Hello everyone!
I am really sorry for not updating this page in a while!
Jon was over for a visit for two weeks, and we travelled about a lot. Then I just got busy with work, and other things, too.
Anyway, I am still here. We are still of course waiting for the next part of our immigration process to happen, and when it does, you will all most certainly know about it!
I had to apply for a new passport last week. If anyone in the UK needs to renew, now would be a very good time... I sent my passport application using the Post Office's 'check and send' service last Monday, at about 3.30pm (it was right after work).
The guy went through my application, bagged it up, I paid the money and off it went that night.
Friday morning at 10.25am the doorbell rang, and a special courier handed me my new passport!
I was floored. I wouldn't have been more shocked! Less than four days for a new passport has to be a world record for sure!
So anyway, I now have my shiny new British passport, ready to have my shiny new US visa stuck into it... eventually! Let's hope that is sooner rather than later.
I think that's all for now.
Happy Halloween everyone!
Dan.
Thursday, 31 October 2013
Tuesday, 1 October 2013
Battle of the Taxes
Hello everyone,
Today I wanted to take a look at the taxes of both the United States and the United Kingdom, and compare them to each other, and see who ends up being "better off", if any at all.
I'll just put my thoughts, some might be biased, some not. I'll let you be the overall judge, although I have set out some criteria below.
Please, please let me know your own thoughts in the comments at the end. I'd love to get everyones perspectives on all this.
Obviously talking about taxes is not the most fun subject in the world, but if you're genuinely interested in finding out about standards and costs of living between different places, it makes for interesting discussion.
I know that there isn't nearly enough good discussion on these kinds of things for newbie immigrants like myself, and it is something that seems daunting when you move to a new place. So I write this all with the hope that I can at least assist someone out there, even if just one question is answered by all this, it has been worth it.
Rules and Criteria For My Arguments
I'm not a business person, or qualified in accountancy of any kind, but I have done my research, and where possible, I will back up all my points with evidence. I won't just put something out there and make assumptions. I'll make it as factually accurate as I can.
I am going to write this from my point of view, as a fully capable, young adult who currently works in the UK. I think this will offer a fair comparison to most adults who have a regular job and income.
Obviously everyone's personal circumstances are slightly different, but we'll just go with the fact that I am a regular working adult.
Direct Taxes
Let's start with what I will refer to as a direct tax. Like I said, I'm no accountant, so if that's not a "technical term", then so be it, but that's what I'm calling this first category.
Direct taxes are taxes which are paid regularly, directly to the government. They immediately affect us as they are immediately deducted by whatever means, or are required to be paid immediately when billed.
Income Tax in the UK
Of course income tax on earnings is the biggest direct tax of all, and the one that affects nearly everybody who has ever worked.
Income tax rates in the UK are high generally, but more for higher income earners, and can go from 20%, all the way up to 45%.
For a regular working adult like myself, the current income tax rate in the UK is set at 20% on all earnings over £9440. This means that I can earn £9440 and not pay tax, anything over this amount is taxed at 20% (on just the excess amount, it does not work retroactively to tax all my income).
For anyone who is employed in the UK, taxes are worked out and deducted automatically from your salary/payslip/pay check. Nobody ever has to file a tax return if you're employed.
It's that simple. (We won't go down the route of self-employed, as that's not the point of this right now.)
If underpayments are required, HM Revenue and Customs normally send a letter informing you of how much is owed, and what options you have to pay the underpayment back. Usually you will be offered to be able to pay it back as part of your next tax year in your salary (your tax code will change and you will pay slightly more for however long it takes to make the repayment).
If overpayments are made, HM Revenue and Customs will automatically send you a cheque.
It should be noted that these instances do not happen often. If you change jobs and your new tax code isn't entered correctly by your employer then it may alter something, but that is unlikely.
If you are married or in a Civil Partnership, there is Married Couples Allowance. The rules of which seem complicated to me, but again, this is usually worked out automatically. It basically come down to that you should be paying slightly less tax in your salary, because you're married/CP'd.
It should be noted also that if you're retired, on a low income, disabled, and a multitude of other scenarios, the same applies. Your circumstances are all automatically calculated by the HMRC, and you shouldn't have to file anything. You might get a letter from time to time asking to prove your circumstances are still the same (for example, if you're on a low income, single parent etc), but that's about it.
In summary, if you work, and have a regular salary, or are retired or receive a permanent benefit (disabled etc), you'll be taxed in your salary/benefit, and never have to worry about filing anything else. Ever.
Federal Income Tax in the US
In the US, from my understanding, income tax is much more complicated.
For a start, everybody pays tax, regardless of income level. When I looked at the Federal Income Tax rates it seems that you have to pay a different percentage of tax for each level of income you earn.
