Forum newsfeeds
Forum Newsfeeds


Sites for Teachers

Sites for Teachers


Go Back   UsingEnglish.com ESL Forum > Learning English > Ask a Teacher

Notices

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 24-Nov-2006, 23:05
retro's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Country: Hungary
Posts: 321
Current Location: Budapest, Hungary
First Language: Hungarian
Member Type: Student or Learner
Thanks: 6
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
retro is on a distinguished road
Default What's the proper word for......?

Hi!

Would you help find the proper word for a territory that is dangerous to enter (usually surrounded by barriers), for examlpe, because of building of a house, a skyscraper etc.?

Thank you!

Last edited by retro; 24-Nov-2006 at 23:43.
Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 24-Nov-2006, 23:40
Moderator
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Country: England
Posts: 2,215
Current Location: SE England
First Language: British English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 2
Thanked 128 Times in 122 Posts
MrPedantic will become famous soon enoughMrPedantic will become famous soon enough
Default Re: What's the proper word for......?

Hmm. I don't think there's a single word. But you could say:

1. A danger zone.
2. A dangerous area.
3. A hazardous area.

MrP
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 24-Nov-2006, 23:49
retro's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Country: Hungary
Posts: 321
Current Location: Budapest, Hungary
First Language: Hungarian
Member Type: Student or Learner
Thanks: 6
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
retro is on a distinguished road
Default Re: What's the proper word for......?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MrPedantic View Post
Hmm. I don't think there's a single word. But you could say:

1. A danger zone.
2. A dangerous area.
3. A hazardous area.

MrP
I mean an area whose name suggests that work is in progress on it. Something like an 'operation or action area'.

Last edited by retro; 25-Nov-2006 at 00:07.
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 25-Nov-2006, 00:11
Moderator
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Country: England
Posts: 2,215
Current Location: SE England
First Language: British English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 2
Thanked 128 Times in 122 Posts
MrPedantic will become famous soon enoughMrPedantic will become famous soon enough
Default Re: What's the proper word for......?

Well, in the construction industry, it would be a "building site".

MrP
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 25-Nov-2006, 00:26
retro's Avatar
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Country: Hungary
Posts: 321
Current Location: Budapest, Hungary
First Language: Hungarian
Member Type: Student or Learner
Thanks: 6
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
retro is on a distinguished road
Default Re: What's the proper word for......?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MrPedantic View Post
Well, in the construction industry, it would be a "building site".

MrP

Thank you very much for the quick response!

Anyway, I looked 'building site' up in my Oxford dictionary, which says that is used in BrE. Do you think Americans will understand it? I'm writing an essay based on AmE.
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 25-Nov-2006, 01:09
Moderator
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Country: England
Posts: 2,215
Current Location: SE England
First Language: British English
Member Type: Other
Thanks: 2
Thanked 128 Times in 122 Posts
MrPedantic will become famous soon enoughMrPedantic will become famous soon enough
Default Re: What's the proper word for......?

That's a good point. I'm not sure.

Maybe a passing AmE will let us know!

All the best,

MrP
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old 25-Nov-2006, 21:15
MikeNewYork's Avatar
VIP Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Country: USA
Posts: 6,094
Current Location: New York
First Language: American English
Member Type: Academic
Thanks: 0
Thanked 12 Times in 12 Posts
MikeNewYork is on a distinguished road
Default Re: What's the proper word for......?

Quote:
Originally Posted by retro View Post
Thank you very much for the quick response!

Anyway, I looked 'building site' up in my Oxford dictionary, which says that is used in BrE. Do you think Americans will understand it? I'm writing an essay based on AmE.
Yes, Americans will understand that.
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old 25-Nov-2006, 22:35
BobK's Avatar
Moderator
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Country: England (South East)
Posts: 5,948
Current Location: England (South East)
First Language: English
Member Type: English Teacher
Thanks: 86
Thanked 981 Times in 868 Posts
BobK is a splendid one to beholdBobK is a splendid one to beholdBobK is a splendid one to beholdBobK is a splendid one to beholdBobK is a splendid one to beholdBobK is a splendid one to beholdBobK is a splendid one to beholdBobK is a splendid one to behold
Default Re: What's the proper word for......?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MrPedantic View Post
Well, in the construction industry, it would be a "building site".
MrP

An alternative is 'a hard-hat area' - this isn't as informal as it sounds. You can buy official signs (from the Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents, or the Health and Safety Executive, or somewhere like that) that say things like 'You are entering a hard-hat area' - e.g.



All building sites (I think) are hard-hat areas, but a company can declare a temporary hard-hat area - while moving a heavy or potentially dangerous piece of equipnent.

b

ps - the image's filespec might suggest that this term is used in AmE too - .com rather than .co.uk (not a certain indicator, I know)

Last edited by BobK; 25-Nov-2006 at 22:43. Reason: fix typo; add PS
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Tags
proper, word

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
The misused word--absolute pljames Text Analysis and Statistics 10 13-Dec-2007 22:19
What is the proper word order here? Happy Puppy Ask a Teacher 5 21-Feb-2006 08:12
using a proper word in a sentence Anonymous Ask a Teacher 2 09-Jan-2006 04:09
looking for proper word magdalena Ask a Teacher 2 18-Dec-2005 23:17
Could not find the proper word or compound noun NewHope Ask a Teacher 4 24-Aug-2004 17:14


New To Site? Need Help?

All times are GMT. The time now is 09:42.


vBulletin, Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.2.0
Copyright © 2002 - 2008 UsingEnglish.com