In this weekly post, we bring more useful content from the Macmillan Dictionary to English language learners. These tips are usually based on areas of English which learners find difficult, e.g. spelling, grammar, collocation, synonyms, usage, etc.
This week’s language tip helps with the differences in meaning of gas in American and British English.
In the UK, gas usually refers to a clear substance like air that is burned to cook food or to heat your house: a gas boiler. Gas can also have this meaning in the US, but when American speakers say gas they are usually referring to a type of liquid fuel that is used to produce power in cars: We’d better get gas on our way out of town. In this meaning gas is short for gasoline. In the UK, you call this fuel petrol.
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