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The English We Speak

From BBC learning English.com. What a pleasant day, Neil. I love this park. Some of my best memories are from walking around here, feeding the ducks.

Ah, my best memories are, well, from across the pond.

Really? What sort of thing did you do over there?

Oh, shopping.

They have all sorts of products over there which are cheaper than here.

Good shops with cheap stuff.

Hmm, I want to go there, but I can't really see from here. Well, I'm talking about across

the pond. And the food there is so delicious. Big portions, all very tasty. I love Mississippi mud pie.

That's a chocolate cake, isn't it? I want some. Where is the restaurant? I want to go there now.

But I told you, it's too far away. It's across the pond.

Oh, don't be lazy. We can just go walk around the pond. But all I can see are ducks. Here in Britain when we say across

the pond or the other side of the pond we might be referring to the Atlantic Ocean and the United States.

Because there's so much contact between the two continents, we compare the ocean to a pond.

So the cake and the shops are in America? Yes, let's hear some examples of how this

expression is used. The latest Woody Allen movie was very popular on both sides of the pond.

It was praised by critics and popular among cinema goers.

Many American actors are starring in plays in London's West End, but this is Shakespeare's

territory and I think the best theatre is still on our side of the pond. You look disappointed, Fay Faye. It's the chocolate cake, isn't it?

Yes it is. Come on, let's find a nice coffee shop and I'll buy you a tasty dessert.

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