[General] Radiogram or anything else?

[englishhobby]

Is the use of the word 'radiogram' the only thing about this text which makes it old-fashioned?

Let’s have a look at this picture of our sitting-room. As you come into the room you notice a piano with a low music-stool in front of it. Next to the piano there is a tall bookcase standing against the wall. On the left is a large window. Under the window there’s a radiator, but you can’t see it because it’s behind the settee. On the settee there are two cushions. The fireplace is at the other end of the room. On each side of the fireplace there’s an armchair. An old lady is sitting in one of the chairs, but nobody’s sitting in the other one: it’s empty.

In the centre of the mantelpiece there’s a clock and above it an oval mirror. On the right you can see a standard lamp. Opposite the fireplace you can see a small table with an ash-tray and some newspapers on it. By the table there is a small chair. On the extreme right there’s a radiogram.* The floor is covered with a beautiful thick carpet. An electric light is hanging from the middle of the ceiling. At night when it gets dark we switch on the light and draw the curtains. During the day, the light comes in through the window.

 

[emsr2d2]

The whole thing is a description of an old-fashioned room but I would say the only explicit indicators are "radiogram" and "electric light".

 

[englishhobby]

Is the expression "on the extreme right" O.K.?

 

[emsr2d2]

It's OK. I would probably use "On the far right wall" or "In the far right corner" or something similar.

 

[englishhobby]

And what does "on the extreme right:" or "in the far right corner" mean? Somehow it's not obvious for me...

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

On the extreme right/far right just means that there is nothing else in the picture that is further to the right.

 

[Tdol]

The whole thing is a description of an old-fashioned room but I would say the only explicit indicators are "radiogram" and "electric light".

Ashtrays are getting rarer except in smokers' houses, and I don't hear the term standard lamp used much now. ;-)

 

[emsr2d2]

If there was an ashtray in the room, I would assume the house owner was a smoker.

 

[Rover_KE]

'Mantelpiece' sounds dated to me.

 

[Tdol]

And I only see pianos in houses belonging to fairly well-off people who like music- the days of the piano as a standard part of the furniture have gone. There's no TV mentioned either.

 

[Mrfatso]

Not a Teacher

On a similar vein if the home is fairly well-off would not the word "sofa" be more common than "settee" in BrE?

 

[emsr2d2]

In my opinion, no. In fact, if anything, I find "settee" a little more formal than "sofa".

 

[Mrfatso]

In my opinion, no. In fact, if anything, I find "settee" a little more formal than "sofa".

Debretts say that "sofa" is U-English and "settee" is Non-U

http://www.debretts.com/british-etiquette/british-behaviour/t-z/u-and-non-u

 

[Rover_KE]

I call it a couch. What does Debretts make of that? (As if I care.)

 

[emsr2d2]

I consider "couch" to be a more AmE usage although we use "couch potato" here (never "sofa potato"!) but I'm with Rover - Debrett's is not compiled by people who are in touch with normal people so I really couldn't care less what they think pieces of furniture should be called. Unless you happen to be moving in Royal circles, you're not going to be conversing with people who would have the faintest idea what Debrett's says (in fact, I would venture to suggest that most people in the UK couldn't even tell you what Debrett's is).

 

[Tdol]

Debretts say that "sofa" is U-English and "settee" is Non-U

http://www.debretts.com/british-etiquette/british-behaviour/t-z/u-and-non-u

I'm sure they're right, but I was taught the opposite when I was young.