UK and America are two countries separated by a common language, UK and US Q&A cont'd

[mathanxiety]

Started another one in case anyone wants to do it again...

Can you not enter Canada on an enhanced drivers license when driving or going by boat?

Not anymore. They cracked down since 9/11, told Canadians they couldn't come over without a passport anymore, and they returned the favor.

When I was a kid though, you could just cross over. No one even cared I wasn't with my parents or if they had my parent's permission. It was great because once upon a time Canadian dollar was worth less than ours and we did all our Christmas shopping over there for cheap. :)

where we crossed, we had no problems crossing over from Maine into Canada with nothing other than a "why are you coming into canada" on the way in at the car window (no id check at all) and a "do you have anything to declare" at the car window on the way back into the states. That was still the case in 2004, when I was last there. Although obviously things may have changed in the last 10 years, but that was after 9/11 as that occurred in 2001.

Applying for an enhanced license is like applying for a passport, it is basically a restricted (to one country) passport added to your DL.

You need a passport now for Mexico.

We mostly holiday in the US by road tripping. Partly because of money, but also because there is so much great natural beauty and variation here and so much to see and visit. We just did a road trip from New Orleans to where my son is going to college. We spent a few days in Florida with empty white sand beaches and bathwater warm ocean.

We do a lot of road trips, too. Every summer we drive over 1000 miles and back to visit DH's family in upstate New York, stopping along the way to enjoy the changing scenery.

I live in Michigan. You need a passport to go to Canada, even if you're just going for a night out, or live one side of the bridge/tunnel and work the other. Not sure when the law changed, but only a few years ago.

(Rather amusingly, EVERY airport around here is 'international', even though some of them are a wooden hut with a grass strip outside.)

I need my Irish passport to go to either Canada or Mexico, and my green card to get back.

I am a US citizen and I wouldn't try to get in or out of Canada without a valid passport. Yes they might let you go one way without checking, but by law it is required so they might not let you back without one.

travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/information/do-i-need.html

I think they mean 'British' passports, not English, don't they?

Oops, maybe they are meaning 'this info is in the English language'

I lived in Maine and went to Canada all the time. Didn't need a passport at all. Actually they didn't check driver's licenses either. Occasional spot checks, but that's it.
But, and I stress this, we are American citizens. I don't know about UK citizens if they'd need a passport. Just saying...

I remember and episode of Frazier where they went out in a winnebago and Daphne went to sleep in the back. They crossed over into Canada and there was much comedy about going back into the USA because she only had a UK passport.

I remember crossing from maine to canada (at quoddy head iirc) just (a few days) before 911. def had to show passports/visa/car papers.

maus we used to go over the bridge at Calais into Saint Stephen in Canada - even in 2004 (and we went over regularly!). Not once ever asked for passport/driver's license at border checkpoint.

Quoddy headlight is in Maine, so you shouldn't have gone through any border area.... Were you maybe going to Campobello Island - that has a border checkpoint IIRC.

Here's from an official guide:

Q: What do I need to cross the border to Canada?

A: Effective June 1, 2009 a PASSPORT BOOK or PASSPORT CARD will be required to cross between the USA and CANADA. [Lubec, Maine - Campobello, New Brunswick]. For an expedient and pleasant crossing experience, please consider a smile, no hat, no sunglasses. Children under 18 need a birth certificate if traveling with both parents while a single parent needs a notarized release from the other parent. Current vaccination papers are required for pets. A smile, no sun glasses at the gate and a basically empty vehicle will help the process. You will be asked where you live, where you are staying and if you have tobacco, firearms, alcohol and any gifts or goods that you will be leaving across the border. Border crossings are at Lubec/Campobello and Calais/St. Stephen.

ah yes, must have been lubec then. for some reason quoddy stayed in my mind.

What about tenses in the English language? On Judge Judy she talks about someone 'pled' guilty or not guilty. We say 'pleaded'. Another one that annoys me is 'snuck' instead of the proper English 'sneaked'.

On Judge Judy she talks about someone 'pled' guilty or not guilty. We say 'pleaded'.

Yet in the UK you haven't just 'bleeded'. You 'bled'. Right?

Don't forget Mrs Thatcher accused Dennis Healey in the House of Commons of being 'frit' (frightened) of an election.

Snuck is considered informal, or even slang, in US English. Sneaked is the correct past participle.

I have finally accepted 'dove' for 'dived' to the extent it doesn't set my teeth on edge when the DCs say it, but I still can't bring myself to say it.

spelled spelt
smelled smelt

I can no longer remember which is which but accept either whilst feeling uncomfortable with both.

No - 'dove' for dived? Really, is that an actual There are many arguments online about spelled vs spelt. I like spelt.

The British prefer spelt and smelt. The Americans believe spelt to be a grain.

Dove or dived is correct in the US; the variation is somewhat regional.

And smelt is a fish.

I've never heard spelt or smelt from anyone that isn't Scottish...I assumed they were too tbh?

Spelt is a grain, isn't it?

There's another thread on the board right now where the OP uses "I was stood," in the title. I would never say that; I would say, "I was standing." "I was stood," makes it sound as though someone picked you up and stood you there. :)

I've also noticed British people saying something is "different to" something else. I would say, "different from."