A. Streets and roads

• Street has a wider range of meaning in American English.
• American speaker: Let’s cross the street here; there’s more traffic further down.
• However, a British speaker would normally say cross the road, especially in a busy city.
• Here are some more examples of American English words and expressions not used in British English.
• The British English expressions are given in square brackets.
• Go two blocks down and the car rental office is kitty-corner to the gas station. [diagonally opposite; informal] [petrol station]
• You should always use the crosswalk to cross the street. [pedestrian crossing / zebra crossing]
• There’s a trail that leads down to the creek. [path] [stream, small river]
• Take a left here and you’ll come to the Interstate after about three miles. [turn left] [major motorway in the US connecting different states]
• After the intersection, look for a sign saying ‘International Airport’. [junction]
• I hit a shopping cart in the parking lot when I was backing up. [trolley] [car park] [reversing]
• Look for the overpass and then take the next exit for downtown Chicago. [flyover, i.e. bridge that carries one road over another]

B. Educational terminology

C. Around the home

• This cable is the ground (US) / earth (UK). [cable that takes electricity safely into the ground]
• We need a dumpster (US) / skip (UK) to put all this old stuff in. [large metal container for rubbish]
• The faucet (US) / tap (UK) in the kitchen never stops dripping!
• I have to cook for five people, so we need a big stove (US) / cooker (UK). [piece of kitchen equipment to cook food]
• I fried the fish in a skillet (US) / frying pan (UK).