Estimated Time: 5 minutes

The author of our book was British and used many words and phrases that are particular to the British people. Let's discover what some of these mean.

Row

"A row" describes a situation when people have a big argument or disagreement. You might hear someone say, "They had a row."

Shall

"Shall" is a word used to indicate a future action or event, often with a sense of obligation or necessity. For example: "I shall meet you at the park tomorrow."

Wardrobe

A "wardrobe" is a big and tall piece of furniture that you use to store your clothes and sometimes other things like shoes and accessories. It's like a special closet with doors where you can hang your clothes neatly or fold them on shelves. Wardrobes can come in many different styles, shapes, and sizes.

Queer

In the early 1900s, the word "queer" was primarily used to mean "strange," "unusual," or "odd." It was a term commonly used to describe something or someone that deviated from what was considered typical or conventional. For example, people might have said, "That's a queer-looking animal," to mean that the animal looked strange or unusual.

Shan't

The word "shan't" was commonly used in British English as a contraction of "shall not." It was a way of expressing a future action that would not happen or a prohibition against doing something. For example: "I shan't be attending the party tonight." (Meaning, "I will not be attending the party tonight.")

Wireless

The term "wireless" was commonly used to refer to a communication system or technology that allowed the transmission of messages, signals, or information without the use of physical wires or cables. At that time, "wireless" was mainly associated with early radio communication.

How many of these terms did you know?