For example, a single person who earns $25000 would pay 10% tax on anything from $0 to $8925, then 15% on anything else up to the $25000.
The tax rates also vary if you are filing as a single person, married filing together, married filing separately, or even as a household if you have dependants.
I also understand that a basic amount of tax is taken from salaries, but American still have to file anyway, for anything that is missed by the salary deduction and any adjustments that the IRS do not know about (income from other sources, bonuses, savings, etc).
If you owe anything, then you have to pay it with your returns, or if anything is owed, you can claim it back.
But of course, it isn't that simple in reality. As I mentioned, you could have some sort of adjustment, which could be in the form of an allowance/deduction, that means that you pay no tax on the first X-amount, for example $5000, and then 10% on $5000 to 13925 ($8925+$5000). There are a whole manner of scenarios as to why this can happen, such having children, medical expenses, interest payments on your home... The list goes on, and can get very complicated.
Jon admittedly did try to explain it all to me more accurately, and I tried to cover it the best I could here, but to explain it all would simply not be possible!
This is of course just for Federal Income Tax.
Then we come to State Income Tax.
State Income Tax in the US
You have filed your Federal Income Taxes, and you're done, right? Wrong. You also have to pay state taxes!
State income taxes can be mind-bogglingly complicated. I googled to see what I could find out about Maryland taxes, as that's where Jon and I will be living together, and I have to say, I was really lost.
You might think I'm trying to add a biased spin to this, but I'm really not. I wanted to make it sound simple, but all I came up against was long, complicated webpages, online leaflets and pages of numbers and percentages.
Eventually I found a site that listed them all by state. Seven states pay none, remarkably.
And from what I could make out, seven pay a flat rate, regardless of income. The rest, plus DC, pay a variable rate depending on income.
As with Federal Income Taxes, what you pay can depend on varying circumstances, from dependants, other sources of income etc.
Based on my example earlier of someone who earns $25000, in addition to the Federal taxes of up to 15%, that person would also have to pay 4.75% on earnings over $3000, plus an extra $90 (don't even ask!), PLUS county taxes, of at least 1.25% (based on the "cheapest" county to live in)!
So to live in the "cheapest" county in Maryland, your income taxes all combined (including Federal) at looking to be at least 21% - for a low income worker!
That's already 1% more than the UK. I realise that for Federal taxes the amount is staggered, but still, 21% is a lot, and the threshold is a lot less than the £9440 tax free allowance of the UK.
Also, of course, I know there are deductions that might bring your taxes down (dependants etc), but I'm trying to keep this simple - which as you can see is a challenge in itself!
Living Outside the US
Of course, if you're a US Citizen and you live outside the US, you don't escape the tax system that easily!
If you are a US Citizen, you are still required to file taxes in the US, even if you don't owe anything!
And get this, if the equivalent of any income tax you pay in your country of residence is less than the US rate, then you have to pay the US the difference! Even if you are not living or working in the US, and haven't done for several years, you are still basically penalised and taxed on your hard earned cash!
To my knowledge, no other country makes their citizens do this.
Summary
All I can say is, what a nightmare! I hope that all made sense, and if not - then you can hopefully see how confused I have been by it all!
It isn't just the percentages and numbers that cause me issue though; it's the fact that you have to go through all of this in the first place.
It seems like one big hassle to sit and work all these figures out for yourself, buy specialised software to do the calculations, and even in some cases hire a lawyer - just to pay taxes!
The US government do not make things easy!
Filing my own taxes (albeit with Jon of course) is the one thing that I think I am going to find really strange and annoying about moving to the US. I realise Jon has had a lot of experience with this, but it's not something I have ever had to deal with, and it's a little daunting.
I can't guarantee that either system is better or more affordable than another, but having been with Jon for nearly 6 years, and having lived in the UK all my life, I personally have to go with the UK system.
Some might say that I'm being biased, but why would I want the hassle of such a system, like the US?
It just seems like one big headache!
I said I'd back up my evidence, and so at the end of this blog post, I have listed all the websites I used as a point of reference.
Please do let me know your thoughts, in the comments below.
In my next article I'll be talking about the NHS, Health Insurance, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Dan.
References:
HM Revenue and Customs - http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/incometax/personal-allow.htm
About.com article on US Federal Tax Rates - http://taxes.about.com/od/Federal-Income-Taxes/qt/Tax-Rates-For-The-2013-Tax-Year.htm
Wikipedia page for State Income Taxes - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_income_tax
About.com article on State Income Taxes - http://taxes.about.com/od/statetaxes/a/highest-state-income-tax-rates.htm
TaxAdmin.org's document showing all state tax rates - http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/ind_inc.pdf
Comptroller Maryland Official Tax Information Sheet - http://taxes.marylandtaxes.com/Resource_Library/Tax_Publications/Tax_Facts/Withholding_Tax_Facts/Withholding_tax_facts_2013.pdf
Today I wanted to take a look at the taxes of both the United States and the United Kingdom, and compare them to each other, and see who ends up being "better off", if any at all.
