British English Through Stories

In Liverpool, the ferry man calls a bus driver who rescued a stranger’s umbrella “sound,” and a schoolgirl whose cake stall has reached its target is “made up.” After every story, the key phrases are defined in a line each, and cultural notes supply the context, such as why Kev laughs when his gran asks, “How’s your bird?” At the back, a list of British and American differences pairs flat with apartment and explains that a British ground floor is an American first floor.

By the last page, you’ll know what you’re being offered when someone asks, “Fancy a cuppa?” and the friendly British way to accept: “Go on then.”