisms are not real English. I think part of the problem besides the accent is the politics of most of the southern states.

[DiapDealer]

Blah, blah, blah.

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Because it just is. It's a southernism. To me, southernisms are not real English. I think part of the problem besides the accent is the politics of most of the southern states.

Bigoted much?!

I won't even address the politics aspect of your statement because I'd probably get into an area not suitable for discution outside of the Politics & Religion forum.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

Bigoted much?!

I won't even address the politics aspect of your statement because I'd probably get into an area not suitable for discution outside of the Politics & Religion forum.

Not bigoted at all. Just very opinionated and I go for what is best for all. Not what's best for the rich and men who want to keep women and minorities down. Anyway, enough said about that or we'll end up in the P&R forum.

[DiapDealer]

Moderator Notice
Stop it now, Jon. It was "too much" said, not "enough".

[Loosheesh]

Originally Posted by Apache

Y'all is a contraction you all. Ya'll is a misspelling of y'all.

Tell 'em. Seeing ya'll for y'all is always irksome.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Loosheesh

Tell 'em. Seeing ya'll for y'all is always irksome.

And seeing y'all used as a singular form is annoying as well.

[DiapDealer]

Pretty sure that "all y'all" is the plural form.

[4691mls]

I don't hear "all y'all" very often. Perhaps it's regional within the South?

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by hobnail

Or what about the different types of schools? In British books it sounds to me like what they call a public school (e.g. Eaton and Harrow; very upper crust) is what here in the US we'd call a private school.

What do they call what we call a public school; one that's free and paid for with taxes ... _,

The usual term is "state school" different types exist

https://www.secularism.org.uk/faith-...are-there.html

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by hobnail

Or what about the different types of schools? In British books it sounds to me like what they call a public school (e.g. Eaton and Harrow; very upper crust) is what here in the US we'd call a private school.

What do they call what we call a public school; one that's free and paid for with taxes?

It also sounds weird to Australians. Here, a "public school" is a government run and funded school and a "private school" is, well, a privately run school. They do get some funding from the government, but, charge fees to the students. The latter includes schools run by a religion.

As with the English public schools, private schools here have traditionally been seen as "upper class" and look down on public schools. I come from a country town that had no private schools. When I went to university, being asked what school I went to seemed weird until I worked out that they were really asking, "Are you one of us?" and after an excuse to brag about what school they went to. After that, it could be fun to pretend not to know what they were talking about.

[Lemurion]

For me, it's the punctuation that catches the eye. Single vs. double quotes for direct dialogue, and the fact that in the UK they put certain punctuation outside quotation marks that would go inside them in the US.

As for "rug," in Western Canada, where I grew up, it was used almost exclusively for a floor covering much like carpeting that wasn't attached to the floor. Carpets, as opposed to rugs, being the floor coverings that are permanently affixed in place and normally stretching from wall to wall.