I'll just put my thoughts, some might be biased, some not. I'll let you be the overall judge, although I have set out some criteria below.
Please, please let me know your own thoughts in the comments at the end. I'd love to get everyones perspectives on all this.
Obviously talking about taxes is not the most fun subject in the world, but if you're genuinely interested in finding out about standards and costs of living between different places, it makes for interesting discussion.
I know that there isn't nearly enough good discussion on these kinds of things for newbie immigrants like myself, and it is something that seems daunting when you move to a new place. So I write this all with the hope that I can at least assist someone out there, even if just one question is answered by all this, it has been worth it.
Rules and Criteria For My Arguments
I'm not a business person, or qualified in accountancy of any kind, but I have done my research, and where possible, I will back up all my points with evidence. I won't just put something out there and make assumptions. I'll make it as factually accurate as I can.
I am going to write this from my point of view, as a fully capable, young adult who currently works in the UK. I think this will offer a fair comparison to most adults who have a regular job and income.
Obviously everyone's personal circumstances are slightly different, but we'll just go with the fact that I am a regular working adult.
Direct Taxes
Let's start with what I will refer to as a direct tax. Like I said, I'm no accountant, so if that's not a "technical term", then so be it, but that's what I'm calling this first category.
Direct taxes are taxes which are paid regularly, directly to the government. They immediately affect us as they are immediately deducted by whatever means, or are required to be paid immediately when billed.
Income Tax in the UK
Of course income tax on earnings is the biggest direct tax of all, and the one that affects nearly everybody who has ever worked.
Income tax rates in the UK are high generally, but more for higher income earners, and can go from 20%, all the way up to 45%.
For a regular working adult like myself, the current income tax rate in the UK is set at 20% on all earnings over £9440. This means that I can earn £9440 and not pay tax, anything over this amount is taxed at 20% (on just the excess amount, it does not work retroactively to tax all my income).
For anyone who is employed in the UK, taxes are worked out and deducted automatically from your salary/payslip/pay check. Nobody ever has to file a tax return if you're employed.
It's that simple. (We won't go down the route of self-employed, as that's not the point of this right now.)
If underpayments are required, HM Revenue and Customs normally send a letter informing you of how much is owed, and what options you have to pay the underpayment back. Usually you will be offered to be able to pay it back as part of your next tax year in your salary (your tax code will change and you will pay slightly more for however long it takes to make the repayment).
If overpayments are made, HM Revenue and Customs will automatically send you a cheque.
It should be noted that these instances do not happen often. If you change jobs and your new tax code isn't entered correctly by your employer then it may alter something, but that is unlikely.
If you are married or in a Civil Partnership, there is Married Couples Allowance. The rules of which seem complicated to me, but again, this is usually worked out automatically. It basically come down to that you should be paying slightly less tax in your salary, because you're married/CP'd.
It should be noted also that if you're retired, on a low income, disabled, and a multitude of other scenarios, the same applies. Your circumstances are all automatically calculated by the HMRC, and you shouldn't have to file anything. You might get a letter from time to time asking to prove your circumstances are still the same (for example, if you're on a low income, single parent etc), but that's about it.
In summary, if you work, and have a regular salary, or are retired or receive a permanent benefit (disabled etc), you'll be taxed in your salary/benefit, and never have to worry about filing anything else. Ever.
Federal Income Tax in the US
In the US, from my understanding, income tax is much more complicated.
For a start, everybody pays tax, regardless of income level. When I looked at the Federal Income Tax rates it seems that you have to pay a different percentage of tax for each level of income you earn.
For example, a single person who earns $25000 would pay 10% tax on anything from $0 to $8925, then 15% on anything else up to the $25000.
The tax rates also vary if you are filing as a single person, married filing together, married filing separately, or even as a household if you have dependants.
I also understand that a basic amount of tax is taken from salaries, but American still have to file anyway, for anything that is missed by the salary deduction and any adjustments that the IRS do not know about (income from other sources, bonuses, savings, etc).
If you owe anything, then you have to pay it with your returns, or if anything is owed, you can claim it back.
But of course, it isn't that simple in reality. As I mentioned, you could have some sort of adjustment, which could be in the form of an allowance/deduction, that means that you pay no tax on the first X-amount, for example $5000, and then 10% on $5000 to 13925 ($8925+$5000). There are a whole manner of scenarios as to why this can happen, such having children, medical expenses, interest payments on your home... The list goes on, and can get very complicated.
