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I was reading an article in the Guardian on the oil leak in the Gulf when I came to the following, which I thought was amusing:
But it says in the small print that "right now everyone is welcome, especially our friends from England". (In the US, the terms British and English are often regarded as interchangeable even when it comes to the World Cup.)
I am probably guilty of using these words interchangeably as well. I looked to Wikipedia's definition of "Great Britain", but that wasn't very clear (and perhaps even incorrect?). Then I went to a better site which listed the differences between Great Britain, the United Kingdom, etc. Interestingly, it also mentions that there is a difference between Great Britain and Britain. Do you know what it is (without looking)?
Interestingly, it also mentions that there is a difference between Great Britain and Britain. Do you know what it is (without looking)?
One pollutes American waters while the other is Socialist?
Britain = England and WalesGreat Britain = England, Wales, and ScotlandUnited Kingdom = England, Wales, Scotland and Northern IrelandOf course, I took about 18 credits of British history in my undergrad life - but that was, shall we say, a long time ago.
Yes, Vulture you are correct. Apparently some people also use the words “Great Britain” and “United Kingdom” interchangeably as well, but they are not one and the same.
Well, I think that most of us “go to the Konica to make a xerox”Even though many years ago Dr. Partin beat Britain v. Great Britain v. UK into our heads I've still been guilty of frequently using them interchangeably. Likewise, one could say the same thing about "America" v. "United States" -- are not Canadians, Mexicans, and Brazilians also technically "Americans"?
When I taught English in South America some years ago, at least one of my students got upset when I explained to them that in English, the word America refers exclusively to the United States. The understanding down there was that South Americans were Americans as well.
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