walk on the street vs. walk in the street

Which is correct? I usually say walk on the street. But is it also right to say walk in the street?

NOT A TEACHER


(1) I believe that here in the United States, most people say:

(a) Walk on the street. = Walk on the SIDEWALK.

(i) Pardon this crude example, but it might help you remember: sometimes prostitutes are called streetwalkers.

(b) Walk in the street. = You are literally (actually) walking in the area used by automobiles. Mothers will often warn their children: Don't play in the street!

* Not a teacher

Also, as an addition to TheParser's great post, the British version of "sidewalk" is "pavement".

Thanks ~

Please do note that there is a difference between American use and everyone else in this in/on usage. An American would tell you that walking IN the street is dangerous.

SirGod said:

Also, as an addition to TheParser's great post, the British version of "sidewalk" is "pavement".

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[not a teacher]

Interesting, to me, pavement is just another word for the street's surface (i.e. paved surface). In fact, if I fell on the sidewalk, I might say, "I tripped on the sidewalk and hit my head on the cement." It wouldn't dawn on me to use "pavement".

BobSmith said:

[not a teacher]

Interesting, to me, pavement is just another word for the street's surface (i.e. paved surface). In fact, if I fell on the sidewalk, I might say, "I tripped on the sidewalk and hit my head on the cement." It wouldn't dawn on me to use "pavement".

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In BrE we would say "concrete" rather than "cement". A "pavement" is so called because it's made up of "paving slabs".

Isn't cement one of the materials (the main one, actually) mixed up to make concrete?

SirGod said:

Isn't cement one of the materials (the main one, actually) mixed up to make concrete?

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Yes, it is.

bhaisahab said:

Yes, it is.

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So, can they be synonyms (depending on the dialect)?

SirGod said:

So, can they be synonyms (depending on the dialect)?

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I think Americans call "concrete" "cement".

bhaisahab said:

I think Americans call "concrete" "cement".

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Yep But we also use concrete, especially to make the distinction between the mixture and its parts. But alone, cement is fine how I used it above.

I just thought of the phrase "hit the pavement", which means to start moving/traveling. E.g. "If we're going to make the movie on time, we better (HA!) hit the pavement." In this context, I can see that meaning sidewalk or street.

bhaisahab said:

In BrE we would say "concrete" rather than "cement". A "pavement" is so called because it's made up of "paving slabs".

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[not a teacher]

BTW, it's not common in AmE to say "a pavement" - always the definite article.

To reply to the threadstarter,

As a BrE speaker, I would say walk down a street.

[Not a teacher]

SirGod said:

* Not a teacher

Also, as an addition to TheParser's great post, the British version of "sidewalk" is "pavement".

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It's footpath in Hiberno English...