Jon admittedly did try to explain it all to me more accurately, and I tried to cover it the best I could here, but to explain it all would simply not be possible!
This is of course just for Federal Income Tax.
Then we come to State Income Tax.
State Income Tax in the US
You have filed your Federal Income Taxes, and you're done, right? Wrong. You also have to pay state taxes!
State income taxes can be mind-bogglingly complicated. I googled to see what I could find out about Maryland taxes, as that's where Jon and I will be living together, and I have to say, I was really lost.
You might think I'm trying to add a biased spin to this, but I'm really not. I wanted to make it sound simple, but all I came up against was long, complicated webpages, online leaflets and pages of numbers and percentages.
Eventually I found a site that listed them all by state. Seven states pay none, remarkably.
And from what I could make out, seven pay a flat rate, regardless of income. The rest, plus DC, pay a variable rate depending on income.
As with Federal Income Taxes, what you pay can depend on varying circumstances, from dependants, other sources of income etc.
Based on my example earlier of someone who earns $25000, in addition to the Federal taxes of up to 15%, that person would also have to pay 4.75% on earnings over $3000, plus an extra $90 (don't even ask!), PLUS county taxes, of at least 1.25% (based on the "cheapest" county to live in)!
So to live in the "cheapest" county in Maryland, your income taxes all combined (including Federal) at looking to be at least 21% - for a low income worker!
That's already 1% more than the UK. I realise that for Federal taxes the amount is staggered, but still, 21% is a lot, and the threshold is a lot less than the £9440 tax free allowance of the UK.
Also, of course, I know there are deductions that might bring your taxes down (dependants etc), but I'm trying to keep this simple - which as you can see is a challenge in itself!
Living Outside the US
Of course, if you're a US Citizen and you live outside the US, you don't escape the tax system that easily!
If you are a US Citizen, you are still required to file taxes in the US, even if you don't owe anything!
And get this, if the equivalent of any income tax you pay in your country of residence is less than the US rate, then you have to pay the US the difference! Even if you are not living or working in the US, and haven't done for several years, you are still basically penalised and taxed on your hard earned cash!
To my knowledge, no other country makes their citizens do this.
Summary
All I can say is, what a nightmare! I hope that all made sense, and if not - then you can hopefully see how confused I have been by it all!
It isn't just the percentages and numbers that cause me issue though; it's the fact that you have to go through all of this in the first place.
It seems like one big hassle to sit and work all these figures out for yourself, buy specialised software to do the calculations, and even in some cases hire a lawyer - just to pay taxes!
The US government do not make things easy!
Filing my own taxes (albeit with Jon of course) is the one thing that I think I am going to find really strange and annoying about moving to the US. I realise Jon has had a lot of experience with this, but it's not something I have ever had to deal with, and it's a little daunting.
I can't guarantee that either system is better or more affordable than another, but having been with Jon for nearly 6 years, and having lived in the UK all my life, I personally have to go with the UK system.
Some might say that I'm being biased, but why would I want the hassle of such a system, like the US?
It just seems like one big headache!
I said I'd back up my evidence, and so at the end of this blog post, I have listed all the websites I used as a point of reference.
Please do let me know your thoughts, in the comments below.
In my next article I'll be talking about the NHS, Health Insurance, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
Dan.
*
HM Revenue and Customs - http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/incometax/personal-allow.htm
About.com article on US Federal Tax Rates - http://taxes.about.com/od/Federal-Income-Taxes/qt/Tax-Rates-For-The-2013-Tax-Year.htm
Wikipedia page for State Income Taxes - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_income_tax
About.com article on State Income Taxes - http://taxes.about.com/od/statetaxes/a/highest-state-income-tax-rates.htm
TaxAdmin.org's document showing all state tax rates - http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/ind_inc.pdf
Comptroller Maryland Official Tax Information Sheet - http://taxes.marylandtaxes.com/Resource_Library/Tax_Publications/Tax_Facts/Withholding_Tax_Facts/Withholding_tax_facts_2013.pdf
Cost of Living Article Series
Hello everyone,
This morning I started to write an article about comparable costs of living between the US and the UK.
As I was writing I found that I ended up having so much to say, that I have since decided to break the article down into smaller entries, as not to bore you all at once!
The first one will be about income tax, and the second one about healthcare costs. I will continue the series to include property and vehicle taxes, sales tax and other costs of living.
The income tax one will be published later today, with the rest to follow later in the week. So, look out for those!
UPDATE:
My Battle of the Taxes article is now up, and can be read by clicking here.
Dan.
This morning I started to write an article about comparable costs of living between the US and the UK.
As I was writing I found that I ended up having so much to say, that I have since decided to break the article down into smaller entries, as not to bore you all at once!
