Lori's London Quiz

"The complexities of the English language are such that even native speakers cannot always communicate effectively, as almost every American learns on his first day in Britain."


Well, somehow I managed to survive my stint in learning to teach English while trying to understand British English.  In order to help those of you who might someday to travel across the pond, I thought I would give you a quick quiz to see if the same things would trip you up.  Enjoy!

1. A jumper is:
    A. a dress for a young girl
    B. a grasshopper
    C. a sweater

2. A lie-in is:
    A. a protest rally
    B. lounging around in bed all day
    C. a little white lie

3. A brolly is:
   A. an umbrella
   B. a broiled steak
   C. the thing you put on the teapot to keep it warm

4. Who  can you tell off?
   A. Your children
   B. The guy who just cut you off in traffic
   C. The guy who took 10 mins at the ATM with 8 people in line behind him

5. True/False Chips:Fries::Crisps:Chips

6.  What is the correct observation when the weather is 21 degrees C (~70 F)?
   A. Lovely weather we're having, isn't it?
   B. It's quite warm today
   C. We're having a heat wave

7. The correct pronunciation of 'Southwark' is:
    A. SOUTH-wark
    B. south-WORK
    C. suth-IK

"A paradox of accents is that in England where people from a common heritage have been living together in a small area for thousands of years, there is still a huge variety of accents, whereas in America, where people from a great mix of backgrounds have been living together in a vast area for a relatively short period, people speak with just a few voices"

Extra credit goes to anyone who can explain the phrase "Bob's your uncle"



Answers:
1. C
2. B
3. A
4. A is for sure, B & C-the British are too polite to yell at strangers I think
5. True-although I still get these confused and I wasn't always sure what I was getting with my sandwich
6. A or C.  Remember that the modifier 'quite' means that it is less warm than just warm
7. C Yes, I know, I don't get where all those letters went either.

*quotes from Bill Bryson, The Mother Tongue