Americans teaching english...your help please!

Don't get it?
Definitions of thong on the Web:

* lash: leather strip that forms the flexible part of a whip
* underpants resembling a G-string; worn by women especially under very tight pants; "she wore thongs in her quest for the callipygian ideal"
* a thin strip of leather; often used to lash things together
* G-string: minimal clothing worn by stripteasers; a narrow strip of fabric that covers the pubic area, passes between the thighs, and is supported by a waistband

* flip-flop: a backless sandal held to the foot by a thong between the big toe and the second toe

Pants and trousers:
In the UK we wear our pants inside our trousers, unless of course davidpeake is wearing his thong lol

ok, then maybe Australian English then, we refer to a thong as something you put on your feet, not to hide the crusty bits on your ass...

I am aware of those. LOL. Wildrover said that AmE is not English, so I still insist that there are slight differances. I am aware of local dialects in England and different accents and pronunciations but I kind of find it interesting.

Then he is wrong and I hate saying this being British, but American English is more like the traditional English as it was, because GB English has developed over the years.

For example in GB English we have dropped the 'z' and replaced it with a 's', providing a more softer pronunciation.

In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English is. Some expressions that the British call "Americanisms" are in fact original British expressions that were preserved in the colonies while lost for a time in Britain (for example trash for rubbish, loan as a verb instead of lend, and fall for autumn; another example, frame-up, was re-imported into Britain through Hollywood gangster movies).

englishclub.com/english-language-history.htm

And as a teacher of English I would never say that one form of English is better or worse than the other, it all depends on who your target listener or reader is, and you should adapt to the situation.

The majority of my work is proofreading here in Poland, but if I receive a project where the target reader is American I always refer it on to a American proofreader.

This is because I do not know all the slight changes and terminology required, especially if it is a business report where there are a minefield of changes that could be misunderstood.

thats why we call it the Queens english, it has been developed and is an improvement on that slang filled bad excuse of the English Language :):)

Nice save :)

I'm a Brit but I sometimes find American English more explicit in it's meaning.

And the World knows American expressions by virtue of its film industry. If I were to start writing posts in phonetic Yorkshire no one would have a clue what I was saying.

I was having a beer with a British buddy last week and he asked if he could pinch a fag. Then he said :I guess I shouldn't have said that to a Yank. We both laughed.

Sounds like a closet case coming onto you.

I remember telling an American friend that if she was not up early to meet me i would knock her up , meaning i would knock on her door till she woke up.....of course in USA to knock somebody up is to get them pregnant.....she was a little suprised at my forwardness as we had only just met.....!!!!

lol there are some good conflicts in the two languages for sure.


hahaha why so much homosexual (gay) chat today??? it seems its been about on the forums, must be the time of year or something

In Uk a dyke is a low wall holding back an area of water....In USA it is a woman in comfortable shoes.....

I think you could pay off $15 in a day. Just get a squeegee and find a good set for traffic light during rush hour.

Btw. what's your major?
Sounds like something awfully unique, for 15 bucks ;-)

A dyke in the UK is like a ditch with waterway. I used to swing from one side to the other on a rope tied to a tree when I was younger. I often fell in the dyke and came home drenched. A dyke is also a 'lesbian.' Dyke has two meanings in the UK. I don't know about the U.S though.

i used to ride down the bankings of them on my bike and attempt to get out the other side grant you these had no water in but were incredibly steep .... more often dyke is the term for a butch lesbian though in the uk

I once poured 10 pints of beer into a dyke......she still said no tho.......!!!!

What a waste of beer. If you would have had poured another 10 pints into her friend you could have had a show.

Been there...done that....got the tee shirt.....!!!

wow I am almost the same exact situation. I am also first generation American and want to live in Poland really badly. I am going to be going to college next year so I might study abroad in Poland. If that doesn't turn out then I hope to move there in hopes of teaching English.

Sorry if this is off subject. Hey uk polska if you ever need any american business proofreaders feel free to contact me. I am based in Warsaw.

Aleksandra, you should apply for a scholarship from the Kosciuszko Foundation to study abroad in Poland. I know several people who have been successful applicants. Just google "Kosciuszko foundation". They provide grants for summer classes as well as the full year at Jagiellonian in Krakow.