The first one will be about income tax, and the second one about healthcare costs. I will continue the series to include property and vehicle taxes, sales tax and other costs of living.
The income tax one will be published later today, with the rest to follow later in the week. So, look out for those!
UPDATE:
My Battle of the Taxes article is now up, and can be read by clicking here.
Dan.
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Our First I-797C Notice of Action Received!
Hello everyone,
Apologies for the lack of posts recently. Jon and I have both been at work full time, and really, there hasn't been much happening, besides something that arrived yesterday...
Last Monday (8 days ago) we finally filed our petition with the US immigration services. We would have had it filed at the end of the week before, except our lawyers for some reason told us they hadn't received everything (although they had...).
Anyway, despite the short delay of a couple of days, the petition was filed, and yesterday, a week to the day of filing, we received our first official document from the government!
The I-797C Notice of Action arrived to say our petition had been received!
Of course, at this point, it's just an acknowledgement, but all the same, it's exciting to know the ball is now in motion!
I have attached a picture below of the actual notice, blocking out Jon's address, Jon and I's dates of birth, and our receipt numbers and barcodes, for security reasons. Click to view larger image.
We can only hope that the rest of the process goes as quickly now!
Dan.
Apologies for the lack of posts recently. Jon and I have both been at work full time, and really, there hasn't been much happening, besides something that arrived yesterday...
Last Monday (8 days ago) we finally filed our petition with the US immigration services. We would have had it filed at the end of the week before, except our lawyers for some reason told us they hadn't received everything (although they had...).
Anyway, despite the short delay of a couple of days, the petition was filed, and yesterday, a week to the day of filing, we received our first official document from the government!
The I-797C Notice of Action arrived to say our petition had been received!
Of course, at this point, it's just an acknowledgement, but all the same, it's exciting to know the ball is now in motion!
I have attached a picture below of the actual notice, blocking out Jon's address, Jon and I's dates of birth, and our receipt numbers and barcodes, for security reasons. Click to view larger image.
We can only hope that the rest of the process goes as quickly now!
Dan.
Sunday, 8 September 2013
"What did he just say?"
One thing I have learnt in my many years going back and forth to the US, is that there are some very big differences in the way we speak!
I thought it would be fun to compile a list of the things I could think of from the top of my head.
To begin with, here's some vocabulary that is completely different:
Trousers - pants
Pants - underpants / underwear
Jumper - sweater
Chips - fries (fries to us are still fries though)
Crisps - chips
Courgette - zucchini
Aubergine - eggplant
Plug (electric) - outlet
Plug hole (bath) - drain
Tap - faucet
Bumbag - fanny pack
Aluminium - aluminum
University - college
Badge (one with a pin) - button
Petrol - gas (gasoline)
Lorry - truck / tractor trailer
Four by four - truck
People carrier - van
Camper van - RV
Manual transmission - stick shift
Holiday - vacation
Bank holiday or national holiday - holiday
Sweets - candy
Chocolate bar - candy bar
Candy floss - cotton candy
Mobile phone - cell phone
Rubbish - trash / garbage
Bin (as in rubbish) - trash can / garbage can
Rubbish man - garbage man
Rubbish truck - garbage truck
Postman - mail man /lady /person (in the UK postman doesn't always define wether they are a man or not, just like human)
Post - mail
Letters (plural only) - mail
Voucher - coupon
Soft drink / fizzy drink - soda or pop (regional)
Icing - frosting
Duvet - comforter (I'm still not even sure about this one!)
Autumn - fall
In line ("I'm waiting in line") - on line
Queue - line
Till - cash register (or just register)
Bank note - bill
Bill (in a restaurant) - check
School year / year group - grade
Woodwork / workshop / DT - shop
Maths - math
Fag (slang but commonly accepted) - cigarette (yes, I'm serious!)
Crash (mainly as in car crash) - wreck ("car wreck")
Christmas decoration (one that is like a figure, plastic, glass etc; for a Christmas Tree) - ornament
Lametta - tinsel
Tinsel - garland
Money box - money bank (or just bank)
Biscuit - cookie (our cookies are still cookies also)
Camcorder - video camera (we use video camera too)
Toilet (as in "I'm going to the toilet") - restroom or bathroom
A toilet cubicle in a public toilet - stall
Loo or bog - toilet/restroom etc
Hash key (on a phone) - pound sign/key (not to be confused with the British pound)?
Full stop - stop or period (no, for those wondering, a comma is still a comma, not a half stop!)
