This week, we answer a question from
a reader about the many words used
for different kinds of roads. Here’s
the question:
Question:
What are the differences between
avenues, roads, streets, lanes,
drives, ways, trails, boulevards and
highways?
Answer:
Well, that is a good question and
one that even some native speakers
wonder about. Let’s talk first about
roads.
even some native speakers:
incluso algunos oradores nativos;
wonder about: se preguntan qué
significa;
ROAD
A road is a long piece of hard
ground built between two places so
people can walk, drive or ride
easily from one place to the other.
Roads can be paved
or even made of dirt or stone. Roads
exist in cities, towns and rural
areas. They can be large or small.
The word “road” is the most general
of today’s terms and is sometimes
used in place of “street” or
“highway” or other related words.
hard ground: suelo firme o
duro; drive or ride:
conducir, recorrer o cabalgar;
easily: con facilidad; from
one place to the other: de un
extremo al otro; paved:
pavimentadas; dirt or stone:
tierra o piedra (empedrado);
rural areas: zonas rurales;
terms: términos; highway:
carretera;
STREET
A street is a public road in a city
or town that has buildings on one or
both sides of it. Sometimes, we use
the word “street” for many kinds of
roads. Streets often run across
avenues, which are wider streets.
Let’s take the borough
of Manhattan in New York City. It
has more than two-hundred numbered
streets that run east to west. 42nd
Street is one example.
public road: camino público;
both sides: ambos lados;
often run across avenues: a
menudo cruzan avenidas; wider
streets: calles más anchas;
borough: municipio; two-hundred
numbered streets: doscientas
calles numeradas; that run east
to west: que corren en dirección
este-oeste;
AVENUE
Manhattan also has 12 numbered
avenues that run north to south. An
example is 5th avenue. An avenue is
a very wide street, usually inside a
city. In Manhattan, most avenues are
around 30 meters wide while the
streets are narrower.
12 numbered avenues: 12
avenidas numeradas; that run
north to south: que corren en
dirección norte-sur: very wide
street: calle muy ancha; most
avenues: la mayoría de las
avenidas; are 30 meters wide:
tienen 30 metros de ancho;
narrower: más angostas;
LANES and WAYS
Now, let’s talk about smaller
streets: lanes and ways.
A way is a small side street that is
connected to a larger street. And a
lane is a very narrow street or path.
Ways and lanes are often found in
residential
areas.
smaller streets: calles más
prqueñas; lanes and ways:
pasajes y vías; a very narrow
street or path: una calle o
pasaje muy angosto; residential
areas: zonas residenciales;
BOULEVARD
A boulevard is a wide and usually
important city street that often has
trees, grass, or flowers planted
down its center or along its sides.
boulevard: bulevar, alameda;
grass: césped; planted down
in its center: plantados en el
centro; or along its sides: o
en los costados
DRIVE
“Drive” is used in the name of some
public roads. Drives may be big or
small. In Manhattan, for example,
there is FDR Drive – a six-lane
highway.
drive: paseo; a six-lane
highway: un paseo de seis
carriles;
HIGHWAY
Highways are paved main roads that
have several lanes for traffic and
connect cities, towns and other
areas. Vehicles on highways drive at
higher speeds than they do on other
kinds of roads.
paved main roads: carreteras
principales pavimentadas; several
lanes: varios carriles; drive
at higher speeds: viajan o son
conducidos a más altas velocidades;
TRAIL
And finally, we have trails.
A trail is usually a
rough path through a
field or a forest. Some
trails are for people and animals to
walk or ride on. Others are for
outdoor activities, like hiking and
bicycling.
trail: sendero o senda; a
rough pass: un paso agreste;
through a field or forest: a
través de un campo o bosque; to
walk or ride on: para caminar o
cabalgar; for outdoor activities:
para actividades al aire libre;
like hiking and bicycling: como
excursionismo o ciclismo.
And that’s Ask a Teacher. I’m Alice
Bryant.
