BSV Forum - Writing - Resources

Quick British question

Mar 13 2008 12:40 pm   #1goldenusagi
Anyone in Britain!  When talking about the hospital, what would you say?  "She's in hospital," or "She's at hospital"?  What about if someone needed to go to the hospital?  Would it be "going to the hospital," or "going to hospital?"  Thank you!
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Mar 13 2008 11:32 pm   #2Lilachigh
 Hi, you would say, "she's in hospital"    or "I'm visiting her in hospital" .  If talking about the future, you would say, "she needs to go to hospital"  or "she needs to be in hospital", or "she ought to be in hospital".      It wouldn't be incorrect to put an 'a' or 'the' in front of hospital, but would sound pedantic.  Hope this helps.
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Mar 14 2008 03:35 am   #3LindsayH
Since we're kinda already on the subject, is bringing grapes when someone's in hospital really a British tradition?  If it isn't, I still think it's a cool idea, but I didn't know for sure.
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Mar 23 2008 09:04 pm   #4goldenusagi
Another thing:  would Giles say sofa or couch?
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Mar 24 2008 08:11 pm   #5Lilachigh
 Grapes are the traditional gift to take to someone in hospital in Britain.  usually then eaten by the visitor who brings them!

Giles would say sofa!    Very definitely.  
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Mar 24 2008 11:34 pm   #6LindsayH
Awesome.  Thank you!
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Mar 26 2008 09:36 am   #7Tillyfilly
Nah Giles is a Settee kind of guy lol
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Apr 06 2008 02:32 pm   #8Legen
first off it, it took me for freakin' ever to find this post, but i knew it was here!!! so i didn't give up. 
Grapes are the traditional gift to take to someone in hospital in Britain. usually then eaten by the visitor who brings them!
i am american, obviously, but i resently got into british television(found doctor who through a friend, not long ago, and then got turned on to torchwood just before i found out about mr. marsters being on there, lovely surprise i might add.) so but anyways. what's up with the grapes? i don't get it at all. why do you take the grapes? why do the visitors eat the grapes? are the pateints SPOSE to eat the grapes, and just get carried away with talking about their health and the visitors are listening and munchin' away, and then all the sudden the grapes are all gone? what's up with the grapes?
if anyone can help me that'd be fantastic.
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Apr 06 2008 06:57 pm   #9Lou
Grapes were highly regarded for their health-giving properties since ancient times, even more so with the advent of wine making!  I suppose when the Romans invaded Britain, the locals appreciated the benefits and have done so ever since.  If someone is ill, they're sweet, juicy, easy to eat and have lots of health benefits.  It's not a rule that the visitor has to eat them - just opportunity!  :eyebrows:  Here endeth the lesson.
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May 28 2008 02:00 am   #10goldenusagi
Okay, I've got another one.  So, an American would say, "I'm watching TV," or "We could watch TV."  What would Spike say?  "Watching telly?"  "Watching the telly?"  Some other word besides telly?
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May 28 2008 03:10 pm   #11ya_lublyu_tebya
We (Brits) would say watching TV as well, But yeah, I think Spike would probably say watching the telly. If he was feeling very old-school, he might say watching the box, but it's a bit 60s. Hope that helps.
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May 28 2008 06:58 pm   #12Blood Faerie
Actually some of my brit friends in the hp fandom call a sofa a "chesterfield". I have no idea why and as you can imagine it took me for friggin EVER to figure out what the hell they were talking about, haha
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May 28 2008 07:20 pm   #13Eowyn315
Chesterfield is a type of sofa, so they're just using a specific term for it (like how you might call a tissue a Kleenex).
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May 28 2008 07:52 pm   #14Scarlet Ibis
You know, Spike actually said "it's telly time!" which I thought was the most adorable thing ever.  Mostly because it made me think of "It's Tele time!" from the Teletubbies?  I um...had younger sibblings who used to watch that show. Ahem.
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May 29 2008 02:19 pm   #15Legen
I um...had younger sibblings who used to watch that show. Ahem.
suuuuure, that's what they all say. <shifty eyes>
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May 29 2008 06:39 pm   #16Scarlet Ibis
They really did.  It's just that that show sucked you in.  Your eyes couldn't not be glued to the telly ;) if you were within site of it.  They had stupid games, and that crazy, laughing baby in the sun.  It was worst than a crack pipe, I tell you!
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May 31 2008 11:19 pm   #17Mabel Marsters

New on here so i thought I'd join in!  Saying TV or telly in England probably is a bit regional. lol!! I'm northern and it'd definately be telly! 

Also, as for the visiting in hospital thing - don't forget lucozade - a must have!! lol!

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Oct 10 2008 06:48 am   #18goldenusagi
Is "bleeding" worse than "bloody"?  I can only remember Spike saying "bleeding" once, in Crush when he goes off on Buffy and Dru, though he probably says it other times.  At any rate, is there a different connotation between "bleeding" and "bloody"?
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Oct 10 2008 12:56 pm   #19Spikez_tart
Lucozade???
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Oct 10 2008 01:55 pm   #20Lou
Is "bleeding" worse than "bloody"?   Bloody is mild profanity, bleeding is even milder.  Lucozade is an early glucose energy drink in production since the 1930s, I think, and a precursor of Red Bull et al.
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