Exclamation mark - exclamation point
Speech mark(s) - quotation mark(s)
Trainers - sneakers or tennis shoes (I think actually sneakers and tennis shoes are slightly different styles in the US, but in the UK, they are all trainers)
Shopping trolley (or just trolley) - shopping cart (or just cart)
Loft - attic (although, we do say attic too. Loft to us is more in a regular house, with a hatch. An attic would be more like in a huge house that has a staircase leading up to it)
Lift - elevator
Pudding or afters - dessert (dessert is quite common in the UK too though. In the US, pudding is more specific, and more like mousse - like chocolate mousse for example)
Shopping centre or precinct - mall (in the US they also have strip malls, which to British people would sound funny, as we have no nearest equivalent. The best I can describe would be a shopping plaza, I think. A precinct would be a local police department in a city)
Nursery or reception - kindergarten
Primary school (infants and juniors) - elementary school (although elementary school ends a bit earlier, and US kids go off to middle school - see below)
Secondary school - middle school and high school (in a lot of the US they separate out the years and have three schools to attend)
Cheers - thanks
Alright? (as a greeting) - how are you? (definitely not asking if you've injured yourself!)
A&E - ER
Driving license - drivers license
Spelt - spelled
Dreamt - dreamed (I know Americans also use dreamt, but it seems less common)
Cinema - the same, but Americans also use 'movie theater' a lot, whereas we don't
Pictures (mainly old fashioned, but still in use. I guess it comes from picture house/moving pictures) - cinema
Elasticated - Americans don't have a separate word for something having having elastic, it's just simply elastic. For example, we would say elasticated trousers, Americans would say the pants have elastic.
Paracetamol - I think this is like Tylenol, but I could be wrong! Mainly for headaches and mild aches and pains
Tablet or pill - drugs or medicine
Medicine (to us usually fluid) - medicine
Washing - laundry (though we do say this too. Similarly, washing basket is laundry basket)
Washing up - the dishes ("let's do the washing up", "let's do the dishes")
Dressing gown - bathrobe
Settee - couch/sofa
Hay fever - allergies (but allergies are also allergies!)
Hoover - vacuum cleaner
Torch - flashlight
Diversion (when driving) - detour
Detached house - a single home, with no adjoining property
Semi-detached, mid-terrace or end of terrace house - town house
Interestingly the word house on its own in the US usually means a detached home, but in the UK is interchangeable with any type of home
Motorway - nearest equivalent for the type of road would be a freeway or an interstate. A highway in the US could be equivalent to a UK 'A' road.
Back garden (often just garden) - yard or backyard
Call in sick - call out sick
Phone, as in "I'll phone you" - "I'll call you"
Toilet roll - toilet paper (we use this too)
Single bed - twin bed (I never get this one - twin means two!)
Physiotherapy - physical therapy
The Hokey Cokey - the Hokey Pokey
Boot (car) - trunk
Bonnet (car) - hood
And this is something that we don't even have in British English:
1st year of high school and college are called freshman years
2nd year high school and college is sophomore
3rd (which is the last) year of both is called senior year
Accordingly, a student can be a freshman, sophomore or a senior.
Confused yet?
Words that are spelled almost the same, but not quite (although they all sound the sane either way):
Mum - mom
Collectable - collectible
Labour - labor
Harbour - harbor
Colour - color
Valour - valor
Theatre - theater (though this can vary)
Centre - center
Cheque - check (only as in monetary form. We would still use check if we were saying "check that off the list". In British English the idea is that there is a clear difference between a cheque and checking something)
Pyjamas - pajamas
And to be totally confusing, words that are spelled the same, but are spoken not just with a different accent, but actually sound like different words!
Parmesan - British English parmeSAN, American English parmeJARN (I can't exactly describe how it sounds in American English)
Fillet - British English filLET (said exactly as spelled, basically), American English filLAY (like from the French pronunciation)
Caramel - British English carAmel, American English carmel (the middle 'a' disappears)
Ferry - British English fErry, American English sounds like fairy. Ferry and fairy are indistinguishable in the US
Most words with a middle 't' - British English, for e.g. butter in American English would sound like budder to a British person.
There are many more with the 't' thing, too many to list!
There are undoubtedly hundreds more examples of language differences, and even as I was editing this to publish, I thought of more. I'll post more in another blog when I have big enough list again!
Dan.
I thought it would be fun to compile a list of the things I could think of from the top of my head.
To begin with, here's some vocabulary that is completely different:
Trousers - pants
Pants - underpants / underwear
Jumper - sweater
Chips - fries (fries to us are still fries though)
Crisps - chips
Courgette - zucchini
Aubergine - eggplant
Plug (electric) - outlet
Plug hole (bath) - drain
Tap - faucet
Bumbag - fanny pack
Aluminium - aluminum
University - college
Badge (one with a pin) - button
Petrol - gas (gasoline)
Lorry - truck / tractor trailer
Four by four - truck
People carrier - van
Camper van - RV
Manual transmission - stick shift
Holiday - vacation
Bank holiday or national holiday - holiday
Sweets - candy
Chocolate bar - candy bar
Candy floss - cotton candy
Mobile phone - cell phone
Rubbish - trash / garbage
Bin (as in rubbish) - trash can / garbage can
Rubbish man - garbage man
Rubbish truck - garbage truck
Postman - mail man /lady /person (in the UK postman doesn't always define wether they are a man or not, just like human)
Post - mail
Letters (plural only) - mail
Voucher - coupon
Soft drink / fizzy drink - soda or pop (regional)
Icing - frosting
Duvet - comforter (I'm still not even sure about this one!)
