Customer Reviews

British English, A to Zed (Facts on File Writer's Library)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It was Antony of a Poly-Thinkers board who reminded me of this book which we have had for over a decade and for anyone who loves the BBC, or PBS programs with a British flare it is a valuable asset. It is helpful when watching Monty Python, All Creatures Great and Small and programs pre 1990 to have the terms explained. The book is basically about the General differences between British and American English.

On page 5 there are examples of different words used to define in British and American English:

Blunt (of a pencil) in British English would be said dull in American English
engaged in British English would mean busy and in American English tied-up
motor car in British English would be car or automobile in American English
Petrol would be in British English what gas or gasoline would be in American English.

On page 129 Americans who are used to hearing the term faggots as a derogatory term for a homosexual will learn that in country English it means a battered old woman or a cigarette. Fanny in American English refers to someone's (usually a woman's) buttocks. In British English it is much more interesting.

There is a section on food names, botanical and zoological names and the whole Britain, Briton, British English elements as well. Cricket terms and connotative place-names and connotative names of periodicals i.e. The Daily Telegraph, Punch etc.

What is Zed? On page 406: zed, n (noun) This explains the title! (letter) Z And now I am hungry for some bangers and mash.

This is a must if you want to understand the English. I took it with me to Britain and found it very useful. Its dictionary format makes it easy to find the term you need. It also helps with things like gestures, not just words.

It will also help you understand what they are saying in British movies, translate what they say.

The book includes reference to other variants, like Australian. perhaps the author would like to develop this into a book specifically for American people traveling to Australia.

Even if you don't normally think dictionaries are fun, you will enjoy this one. It is laid out in a manner easy to understand and the entries include humor, both British and American in style. There are some things that are never explained to my full satisfaction, but overall I enjoyed it and will continue to have fun with it.

If you like BritComs, British movies or other Anglo-media, you need this book. Everything makes much more sense! If you enjoy English literature, this dictionary can help you understand things more fully, better than you ever could simply using contextual clues or a standard American dictionary.

I highly recommend this book!

Not just useful but entertaining. I got this book in exasperation when I couldn't make sense of Peter O'Toole's autobiography, because of all the English slang. This dictionary saved the day.

Don't miss this book if you are going to Europe. It really bridges the language gap between America and Britain. It is packed with useful expressions for everyday communication in Britain. In adition to being very useful, this book is extremely entertaining, a lot of fun to read.

I am pleased I have bought this book and happy to recommend it to other travelers to Britain, 'on holiday' as they say or to do business.

I write sophisticated Harry Potter fanfic, but I'm an American and I don't have much of a clue about British usages. I had been relying upon a number of Internet sources of greater or lesser quality before I saw Britisn English from A to Zed recommended in one of the writer's fora on Fictionalley. I bought it, and I must say it is smashing. There is no better reference work for American-British conversion available. It is comprehensive and understandable - also funny; I sometimes find myself just reading a series of entries for the humour value. I absolutely recommend this to anyone trying to write in the British style.

There are only two drawbacks. One, the indexing is rather rudimentary. It's sometimes hard to find what one wants. Second, it's rather dear - over $50 (£35) for a couple hundred pages in hardback. But, as it's a specialty work, I suppose the price is to be expected.

Having a bunch of British friends, I found this book to be interesting, informative and amusing. It really bridges the England/America language gap!

Even though there are about 4000 entries I can never find what I am looking for. These are words used in BBC and ITV programs and must be ordinary and not smutty, yet they are not listed.

British English A to Zed takes one back in time to a romantic age where an old people's home was called an almshouse, and a car battery was called an accumulator. Alas, this book is so outdated that it is not of much practical value to the average American who is headed to England. On the plus side, it is an enjoyable book full of rich expressions and makes good reading for those not in need of a practical reference book.

An excellent book to enlighten anyone about the many different meanings of common words. A good book to take along, on your trip. Miss-understandings & confusion over what is meant, can be kept to a minimum. "British English" isn't "American English", there are many important differences. Purchase this book before your trip, you will be glad that you did.