American Words

Exercise № 6. The American words in the sentences below are printed in italics. Replace each American word or phrase with a British word or phrase from the following list.

Fail, rise, chemist, caretaker, playing truant, fiat, railway timetable, tap, nappies, holidays, ordinary uniformed policeman, bill, pavement, trousers, saloon car, postman, post

1. His mother thought he was at school but in fact he was playing hookey. He’ll probably flunk his exams.

2. The kitchen faucet in my apartment isn’t working. I’ll tell the janitor. He’ll get it fixed.

3. Blue-collar workers are asking for a pay-hike and longer paid vacations.

4. The dog attacked the mailman and tore his pants.

5. Do you have a railroad schedule? I want an early train for Chicago tomorrow.

6. A patrolman reported a light-blue sedan parked right across the sidewalk on 3rd Street.

7. She has a little baby so she has to make regular visits to the drugstore to buy diapers.

8. When the waiter handed me the check after the meal, I found that I had no money!

9. How much does it cost to mail a letter to Australia?

Exercise № 7. Replace cursive American words with common English words.

Petrol, jam, specialize (university studies), garden, windscreen, lift, underground, cinema, university, queue, maths (mathematics), shops sweets, rubbish, note, petrol station, autumn, secondary school, ground floor

1. We had to stand in line at the movie-theater last night.

2. Our back yard looks lovely in the fail. The leaves on the trees turn brown and red.

3. He wants to major in math at college when he leaves high school.

4. When you stop for gas at a gas station, they sometimes clean your windshield.

5. We had to buy a lot at the stores, then we took the subway home.

6. The elevator’s broken down again, but it doesn’t matter. We live on the first floor.

7. She likes candy, and bread and butter with jelly on it. They’re bad for her teeth,

8. The only money I have is a twenty dollar bill.

9. in this district they only collect the garbage once a week.

Exercise № 8. Make up a list of most commonly used stores in your neighbouhood area. Then define them by using proper adjectives and compound nouns like in the model.

Model: There’s just one ironmonger store in my neighbouhood. It’s rather close situated to my block of flats, just four hundred yards south-east from my flat. I suppose it’s quite useful when I need to buy some kinds of nails, screws or wall-plaster for renovation of my flat.

Exercise № 9. Make up a list of your kinsmen or friends and characterize them by using appropriate adjectives and compound nouns as shown in the model.

Model: There’re just three close people of our family who are my uncle Andrew, an aunt Stephanie and their only son Jacob. Andrew is a curly-haired, sun-tanned, blue-eyed and muscular man in his early forties. He’s a well-educated and Moscow bred intelligent.