Autumn - fall
In line ("I'm waiting in line") - on line
Queue - line
Till - cash register (or just register)
Bank note - bill
Bill (in a restaurant) - check
School year / year group - grade
Woodwork / workshop / DT - shop
Maths - math
Fag (slang but commonly accepted) - cigarette (yes, I'm serious!)
Crash (mainly as in car crash) - wreck ("car wreck")
Christmas decoration (one that is like a figure, plastic, glass etc; for a Christmas Tree) - ornament
Lametta - tinsel
Tinsel - garland
Money box - money bank (or just bank)
Biscuit - cookie (our cookies are still cookies also)
Camcorder - video camera (we use video camera too)
Toilet (as in "I'm going to the toilet") - restroom or bathroom
A toilet cubicle in a public toilet - stall
Loo or bog - toilet/restroom etc
Hash key (on a phone) - pound sign/key (not to be confused with the British pound)?
Full stop - stop or period (no, for those wondering, a comma is still a comma, not a half stop!)
Exclamation mark - exclamation point
Speech mark(s) - quotation mark(s)
Trainers - sneakers or tennis shoes (I think actually sneakers and tennis shoes are slightly different styles in the US, but in the UK, they are all trainers)
Shopping trolley (or just trolley) - shopping cart (or just cart)
Loft - attic (although, we do say attic too. Loft to us is more in a regular house, with a hatch. An attic would be more like in a huge house that has a staircase leading up to it)
Lift - elevator
Pudding or afters - dessert (dessert is quite common in the UK too though. In the US, pudding is more specific, and more like mousse - like chocolate mousse for example)
Shopping centre or precinct - mall (in the US they also have strip malls, which to British people would sound funny, as we have no nearest equivalent. The best I can describe would be a shopping plaza, I think. A precinct would be a local police department in a city)
Nursery or reception - kindergarten
Primary school (infants and juniors) - elementary school (although elementary school ends a bit earlier, and US kids go off to middle school - see below)
Secondary school - middle school and high school (in a lot of the US they separate out the years and have three schools to attend)
Cheers - thanks
Alright? (as a greeting) - how are you? (definitely not asking if you've injured yourself!)
A&E - ER
Driving license - drivers license
Spelt - spelled
Dreamt - dreamed (I know Americans also use dreamt, but it seems less common)
Cinema - the same, but Americans also use 'movie theater' a lot, whereas we don't
Pictures (mainly old fashioned, but still in use. I guess it comes from picture house/moving pictures) - cinema
Elasticated - Americans don't have a separate word for something having having elastic, it's just simply elastic. For example, we would say elasticated trousers, Americans would say the pants have elastic.
Paracetamol - I think this is like Tylenol, but I could be wrong! Mainly for headaches and mild aches and pains
Tablet or pill - drugs or medicine
Medicine (to us usually fluid) - medicine
Washing - laundry (though we do say this too. Similarly, washing basket is laundry basket)
Washing up - the dishes ("let's do the washing up", "let's do the dishes")
Dressing gown - bathrobe
Settee - couch/sofa
Hay fever - allergies (but allergies are also allergies!)
Hoover - vacuum cleaner
Torch - flashlight
Diversion (when driving) - detour
Detached house - a single home, with no adjoining property
Semi-detached, mid-terrace or end of terrace house - town house
Interestingly the word house on its own in the US usually means a detached home, but in the UK is interchangeable with any type of home
Motorway - nearest equivalent for the type of road would be a freeway or an interstate. A highway in the US could be equivalent to a UK 'A' road.
Back garden (often just garden) - yard or backyard
Call in sick - call out sick
Phone, as in "I'll phone you" - "I'll call you"
Toilet roll - toilet paper (we use this too)
Single bed - twin bed (I never get this one - twin means two!)
Physiotherapy - physical therapy
The Hokey Cokey - the Hokey Pokey
Boot (car) - trunk
Bonnet (car) - hood
And this is something that we don't even have in British English:
1st year of high school and college are called freshman years
2nd year high school and college is sophomore
3rd (which is the last) year of both is called senior year
Accordingly, a student can be a freshman, sophomore or a senior.
Confused yet?
