Curbs and Sidewalks

Curbs and Sidewalks Curbs and Sidewalks Curbs and Sidewalks By Maeve Maddox Rod poses the question: In Spanish the words curb and sidewalk are interchangeable. Is it the same in English?    In U.S. English, the word sidewalk refers to a paved footpath alongside a street or a road. The sidewalk is usually raised above the level of the road. The curb is a stone or concrete edging between the road and the sidewalk. In British usage, curb is spelled kerb. What Americans call a sidewalk, British speakers call the pavement. Merchants that Americans call street vendors or sidewalk vendors are called kerb-merchants or kerb-vendors by British speakers. Curious about the alleged lack of distinction between sidewalk and curb in Spanish, I looked the words up in my New World Spanish Dictionary and found the following: acera: sidewalk; Mexican banqueta encintado: curb (of a sidewalk) bordillo:curb borde de acera: curb Comments from Spanish speakers welcome. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Beautiful and Ugly WordsHow to Punctuate with â€Å"However†Capitalizing Titles of People and Groups