Words that are spelled almost the same, but not quite (although they all sound the sane either way):
Mum - mom
Collectable - collectible
Labour - labor
Harbour - harbor
Colour - color
Valour - valor
Theatre - theater (though this can vary)
Centre - center
Cheque - check (only as in monetary form. We would still use check if we were saying "check that off the list". In British English the idea is that there is a clear difference between a cheque and checking something)
Pyjamas - pajamas
And to be totally confusing, words that are spelled the same, but are spoken not just with a different accent, but actually sound like different words!
Parmesan - British English parmeSAN, American English parmeJARN (I can't exactly describe how it sounds in American English)
Fillet - British English filLET (said exactly as spelled, basically), American English filLAY (like from the French pronunciation)
Caramel - British English carAmel, American English carmel (the middle 'a' disappears)
Ferry - British English fErry, American English sounds like fairy. Ferry and fairy are indistinguishable in the US
Most words with a middle 't' - British English, for e.g. butter in American English would sound like budder to a British person.
There are many more with the 't' thing, too many to list!
There are undoubtedly hundreds more examples of language differences, and even as I was editing this to publish, I thought of more. I'll post more in another blog when I have big enough list again!
Dan.
Thursday, 29 August 2013
The Wedding!
Hello everyone,
Apologies for the fact this is nearly a week late, but we have been very busy! Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that the wedding ceremony went perfectly, and we had a truly wonderful day.
The after party was lovely, filled with good food, and our family and friends.
I have a few pictures to share of the setup, but not of Jon and I - yet! I might have some of those in a week or two.
Following the party, we drove north and spent the weekend in New York with some dear friends of ours, and got back the early hours of Monday morning.
So, here's the pics! (Some things need explanation, which I have wrote after the pictures. Click images to see full size).
If you're wondering why the Christmas lights and Christmas Tree, they have some sentimental value to us. As I have said many times, we wanted things to be special and unique to us, and that is exactly what we did.
The tree actually had a lot of sentimental ornaments on it, that were special to Jon and his family.
The one of the wider shot of the room is a view looking from where Jon and I stood with our officiant, Sandy. The chairs were of course were where our guests were seated.
The picture of the table with Peter Pan and Stitch on it was I guess, for want of a better word, the "altar", and was basically right behind where the room shot was taken (where Jon and I stood).
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them below!
Just so you know, tomorrow we are off to Disneyland in California, and won't be back until late Tuesday night.
Have a good weekend everyone!
Dan.
Apologies for the fact this is nearly a week late, but we have been very busy! Anyway, I wanted to let you all know that the wedding ceremony went perfectly, and we had a truly wonderful day.
The after party was lovely, filled with good food, and our family and friends.
I have a few pictures to share of the setup, but not of Jon and I - yet! I might have some of those in a week or two.
Following the party, we drove north and spent the weekend in New York with some dear friends of ours, and got back the early hours of Monday morning.
So, here's the pics! (Some things need explanation, which I have wrote after the pictures. Click images to see full size).
If you're wondering why the Christmas lights and Christmas Tree, they have some sentimental value to us. As I have said many times, we wanted things to be special and unique to us, and that is exactly what we did.
The tree actually had a lot of sentimental ornaments on it, that were special to Jon and his family.
The one of the wider shot of the room is a view looking from where Jon and I stood with our officiant, Sandy. The chairs were of course were where our guests were seated.
The picture of the table with Peter Pan and Stitch on it was I guess, for want of a better word, the "altar", and was basically right behind where the room shot was taken (where Jon and I stood).
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them below!
Just so you know, tomorrow we are off to Disneyland in California, and won't be back until late Tuesday night.
Have a good weekend everyone!
Dan.
Monday, 19 August 2013
Cakes and Flowers!
Hello everyone,
Last week I told you the exciting news about our rings, and today I'd like to share with you our cakes and flowers for the ceremony!
We have decided to chose two cakes that reflect both of our own unique personalities, and who we are as a couple.
As I have said many times before, we have never claimed to run by tradition. We are who we are, and we want what we want.
So, I have chosen a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cake, and Jon has chosen a Harry Potter one!
Here some pictures:
Last week I told you the exciting news about our rings, and today I'd like to share with you our cakes and flowers for the ceremony!
We have decided to chose two cakes that reflect both of our own unique personalities, and who we are as a couple.
As I have said many times before, we have never claimed to run by tradition. We are who we are, and we want what we want.
So, I have chosen a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cake, and Jon has chosen a Harry Potter one!
Here some pictures:
We are ordering them from Target (US department store/grocery chain).
When we were at Wegman's (another US grocery chain) last week we saw some really awesome roses. This is what we ordered:
Let us know what you think!
Only 4 days to go now until the big day!!
Dan.
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